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Rob Groeschen
Founder of InRETURN |
Rob Groeschen always looked up to his big brother, Tom. But in 1983, Tom was involved in a car accident that left him with lasting brain damage, unable to resume the life that he had previously lived. Tom could not attend college or hold down a job, making independent life impossible. Tom's impairment was difficult for him to adjust to, and his care put a strain on the Groeschen family, especially Rob, who was growing in a successful career in Florida. Rob felt he should be doing more for him than just calling weekly and visiting occasionally.
A few years later, in 1991, Rob asked his company for a transfer back to the Cincinnati, Ohio area so that he could be with Tom and try to make a difference in his life by being neraby. While the change gave Rob peace of mind, it did little to help Tom, who continued to struggle socially and professionally. Often, Tom would get lost and wind up at regional bus stations or be found wandering in strange neighborhoods, and it was left to Rob to track him down at all hours of the night.
In 2000, Rob started his own business, a recycling/reuse and hazardous materials handling company called Resource One. He also began to look into the possibility of starting an organization giving people like Tom employment opprotunities in a real life work environment along with intergrated life skills training programs. Late in 2004, he announced his intentions to his wife Brenda, "I can't wait for something to open up for Tom. I have to do it myself." In January 2005, Rob opened the InRETURN worksite in Blue Ash, Ohio and began serving people with disabilities.
Rob says the company's name signifies both a return to normal life for the brain-injured, and his personal payback to Tom. "Within our walls we can help 30 people," Rob says. "I want to help 300." He hopes to expand the business and its model to other areas around the country, in the hopes that brain survivors like Tom can be given the same opportunities; and that the people in their lives who care about them can do something in return. |
