Mark B. Boyd took over as president and CEO of Goodwill Industries of Southern New Jersey and Philadelphia (GISNJ) on April 1, 2005, and since then, Goodwill’s yearly revenues have increased from $13 million to more than $50 million.
Boyd spent the first few months of his tenure looking at what made other Goodwills successful. He consulted with other Goodwill CEOs, made site visits and dove into Annual Statistical Reports put out by Goodwill Industries International to see what the common denominator was behind their growth. He figured out that GISNJ was averaging one donation per square foot while the more successful Goodwills were averaging 3.8 donations per square foot.
Boyd realized that the organization needed more to sell. To increase GISNJ’s donations, he opened donation centers in affluent areas of GISNJ’s territory, and the strategy worked. GISNJ now averages 3.1 donations per square foot.
With the added funds, Boyd can support Goodwill’s charitable mission of providing job training programs that help individuals with disabilities and disadvantages attain marketable skills.
In the next five years, Boyd is focused on reaching $100 million in gross revenue, which would make GISNJ one of the largest member Goodwills in the country. He continues to seek out new donation center sites and retail stores and expand GISNJ’s geographic footprint.
One of Boyd’s successful initiatives has been Goodwill’s Helms Academy. The academy offers a tuition-free way for people to earn their high school diploma at five locations in New Jersey and Philadelphia. Collaborations with Camden County College, Ocean County College, Temple University, Community College of Philadelphia and others allow participants to earn up to 30 college credits.
“In his 17-year tenure at GISNJ, Boyd has become a leader in the Goodwill movement,” his team said. “He is known as a forward thinking CEO and is credited with developing GISNJ into one of the top five most technologically advanced Goodwills in the country. CEOs from Goodwills in Portland, Maine; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; St. Petersburg, Florida; Charlotte, North Carolina and others have made the trip to New Jersey to see Boyd’s entire operation in action.”
Boyd has served for 10 years as chair of ACCSES NJ, a nonprofit that provides support for agencies that advocate for people with disabilities. He has been on the Burlington County Workforce Development Board for the last 15 years. Most recently, he was appointed to the board of directors of Goodwill Industries International.
Boyd outlined his plans for the future this way: “Technology for better customer service. Convenience for our donors. More and better incentive and training programs for our employees so they can share in our success,” he said. “Expanding our employment and training programs, such as the Helms Academy, so that our communities and neighbors share in our success as well.”