Aspen is a place for leaders to lift their sights above the possessions which possess them. To confront their own nature as human beings, to regain control over their own humanity by becoming more self-aware, more self-correcting, and hence more self-fulfilling.
Walter P. Paepcke, Aspen Institute Co-Founder
Aspen Institute
Publications
A Retailer Bets on Learning and Development: Goodwill Industries® of San Diego County
February 4, 2019
Economic Opportunities Program
Across the United States, a growing number of states and municipalities have passed legislation to raise their minimum wages. This wave of policy changes raises questions about how low-margin industries, including retail, can remain competitive despite increased labor costs.
Much can be learned from Goodwill Industries of San Diego County, a nonprofit organization that generates 96 percent of revenue from its retail operations. Rather than cutting staff in response to San Diego’s minimum wage increase, GISD chose to increase investments in its workforce, including addressing wage compression and strengthening training and development to improve workforce productivity.
This new report highlights how GISD adapted its culture and operations to enhance job quality and business performance in response to minimum wage increases. The authors share four key practices that offer lessons for retailers facing minimum wage increases, seeking to get ahead of minimum wage legislation, or taking steps to improve job quality for their workers. Service providers who work with these businesses can also learn from the strategies outlined in this profile.
Reimagine Retail, an initiative of the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program funded by the Walmart Foundation, explores ways to enhance job quality and improve mobility for the retail workforce. In San Diego, we partner with the San Diego Workforce Partnership, an innovative workforce development board. The Workforce Partnership supports GISD and other employers, providing resources to promote development and advancement opportunities for retail workers.
This new report is the second in a series on promising workforce strategies from across the Reimagine Retail network. We’re excited to share valuable lessons from work on the ground by local Reimagine Retail partners across the country.
The Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program advances strategies, policies, and ideas to help low- and moderate-income people thrive in a changing economy.
Join Our Mailing List
To receive occasional emails about our work — including new publications, commentary, events, fellowships, and more — join our mailing list.
“We are delighted to welcome this new class of Fellows,” said UpSkill America Senior Director Haley Glover. “Supporting these leaders, who are joining a thriving community of alumni, to advance in their work and careers creating real value for their organizations and opportunities for their workforces is so rewarding. This is an incredibly impressive group.”
We’re in the last month of our #JobQuality survey. If your org is improving #JobQuality, add your voice to this survey from The Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program by December 31st.
The following transcript comes from our webinar, “Backsliding on Child Protections: The Return of Child Labor in the US,” hosted by the Economic Opportunities Program on November 19, 2025.
In this edition of the Job Quality Newsletter, we unpack why manufacturing jobs are often seen as desirable yet don’t consistently deliver on that promise, highlight research that shows how efforts to strengthen businesses can also improve the quality of jobs they provide, and consider how government purchasing power can be used to set higher job standards across the sector.
Leaders must view AI adoption as a development opportunity to redefine how capability is built, focusing on outcomes and consciously reinvesting capacity freed by automation to ensure growth and resilience for both the business and its people.
