Goodwill of New Mexico History Timeline

1902 – Boston-based Methodist minister Edgar J. Helms establishes a charity based on an unusual approach: going door to door asking for donations of clothing and household goods, then paying workers to refurbish goods and selling them for profit.

1915 – Rev. Helms adopts the name Goodwill Industries from a Brooklyn workshop that adopts Helms’ technique.

1918 – The Vocational Rehabilitation Act becomes law. It aims to assist veterans with disabilities returning from World War I.

1921 – The slogan “Not Charity, But a Chance” is used to publicize Goodwill’s efforts to give people hope and independence through work. Store revenues top $1 million for the first time.

1929 – Goodwill helps thousands of people who become destitute during the Great Depression.

1941 – Albuquerque Goodwill, as it was called then, begins under the sponsorship of the Lead Methodist Church. Its founders rent a storeroom on Central Avenue in downtown Albuquerque for $18 per month. The Ruoff Milling Company donates 100 burlap bags in which to collect materials. Rev. Luther Evans travels to Los Angeles to see how their Goodwill operation is organized.

1942-45 – Goodwill Industries of America, as the national organization is called, participates in the “Bundles for Europe” program, sending used clothing to Allied countries hardest hit by World War II. Goodwill becomes known for helping people with disabilities through job training.

1949 – William B. Parrott, an associate of Rev. Helms and former Goodwill director in Florida, becomes executive director of Goodwill Industries of New Mexico.

1955 – Goodwill’s fleet of trucks begins picking up donations at donors’ homes.

1960 – New Mexico’s Goodwill is one of the first in the country to upgrade its image from a secondhand store to an attractive retail location. Shoppers respond and Goodwill prospers, growing to 192 staff and clients working at three small stores.

1963 – Charles R. Lynn, former assistant director of the Dallas Goodwill, becomes executive director of Goodwill Industries of New Mexico. He will serve GINM for 35 years.

1967 – Goodwill Industries of New Mexico opens a store in Santa Fe.

1976 – Goodwill moves into a 53,000 sq. ft. building on San Mateo Boulevard in Albuquerque. The site serves as its headquarters, housing production areas, offices, a warehouse and two retail areas.

1979 – Goodwill Industries of New Mexico establishes its Employment and Training Department. Retail revenue tops $1 million for the first time.

1986 – A store opens in Albuquerque on Juan Tabo Boulevard.

1991 – Goodwill Industries of New Mexico receives its first accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF).

1995 – A store opens on Caminito Coors Boulevard on Albuquerque’s West Side.

2000 – Patrick Michaels, former head of Goodwill operations in California and Washington state, joins the Goodwill staff. He serves as a member of the Goodwill Industries International Board of Directors and will become GINM’s President and CEO until 2007.

2001 – A second store opens in Santa Fe on Cerrillos Road. A Workforce Development program is established at this location.

2002 – A store opens in Rio Rancho on Southern Boulevard, also with a Workforce Development program. The Pathways to Self-Sufficiency Program is established to provide vocational services to the homeless in Bernalillo County.

2003 – The Board of Directors launches what will be a successful capital campaign to renovate the San Mateo facility.

2004 – Renovation of the San Mateo facility begins.

2005 – A banner year! Senator Pete Domenici helps celebrate the completion of the renovations, which will result in increased capacity to open new stores and serve more New Mexicans. Stores open in Gallup and Albuquerque’s South Valley, with Workforce Development programs. Persons served at Goodwill increases by 73% over pre-renovation numbers, while persons placed in competitive community employment increases by 69%.

2006 – Goodwill experiences a 16% annual revenue growth and its operational efficiency is now rated in the top 10% of all Goodwill organizations nationwide.

2007 – Stores open in Roswell and Clovis, each with Workforce Development programs. The First Annual Edgar Awards in Human Services honor nine awardees in the areas ranging from employee of the year to lifetime achievement.

2008 – John G. Conklan Jr. joins staff as President and CEO. Second Annual Edgar Awards in Human Services honor nine awardees. Regional Goodwill headquarters opens in Farmington.

2009 - Quality New Mexico awardes Goodwill with the Roadrunner Award. Third Annual Edgar Awards in Human Services honor eight awardees. Advertising campaign "it all starts with re" is luanched. Career Centers in Rio Rancho and Farmington open. Goodwill partners with Dell in Re-Connect partnership to responsibly recycle old and broken computers and their accessories.