Beacon Group is proud to celebrate 50 years with Jim Click Automotive, recognizing a shared commitment to creating inclusive employment opportunities for people with disabilities in Southern Arizona.

In 1975, visionary business leader Jim Click partnered with Beacon Group to employ two car wash employees with disabilities at his dealership. What began as a small initiative grew into a model of inclusive employment that has transformed hundreds of Arizona lives for more than five decades.

Today, Jim Click Automotive employs more than 30 workers with disabilities across its dealerships. Over the past 50 years, Mr. Click has created employment opportunities for hundreds of people with disabilities, likely more than any other business across Southern Arizona.

Sasha’s 25-Year Journey

When Sasha Ilic and his family moved to Tucson from Bosnia in 1994, the transition was difficult at first. They faced a language barrier, a new culture, and uncertainty about how children with disabilities like Sasha, who was 17, would be treated in the United States.

Sasha started school at Howenstine High School, a school (at the time) for children with disabilities. It was there that Sasha first met Jim Click, who was involved with the school and made a big, positive impression on Sasha. Sasha told him, “I want to work for you” and had his mind set on doing so.

That dream became reality just a few years later. In 1998, Sasha started with Beacon Group and began working on the Jim Click fleet washing crew, where he has proudly worked for the past 27 years.

Ask Sasha what he enjoys most about his job and he’ll smile and say, “Nobody knows,” a phrase his team says you’ll hear him say daily, “I love washing cars. My supervisors make me happy.”

Sasha’s mother, Alma, says Sasha’s happiness at work is due in large part to the kindness and respect Jim Click has shown to him over the years. “Sasha wants to clean his cars the best, because [Mr. Click] takes the best care of us,” she says, “[Mr. Click] recognized something good in him.”

In recognition of Sasha’s 25+ years of service, Jim Click recently sent him on a trip to Hawaii. This is a tradition for Jim Click employees who reach that milestone, and one graciously extended to Beacon Group’s fleet washing team members as well.

The vacation celebrated Sasha’s hard work, loyalty, and the friendships built over nearly three decades at Beacon and Jim Click. His journey is a shining example of what can happen when inclusion, opportunity, and kindness come together.

Quientin Makes a Splash

If you visit any of the Jim Click dealerships at 22nd Street and Wilmot, you’re likely to see Quientin Bridges dancing along to the music his team plays while they wash the cars. “That’s my extra energy I can get rid of. I like to be active on the job. I like that I’m outside, getting vitamin D,” he says. His upbeat personality and playful attitude bring positive energy to the team.

Quientin has been with Beacon Group for 12 years and has spent the past nine working on the fleet washing team at Jim Click Automotive. The hands-on, physical nature of the role has been a good fit for him. His favorite part of the job is moving the pressure washer hoses into place so that his team members can spray down the cars.

Quientin doesn’t just enjoy the job because it keeps him active. “I like the check,” he says. “I like to buy games for my PlayStation 4 and go on outings.” Earning his own paycheck gives him a sense of independence and accomplishment.

Over the nine years he’s been there, many of his team members have stayed the same, and he finds comfort in that continuity. The Jim Click team also includes the Beacon Group team in their celebrations and milestone awards, creating a strong sense of belonging at the dealerships. “It’s good to see that I have people here that care about me,” Quientin says of his team and his job coaches, “It motivates me to be a good person.”