“Are You Happy Today?”: Ryan’s Secret to a Successful Career

Ryan Maly loves to help others, which is one reason he loves to work. By 2008, he was no stranger to the workforce, having worked since graduating high school at numerous restaurants: KFC, Pizza Hut, Noodles & Company. His job at Chili’s, where he had many friends, was one of his favorites—but then came the Great Recession, and Ryan lost his job. Days of unemployment turned into weeks, then months, then more than a year.  

“That was hard for me,” said Ryan, who has a disability and has long been a part of The Arc-JCC&GC’s community. His mother, Susan Dahl, remembers how Ryan began to grow unfulfilled and depressed as, despite his work experience, his season of unemployment wore on. 

“He'd been unemployed for 18 months after 2008,” Susan said. “Nobody was hiring.”

But everything turned around when Ryan got the opportunity to show another employer all the contributions he could make and all the additional skills he could learn.  

The opportunity arose by chance. “Ryan’s older brother, Travis, attended a Martin Luther King Day luncheon ... and he happened to sit at a table with several arc Thrift executives,” Susan explained. “As they talked about the mission of arc Thrift (the 30+ thrift stores in Colorado that fund the state's chapters of The Arc), Travis said, ‘Gee, do you suppose there’d be a job for my brother there?’” 

They suggested a call to schedule an interview if Ryan was interested in a job. That same week, Ryan found himself sitting down in an office at an arc Thrift store in Denver, interviewing with the person who would potentially be his boss and other employees. 

“I felt super happy,” Ryan said. “Everyone was nice.” 

“He came out to the car and he was so excited!” Susan remembered.

Today, Ryan has been working for arc Thrift for more than 14 years, having worked at two different stores over the course of his employment there. Through arc Thrift, he has also served as president of a local arc Ambassadors club of the Civitans, a global community service organization. With spending money at his disposal, plenty of friends at work, and numerous career accomplishments under his belt, having the opportunity to work has given Ryan the life he wants. 

“I do movies, DVDs, tapes. I (have done) books a long time,” Ryan says, explaining which sections he helps with at the store. “I help our cashiers with bagging. I love it. We always help people out … I like (my) career. I like my life.” 

‘We’re a team’

When he walks in each day, Ryan asks his coworkers the same question: “Are you happy today?” 

It’s been a tradition of his from previous jobs he’s held. “That’s his trademark quote,” Susan said. She remembers a night when she ran into one of Ryan’s coworkers from a previous job, who was quick to bring up how that daily question could turn her day around. “She said, ‘He’s so cool. Every day, I’d come in from school and I’d be in a bad mood. Ryan would be there cleaning and he’d come over to me and pat me on the back and say, Are you happy today?’ And she said, ‘After that, I always was.’” 

“We’re a team,” Ryan said of himself and his coworkers. 

In addition to being known by friends and coworkers for his positive demeanor, Ryan is also known for his love of wrestling. A cherished memory was when a fellow arc Thrift employee threw him a wrestling-themed birthday party at the store, he said. He also enjoyed bringing his love for wrestling to work by pitching the idea for a ‘wrestling corner' at his previous arc Thrift store, where wrestling-themed items were all brought together in one display. 

“I wasn't able to go in that first day and I thought I'd go next time I picked him up from work,” Susan said. “So I told Ryan then, that I wanted to go in to see the wrestling corner. And he said, ‘Too late. Sold out.’”

Ryan knows the store he works at well—and when he isn’t working one of his twice-weekly shifts at arc Thrift, he can often be found shopping there, buying anything from hats to t-shirts, basketballs to footballs. He also loves to travel with his brother to places like Las Vegas, Milwaukee, and Washington, D.C., where he spends his money on meals and souvenirs.

And his next trip is sure to be a big one: “I told my brother: me, my brother, and his girlfriend will go back to Las Vegas,” Ryan said. “It’s my idea—15 years at arc, let's go (for a) celebration.” 

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