D’Eri and Actress/Advocate Holly Robinson Peete Selected to Give Keynote Speeches at Event

Thomas D’Eri, COO of South Florida’s Rising Tide Car Wash, a groundbreaking social enterprise with a primary mission to employ adults with autism, gave the opening keynote speech, “A Culture that Lifts All Boats,” at SAP’s 2018 Autism at Work Summit, hosted by Microsoft. Taking place at Microsoft’s corporate office in Redmond, Washington from April 24–26, the event supports more neuro-diverse workplaces.

D’Eri, as well as actress, author, talk show host, activist and philanthropist Holly Robinson Peete, are serving as keynote speakers for this year’s event. The agenda features keynote presentations, moderated panel discussions, and breakout workshops, in which participants have an opportunity to dive into deep discussions on particular topics.

Event Sponsors are SAP, DXC Technologies, EY, Ford Motor Company and JP Morgan Chase. With the objective of creating a platform for academia, public and private sector, philanthropy, civil societies, and the community, the six sponsoring companies are offering opportunities to inspire imagination, ideation and collaboration. Partnerships have grown over the last two years, since SAP launched the Autism at Work Summit, as more employers are interested in programs focused on hiring people with autism.

In 2017, the summit attracted approximately 700 participants, representing over 50 companies, 21 civil societies and schools, 16 universities, four government organizations, two philanthropists, and more.

“It is a great honor to have been selected to give the opening keynote speech at the 2018 Autism at Work Summit, hosted by Microsoft,” said D’Eri. “At Rising Tide, we believe that autism is a valuable diversity, as opposed to a disability that requires sympathy”.

“We’ve built a culture that empowers our employees with autism to reach their potential. We believe employing people with autism can have a transformative effect on a company’s culture, helping leaders become more purposeful, better communicators and more skilled at nurturing the unique strengths of their team members,” he continued.

D’Eri is also the primary creator and developer of Rising Tide U (RTU), which enables jobs for people with autism by helping other families and organizations learn how to harness the advantages of employing people with autism through educational products and services. RTU recently launched The Autism Advantage, an online program — the only program of its kind that walks participants step-by-step through creating a social enterprise that supports neuro-diverse individuals.

Rising Tide, a high-quality car wash with locations in Parkland, Florida and Margate, Florida, is one of the largest employers of people with autism in the U.S. Rising Tide and its consultants created an innovative model that breaks the car washing process into 46 distinct steps. Employees work in a mirror image of each other, and are able to thrive off the repetitive structure to produce extraordinary results.

Along with his father, John D’Eri, Thomas created the business to develop a scalable solution to employing individuals with autism. They were inspired to do this by watching John’s son and Thomas’ brother Andrew, a vibrant young man with autism, struggle to find his place in the world.

About Rising Tide Car Wash

Rising Tide Car Wash is a scalable social enterprise with the primary mission to employ adults with autism. By delivering a first-rate car wash experience to the consumer, Rising Tide strives to inspire communities to change their perception of the capabilities of people with autism. Through intensive training, team building and caring for the community, Rising Tide sets its employees up for success. With this model, Rising Tide has a goal to provide people with autism with an opportunity to build a career and achieve an independent lifestyle. Rising Tide Car Wash has two locations: 7201 N. State Rd 7, Parkland, FL 33067; and 2970 N. State Rd 7, Margate, FL 33063. It is open seven days a week from 8 a.m.–7 p.m. For more information, visit www.risingtidecarwash.com, call (954) 344-1855 or email info@risingtidecarwash.com.