A coffee shop owner said Wednesday that some of his best employees came from an unlikely place – prison.



Dan Hardiman, who owns three Tim Hortons restaurants in Columbus, said that he was getting behind a bill moving through the statehouse to make it easier for ex-convicts to find work, 10TV’s Jerry Revish reported.



Hardiman told the House criminal justice committee Wednesday that he made the right decisions when hiring.



“They have worked out,” Hardiman said. “In many cases, better than people coming off the street.”



Teena Moore said that she works the early shift at Tim Hortons, sometimes working 14-hour days.



Moore said that she could not be happier with her job after getting out of jail for drug dealing and theft, Revish reported.



“I was labeled a felon, so my thought process was, ‘My livelihood’s gone,'” Moore said.



Moore said that she had a lot to lose if she would mess up.



“I like the fact that I can take care of my family,” Moore said. “I’ve got a real job, something I can be proud of.”



Hardiman said that of the 50 people on his payroll, more than half of them are ex-offenders. He said that there were no ex-convicts he would not interview, but he said that he would ask a few more questions when it came to certain crimes.



“Really, what we’re looking for is customer service,” Hardiman said. “How well do you interact with people. How well do you communicate with fellow employees. How well are you going to communicate with our guests.”



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