About us

Rising Star Resource Development Corporation (Rising Star) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation with operational capabilities throughout Texas and the continental United States. We participate in the Community Rehabilitation Program (CRP) and are an Authorized AbilityOne Program Nonprofit Agency (NPA).

We provide rehabilitation services to service-disabled veterans and other professionals with disabilities – the most underserved demographic in the United States. We train, develop, and transition our team members into productive career roles of their choice. Several former U.S. veterans lead our program. As a result, we strongly support our veterans, their training, and esprit de corps to maximize our (or their) potential, foster an inclusive workforce, and enhance the services provided to our customers

Through federal, state, and municipal government service contract programs, we create rewarding and sustainable jobs for professionals with disabilities.

Federal Government Contracts

The U.S. AbilityOne Commission’s AbilityOne Program and Source America’s new Mentor-Protégé Program under the AbilityOne Program

Fort Worth GoodWill Photo by Lindberg Photography

State Use & Municipal Contracts

The WorkQuest Program (formerly known as TIBH Industries Inc.)

Commercial Contracts

As a Community Rehabilitation Program, we empower individuals with unique disabilities to fulfill commercial contracts, aligning seamlessly with vendors’ Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion models

Our Mission

Secure and fulfill service contracts that empower Rising Star to provide training and skill development to people with disabilities, those with barriers to employment, and our veterans.

Our Vision

We see a world where every professional with disabilities not only finds employment but thrives in their career, empowered by our company’s commitment to growth and innovation. Through our expansion and introduction of new contract services, we pave the way for individuals with disabilities to achieve independence and sustainable employment.

Our History

Rising Star was founded in 2003 and began contract service delivery in 2010. From the beginning, Rising Star was conceived as a self-funding operation, leveraging its status as a nonprofit where necessary to complete its mission and service to its team of dedicated staff and employees. We are also not restricted geographically and are thereby able to perform services throughout the State of Texas and the United States.

A social enterprise is an organization that applies commercial strategies to maximize improvements in human and environmental well-being—this may include maximizing social impact alongside profits for external shareholders. The Social Enterprise Alliance defines a social enterprise organization as one that addresses a basic unmet need or solves a social problem through a market-driven approach.

The foundation of our contract service experience resides with its Founder and its Board of Directors. Mr. Dennis D. Edwards Sr. possess over twenty five years of Project Management and Construction experience with the majority in fortune 20 companies. These homogenized experiences in operational efficiency, program management, sales and marketing and capitalistic management has now found a home to the benefits of the agency. Each and every day these attributes are applied to improve our communities, the well-being of our family members and society in general to bring hope to those that felt under served.

Our general approach to new contract services opportunities is there is nothing outside of our capabilities spectrum given proper time and requirement definition that our team and our partnering fellow agencies and for-profit 8a entities are not able to scale to in order to deliver a service requirement model.

We extended our sincere appreciation to our numerous mentors and supporters in the creation of Rising Star. As you see us grow, please know you have had a hand in its creation and we acknowledge you here. We also thank our current customer base and trust we have more than meet your expectations. In turn, we welcome you as a potential customer seeing the value in partnering with Rising Star to accomplish your contract service missions.

Our Leadership Team

Dennis D. Edwards Sr.

Founder & Executive Director



Humberto Valencia

Chief Financial Officer

 

Marsha Jones

Human Resource Manager



Heather Mills

Operations Manager / Facility Support



Sergio Gómez

Quality Assurance and RSRDC Safety Officer



Donald Carter

Project Consultant



Mike Shea

Project & Infrastructure Support



Willie Merritt

Project Consultant

44+ years of facility management experience across healthcare, government, research, and commercial buildings. Managed budgets over $15M and 360+ employees. Holds FMA, CEH, and RBSM certifications.

