By Tricia Visker
Triumph, Inc. centers their focus on the success of each person, as their motto states “when they triumph, we all triumph!” This organization and their staff really do embody that important message in a variety of ways. They connect people to vocational and career resources, as well as provide highly individualized residential day services. Impressively, all of their services are implemented through the use of a “without walls” model.
Two people supported by Triumph work at a local veterinary clinic in Jamestown, North Dakota. During our visit, I was fortunate to be able to see them in action. One person is responsible for stocking all of the front clinic medications, while the other assists with treatments and surgical procedures. It was wonderful to see such a highly inclusive and meaningful work environment. Both people receiving services reported a great deal of fulfillment in their work!
On another occasion, a person supported through Triumph’s residential program immediately welcomed me inside his apartment. He was so proud to show me around, being sure to point out his beloved cat Roudy, an enormous assortment of WWE collectables, and an incredible variety of sports memorabilia. It was a joy to speak with him and see the immense pride he had in his home.

“We couldn’t be more honored to say that we’ve made it to the 14 year mark and received another Person Centered Excellence Accreditation. We are so proud of our Triumph family and how far we’ve come.”
Ann Ede and Jennifer Barnard,
Co-Founders of Triumph, Inc.
Also, during our visit, I was able to conduct a Personal Outcome Measures® interview with a fantastic young woman. While she and I exchanged very few spoken words, our connection was strong and we had a very meaningful interaction. The most powerful parts of this interview involved dialogues surrounding the many personal goals she has realized. Within the past year she has graduated from high school, moved into her own apartment, and is actively searching for her first job.
The significant number of community connections and meaningful partnerships held by Triumph is a demonstration of their remarkable appreciation for bonding and bridging social capital. They truly understand the power of natural support networks. Triumph has an ongoing valuable impact on their community, largely through tremendous volunteerism efforts.
About Triumph, Inc.
Triumph, Inc. was founded in July 2009 to provide vocational services in Jamestown, North Dakota for people with disabilities. Having a history working in the developmental disability and human services fields, the founders took a leap of faith to develop their own business. In 2010, Triumph began working with approximately 35 people, which resulted in adding additional staff to the Triumph team. Today, Triumph employs 52 staff and currently serves 37 people across all programs, including intellectual disabilities and vocational services. The mission of Triumph, Inc. is assisting people to achieve their specific goals. This is accomplished through a teamwork approach, utilizing the talents and resources of the person receiving services, the provider, the company, the community, and the employer.

This August, they achieved Person-Centered Excellence Accreditation. We asked Hayley Wolf, Triumph, Inc. Business and Human Resources Manager, a series of questions about who they are as an organization, along with their experience with the CQL Accreditation process.
What are some notable changes in your organization over the last several years?
Triumph, Inc. has experienced an outstanding amount of growth within all service areas. With this growth, we’ve added four administrative positions and continue to see a demand for our services. The last four years have been nothing short of a challenge due to staffing crisis and global pandemic, but we are really proud of our Triumph family and all the work that we’ve done to be better versions of ourselves.
What are your goals as an organization?
Our goals are to provide a service to people supported that positively impacts their life. Every day we get to experience life changing events such as getting their first paycheck to learning how to run a microwave in their first apartment.
How did you prepare for your CQL Accreditation?
Triumph prepared for our CQL Accreditation with monthly Basic Assurances® meetings, assessments and the review of Personal Outcome Measures® (POM) data. As our onsite visit got closer, we met weekly to ensure we had all materials prepared in order to give Tricia the most valuable experience possible.

“As a former employee and forever friend to Triumph, I felt honored to participate as a CQL accreditation stakeholder. Their mission is outwardly obvious, and they are constantly improving quality of life and fostering community for their individuals supported. Receiving the monthly newsletter always make my day.”
Cathleen Porter,
Jamestown community member
What is the impact of accreditation on your organization as a whole?
This accreditation has really shown how much we’ve worked to ensure our Basic Assurances® systems and practices are in line with CQL. With the great growth we’ve experienced as well as the hardships the pandemic placed on our agency, we continued to TRIUMPH. People supported continued to TRIUMPH. Our employees continued to TRIUMPH. Our accreditation also identified areas that could use extra attention and our focus. We continue to be a learning agency and that is something we’re very proud of.
What organizational values or practices are you most proud of?
One of the values and practices that we are most proud of is, personalized supports for each individual. Triumph’s services and supports are provided “without walls.” We are proud that we can provide a service that is suited to the individual, remains community focused and positively makes an impact on their life, without walls. We continue to be a learning agency and are always looking at ways that we can provide better, quality services for people supported.
How do you measure quality at your organization?
We measure quality by service satisfaction of people supported. We measure quality by identifying the progress on goals and ensuring people supported are given opportunity and supports towards their dreams.

“In 4 years, the amount of work Triumph, Inc. has put into this accreditation process is outstanding. All while faced with a staffing crisis and global pandemic, they continued to Triumph. The Jamestown community is very blessed to have such an outstanding service for people.”
Amanda Thrift,
First Community Credit Union Retail Manager
Have questions about CQL Accreditation?
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Since 1969, CQL | The Council on Quality and Leadership has been a leader in working with human service organizations and systems to continuously define, measure, and improve quality of life and quality of services for youth, adults, and older adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and psychiatric disabilities. CQL offers accreditation, training, certification, research, and consultation services to agencies that share our vision of dignity, opportunity, and community for all people.
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Triumph, Inc. Connects People to Individualized Services in North Dakota