Brain-Damaged Man Fired from 2 Jobs, Finds Life’s Purpose Building Legos for Goodwill

The deck was stacked against Taylor Harkins from birth. He almost didn’t survive the process, and was eventually diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome, dyspraxia, and hyperactivity.

Later in life, doctors added epilepsy to the diagnosis list. It was clear that Harkins wasn’t going to lead a normal life, but his parents still had faith.

Harkins had an I.Q. of only 80, which is on the boarder of what’s considered mental retardation. Doctors told his parents not to expect much from him, and that he wouldn’t be able to take care of himself.

Clyde, Taylor’s father, worried about Taylor’s ability to hold a job later in life. The only things Taylor seemed to be interested in were superheros and his Lego sets.

“I would put them together, and Taylor would watch,” Clyde said. “Eventually, he would build his own. He became obsessed with Legos.”

Taylor was eventually able to get his high school diploma and enter the work force. This was terrifying for Clyde, who knew his looming question would soon be answered.

Taylor signed up for a job training program at Shop Goodwill of Orange County, and received a few placements. He briefly worked at Petco and Auto Zone but was let go from both positions.

It was hard for Taylor to get a sense of time, so he frequently showed up late to work. He was also too talkative when he was on the job.

After a few more attempts at work, Clyde took Taylor on to work in the mail room at his mortgage company. Unfortunately, the economic downturn of 2008 forced the family company out of business.

Again, Taylor was stuck with no job prospects. He went back to the Goodwill program and was put to work repairing computers, which he hated.

In 2011, though, his employment took a turn when Ted Mollenkramer took over business operations at Shop Goodwill. He saw a market on which no one else was capitalizing: Legos.

Before Mollenkramer took control, donated Legos were packaged and shipped to buyers by the bundle. Mollenkramer saw a way to make more money with this venture, and searched for someone to take over the new department.

That’s when Mollenkramer found Taylor, plugging away in the computer repair department. The two started talking about Lego sets, and Taylor even showed him a few pictures of his builds.

That’s when Mollenkramer knew he had his man. He took Taylor out of computer repair and put him to work building Lego sets from donated parts.

Taylor started creating Lego builds that dazzled collectors. “He found his world, and the collectors started going gaga,” Mollenkramer said.

“The Legos are money-making machines,” Mollenkramer added. “You give Taylor a little bag of Legos that we might sell for $2.99, and he’ll turn it into $200.”

Taylor loved the work. “It’s easy for my mind,” he said. “It takes my mind to another place. It keeps my mind in sync.”

“This has been the best job for me,” Taylor said. And it’s worked for Goodwill as well.

“We call Legos our plastic gold,” Mollenkramer said. “People go crazy over Legos.”

Thanks to a little belief and an uncanny ability to create art out of Legos, Taylor has found his dream job. “He still has a ton of challenges. But he’s head of the Lego Department. He feels like he’s valued.” Clyde Harkins said.

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