Clothes The Deal :: About Us

Who We Are

Mission Statement
Clothes The Deal a non profit agency that assists men, women, and at-risk youth in transition, empowering them to interview with confidence, gain employment and achieve economic self-sufficiency.

Why Clothes The Deal Works
>Clothes The Deal maximizes the value of the $300 suit by giving it to a deserving job seeker who will use it to find employment. For $35, we can clothe a job seeker with the proper clothing to raise the recipient’s self-esteem and make a strong first impression on the interviewer.

>We work with more than 66 agencies throughout Southern California, supplying clothes for them to distribute to their job ready clients.

>Clothes The Deal facilitates Dress To Impress Workshops by giving additional job training skills regarding, confidence, business etiquette, appropriate wardrobe attire, accessories, and skin care.

History

1995-Present
Eleven years ago, Clothes The Deal was founded by Ann Gusiff, who was inspired by a Chicago organization called Bottomless Closet. Ann wrote Clothes The Deal's first business plan as part of an MBA–level class at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management.

In 1997, Clothes The Deal was recognized by the IRS has a 501 (c) (3) organization. Working solely out of Ann’s garage, Clothes The Deal distributed 18,000 articles of clothing to more than 4,000 individuals. The following year, Clothes The Deal moved their operations out of the garage and into a space at LACOE's facility in Downey, California.

In 2000, the founder of Clothes the Deal retired, and Deborah Brusavich became President. Soon after Deborah became President, Clothes The Deal opened its first thrift store in Lomita, California. During this time, Clothes The Deal outfitted its 25,000th jobseeker.

In May of 2004, Clothes The Deal collaborated with Neutrogena and Los Angeles County Office of Education to conduct its largest conference for 300 jobseekers who are in the process of making the transition from welfare to work. Called "Work it Conference", the conference included valuable workshops, on the spot interviews with notable area employers, and suit fittings for all attendees.

By 2006, Clothes The Deal, had expanded its partnership with LACOE by becoming the primary clothing provider for participants in its GAIN and GROW programs. This allowed Clothes The Deal to expand its staff in order to accommodate the demand. During this same year, Clothes The Deal decided to facilitate the Dress To Impress workshops on a smaller scale, to various partnering agencies that were in need of additional services.

Clothes The Deal continues to grow and has distributed over 187,000 pieces of clothing to over 47,000 individuals. The workshops will be a great asset to the ever growing organization and value the support of its sponsors and partnering agencies.

Recognition & Awards

County of Board of Supervisor 2001
El Camino College Women of Distinction
Torrance Chamber of Commerce Latino Business Leadership Award
City Council of Torrance- Mayor Dan Walker
Certificate of Congressional Commendation- Congresswoman Jane Harman
Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition- Member of Congress 37th Juanita Millender-McDonald
Certificate of Recognition Assembly Member – Ted Lieu 53rd District
Certificate of Recognition – Senator Debra Bowen
Certificate of Recognition- Mayor of Los Angeles Antonio Villarrosgoa
State of California Senate-Certificate of Recognition- Alan S. Lowenthal Member of the Senate, 27th District
County of Los Angeles Commendation- San Fernando Valley Community Resource Center and Career Fair –Supervisor 3rd District Zen Yaroslazky – Mayor of San Fernando Valley Michael Antonivich

Press Releases

Good Ideas for Creating a More Ethical and Effective Workplace

National Society of Hispanic MBAs

Latino Business Reception ’06 to Honor Walkout’s Moctesuma Esparza, Clothes the Deal’s Deborah Gonzalez Brusavich

Latino Business Reception 2006

Board of Directors

Deborah Brusavich - President
Constance Hoffman - Vice President - Fundraising
Jean Brusavich - Vice President, Public Relations and Marketing
Beverly Bethune - Information Technology
Maricella Cardona - Teen Advocate
Deborah Dudley - Community Fundraising
Sue Johnson - Women’s & Church Group Liaison
Daniel Favero - Treasurer/Human Resources
Cynthia Mejia - Secretary

Clothes The Deal Staff

Vanessa Isetta - Program Director, visettactd@gmail.com
Jason Brusavich - Agency Coordinator, jasonbctd@gmail.com
Marissa Gutierrez - Community Relations, mgutierrezctd@gmail.com
April Osback - Bustoz, Workshop Coordinator, aosbackctd@gmail.com
Tina Rosales - Clothing Prep Sort Supervisor, trosalesctd@gmail.com
Steven DeLeon - Driver, sdeleonctd@gmail.com

Clothes The Deal - Main Office
Distribution Center
9525 Imperial Hwy.
Downey, CA 90242

Clothes The Deal - Boutique
Our boutique is located at our Distribution Center in Downey. Many of our participants from partnering agencies are able to choose their business attire from our boutique.
> View Boutique Photo Gallery

Annual Report

2007 Annual Report