Progressive Workshop Staffer Looks for Work

by David Croyle

The job of Matt Ardeno at the Armstrong County Progressive Workshop is exactly that — JOBS!

It is his main job to find other jobs that local physically and mentally handicapped adults can perform at the non-profit facility.

“It’s one of my jobs to go out and find work within the community and surrounding areas and bring it in for the clients to work on it there.”

Ardeno has been successful at contracting jobs - everything from affixing labels on newsletters to assembling and packaging over 1 million pinwheels for large department chains.

“Right now we are working with Slinky. We do the pinwheels you see in all the Walmarts and different stores. We did about a million of them this year. They are going across the U.S. They don’t just go here in Pennsylvania. That’s quite a bit to fill up both buildings that we work out of.”

Ardeno said the pinwheels don’t stay in storage long. They are stored in the garage facility and then shipped every day to the distribution warehouse in Hollidaysburg, PA.

He said the there are various jobs for his workers that match their skill level.

“One of the nice parts about the job is that there is something that everyone can do, whether it is taking the flower they send us and putting it on the stick, or packing it into the boxes they give us. We have to put different colors in different rows. They have to face a certain way so the look nice when they get on the shelves for Wal-Mart.”

Ardeno said there are 125 people that come to the Workshop looking for work every day. One of the things that he considered was paper shredding since it is needed by both large and small businesses.

“There’s a lot of big box companies that go door to door and charge an arm and a leg. We have industrial size shredders and we went to some of the businesses in the area and we charge them 25-cents per pound to shred their paper. And its even for the local homeowner, if they wanted to bring in their papers from their home and drop them off, we charge them 25-cents per pound just like the businesses.”

Ardeno said the shredded paper is then taken to the recycling center (also operated by the Progressive Workshop for the County) and “baled” into large bales - similar to hay bales, that can then be sold and transported for recycling.

Another project that he coordinates is lawn care and light landscaping transitional program for workers who qualify from the Workshop.

“We have trainees that are going out and making minimum wage and they are working out in the community. They have a person with them that is watching, making sure they know what they are doing and teaching them skills. Our lawn crew goes out and cuts different lawns. They learn how to weed-whack, run a lawn mower, lay mulch. The trainees will go out, learn skills in those jobs with someone from the Workshop.”

Ardeno said he is always looking for opportunities where the Workshop can partner with local businesses and organizations to perform tasks.

“We are always looking for work for the trainees, whether it is the mailing, or the paper shredding. We do small parts assembly. The post office has recently been referring people to us because we can do big bulk mailings for companies. I always say instead of paying your secretary to fold up letters or shred paper in her spare time, send it up to the Workshop. You are putting as many as 30 people to work. Our prices are very low compared to what you are paying your secretary to be doing it.”

The Progressive Workshop is the designated non-profit organization featured by Nextier Bank in their Nextier Connects program. The proceeds from the sale of chocolate covered pretzels at any of the Nextier branches will go to help fund the Workshop now until June 30.

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