CW Resources Provides Jobs for the Challenged
By Robin Vinci at April 8, 2024 | 7:00 am | Print
Many people drive by the CW Resources Building at 200 Myrtle St. daily without really understanding what is done in that eight floor high-rise that seems to outshine most buildings around it.
The 104,000 square foot structure is a hotbed of activity serving all ranges of people from the community.
The occupier of the building – CW Resources Group – uses most of the floors itself. Its mission: to serve the needs of persons with disabilities and the socio-economically challenged.
In order to do that, the company employs 300 people. In the bottom floor you will find the mentally challenged or physically disabled working on things such as putting binder clips in boxes, putting military dog tags in plastic bags or inserting ear plugs in kits.
“It’s a great way for them to gain work experience,” said Joan Rhinesmith, public relations manager for CW. “We do a bit of everything.”
The next two floors of the building are rented out to small businesses as part of the Connecticut Enterprise Center. Tenants include three small manufacturing companies, three food manufacturers, two high-tech companies, one communication company and one non-profit.
“We provide the businesses a facility and then support them,” said Ronald Buccilli, Psy.D and president & CEO of the CW Group, Inc. “This allows them to concentrate on their business.”
Such things as a reception area, advise, copiers and a shipping area are supplied.
The other floors are used as a packaging facility and preparing over 6,000 meals a day that are delivered all over Connecticut and parts of Massachusetts. Most of those employees are the long time unemployed, people on welfare or seniors.
So how does CW do all this? It is a private, not-for-profit vocational rehabilitation agency founded in 1964 specializing in community and work services only. It partners with companies like Maxwell House Coffee, Hallmark, Sara Lee and Kohl’s to make products.
“We are now a national organization,” said Buccilli. “We provide employment in all for over 1,200 people. We are very proud of that. And these are well-paying prestigious jobs.”
Offsite jobs are also done and some include loading submarines and feeding sailors. Work sites include places like Big Y Stores, Wal-Mart, Tunxis Community College, Meals on Wheels, the United States Coast Guard Academy and the Huskies Cafeteria.
Besides New Britain, CW is in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, Virginia, New Hampshire and Colorado. Over $21 million was paid out in direct and indirect labor and benefits in 2010.
This all began in 1957 when a group of New Britain residents decided to create a vocational rehabilitation agency for the disabled.
The first facility was a Quonset Hut on Slater Rd. In the late 1980s Stanley Works donated the present building to the group. In 1995 the group moved into its present location and continued growing being awarded the entire cleaning contract for the Coast Guard Academy that same year.
In 2001 it opened a center in Groton and went into the hotel maid service. In 2009 CW began packaging Maxwell House and Sara Lee Coffees.
“We were the first non-profit in the country to work as a partner with Maxwell House and Kraft Foods,” said Rhinesmith. “That was very exciting.”
The company sponsors a group in Afghanistan sending them coffee and other supplies after a soldier named Jesse Jackson wrote to them asking for the coffee as he could not get any.
CW Resources also does little things a lot of people don’t know about such as helping low income seniors shovel in the winter and rake leaves in the fall.
“It’s a great program,” said Rhinesmith. “It’s free to them and a good employment for our people.”
To find out more about CW Resources go to www.cwresources.org or call 860-229-7700.
