FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: Wednesday, April 1, 2020
Nonprofit Workwell Industries Inc. open for business: Workwell stays open to serve its constituents
LOUISVILLE, KY: During the COVID-19 shutdown, Workwell Industries is continuing production as an essential service in the community.
The Louisville nonprofit, which hires individuals with barriers to employment, is creating a safe and reliable means of income for its workers while helping Kentucky businesses maintain their supply chains.
“We exist for the people we serve,” said Workwell CEO Phil Berry. “Whether it be an individual who has disabilities, a wounded veteran, a refugee new to this country, a homeless individual, or economically challenged person, we are here to provide a job if they have a hard time finding it elsewhere.”
Workwell’s production line consists of these valuable employees, who often have difficulty entering the mainstream workforce. At Workwell, these individuals find employment while gaining skills in packing and assembly. Now, they are using their skills to serve others in a critical time.
Workwell employees are partnering with Brown-Forman to package products that will maintain supply for Kentucky’s liquor stores, deemed essential in Gov. Andy Beshear’s order.
Workwell is following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines to keep employees and customers safe. Protective measures include thorough cleaning and hand-washing every hour, maintaining at least six-foot social distance between individuals and providing protective gloves and Brown-Forman hand sanitizer stations for every employee. During this past week and this week, employees work shortened six-hour shifts but receive pay for their normal forty-hour weeks.
Because of the nonprofit’s status as essential, Workwell can help other companies that may have furloughed employees during the shutdown. Workwell provides quality packaging, parts assembly, inspection, rework, and fulfillment services.
Workwell has been connecting disadvantaged people with jobs for over 40 years. For public health, the facility is closed to outside visitors during the shutdown, but individuals can apply for seasonal production jobs at workwellindustries.com.
“We are going to help people get through this,” Berry said.
