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Intergovernmental Committee Members Tour Jackson River Enterprises Recycling Operation
By Gayle Hillert
 
Covington, VA (March 14, 2018) - Members of the Highlands Intergovernmental Committee met recently at Jackson River Enterprises and toured the facility with members of Jackson River Enterprises Board of Directors and Todd Anderson, Chief Executive Officer of Jackson River Enterprises.

Members of the Intergovernmental Committee represented included: Jon Lanford, Alleghany County Board of Supervisors; Richard Douglas, Tom Sibold, Allen Tucker, Covington City Council; Leanna Tyler, and Gayle Hillert, Town of Clifton Forge Council.

Members of Jackson River Enterprises Board of Directors represented included: Pat Braden, Barbara McCutchen-Hise, Leo Mulcahy, Russ Updike, and Jane Newkirk. The purpose of the meeting was to tour JRE and the recycling center to see the operation and to better understand the challenges and opportunities for the region. JRE has been operating as a training organization for 55 years.  They employ 40 to 45 adults, most with disabilities that range from mental and emotional to physical challenges. Board member, Leo Mulcahy pointed out that JRE provides 40 jobs – more than many businesses that the County and City support—and the workers are good at their jobs, arrive on time, work hard and provide a valuable service. Jackson River Enterprises offers the area an extended employment center for adults who are disabled working in recycling. They process all types of recycled material, including newspaper, cardboard, office paper, shredded paper, brown glass, clear glass, plastic, #1 and #2, tin cans and aluminum cans.
Due to recent legislature cuts to Medicaid, JRE has lost $100,000 in funding. In addition to the recycling operation, JRE’s staff shreds documents, cleans and sanitizes hard hats (40 per week), performs lawn maintenance and janitorial work, adheres labels for a Low Moor business, and makes a variety of creative baskets. Their #1 priority is safety for their employees. Russell Updike, Chairman of JRE’s Board of Directors,commented, “Recycling is critically important, particularly here in the Alleghany Highlands where we boast about the natural beauty of the area. By protecting and preserving the environment we add to the aesthetic appeal of our area while at the same time providing employment opportunities for approximately 40 local residents, many of whom do not possess the ability to work in a competitive work environment. JRE employees take great pride in their work. You will find no other workers more invested and appreciative of the opportunity to work than those workers at JRE.
The mission at JRE when it was founded over 50 years ago was to provide employment opportunities for those who were not able to hold traditional employment positions. While the scope of our work at JRE has broadened over the past 25 years, our mission has remained the same.  Recycling is what has allowed us to provide meaningful employment opportunities to our clients for many years and JRE is committed to doing whatever is necessary to continue that tradition.
The ‘economics’ of recycling present very significant challenges to be sure. We, however, strongly believe that we can overcome these challenges, especially if we have the support of residents and the localities.â€
 
 
 

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