Good Shepherd Work Services Honors Businesses at Annual Ceremony

11/29/2011

Good Shepherd Work Services recently held its annual awards ceremony to honor businesses for their commitment to providing work opportunities and employment to persons with disabilities. This year, AmerisourceBergen’s Bethlehem distribution center received the Employer of the Year Award. The Lehigh Group of Macungie and Kentucky-based Loew-Cornell were co-awarded the Business Partner of the Year Award.

Employer of the Year – AmerisourceBergen

AmerisourceBergen is one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical supply companies serving the United States, Canada and select global markets. AmerisourceBergen’s distribution facility in Bethlehem became operational in 2006 and services New York City, Northern New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania. The facility has an a fully automated 356,000-square-foot warehouse and employs 120 people.

Since partnering with Good Shepherd Work Services in March 2009, Amerisource has provided more than 15,000 hours of paid employment to persons with disabilities, who support the company daily in their tote preparation, cold pack retrieval, housekeeping and recycling operations.

Tony Galioto, transportation manager at the Bethlehem facility, recently stated, “Working with Good Shepherd Work Services has made finding and keeping good workers easy. I’d recommend them to anyone… and their workers have been terrific!”

Business Partner of the Year – The Lehigh Group and Loew-Cornell(co-recipients)

Both The Lehigh Group and Loew-Cornell are divisions of Jarden Corporation, a Fortune 1,000 company. The Lehigh Group specializes in providing retailers and customers with a variety of cordage, tie downs, hardware and other home and safety items in a variety of consumer friendly displays. Loew-Cornell is a respected leader in the art and craft supply market.

The Lehigh Group and Loew-Cornell jointly outsourced 34 different work projects to Good Shepherd’s packaging assembly, mailing and fulfillment center in Allentown this past year. As a result, individuals with disabilities who work at Good Shepherd Work Services were afforded more than 5,000 hours of paid work opportunities, such as packaging, labeling, and assembling a variety of products and displays for the companies.

When asked why they chose Good Shepherd Work Services to support their company, Dave Moyer, local DC operations manager for The Lehigh Group, replied, “They do a quality job, on time, at a great price!” “I agree,” added Nicole Michel, buyer for Loew-Cornell. “It’s a business decision that makes sense.”