ProAction, Glen Copack Reflect on 2020 Partnership
Elmira, NY | Watkins Glen, NY – Glen Copack Food Manufacturing, part of The Arc of Chemung-Schuyler’s Business Services Division, reflects on a challenging, yet highly productive year.
Along with six other businesses that make up The Arc of Chemung Schuyler’s Business Services Division, Glen Copack offers employment and vocational training opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
“We started 2020 with the goal of improving efficiency and reducing costs to become a sustainable business for The Arc. The year started with us well on our way to meeting this goal; however, the COVID pandemic and subsequent shutdown brought this momentum to a screeching halt,” said Wendy Shutter, Director of Business Services. “We used this period to rethink our workflows and analyze our processes. Through some changes in how we manage a food production, and the addition of some grant funded equipment, when people returned to work, we implemented these new procedures. The people we support are now able to independently run large portions of certain productions,” Shutter added.
A few notable accomplishments Glen Copack celebrated in 2020 included: receipt of “A” ratings from New York State Agriculture and Markets during all of our inspections; setting new sales records; the purchase and installation of a 40-gallon braising kettle, heavy duty racking, an electric walkie stacker, and a semi-automatic dry weigh fill machine; and continued customer growth with the addition of new products.
“These small successes will become the focus of 2021 as we continue to expand our customer base and create work opportunities in food production for people with disabilities,” said Shutter.
“The impact of local food and agriculture on the economy in this region is quite significant and growing. Many economic development professionals in rural communities are desperately working to attract or develop a regional co-packing facility as part of their agricultural supply chain assets,” said Judy McKinney Cherry, Executive Director of Schuyler County Partnership for Economic Development.
“Having a co-packing facility in our community is key for ensuring resiliency in our supply chain for agriculture and value-added food manufacturing, and provides entrepreneurs an opportunity to grow or scale up quickly as it reduces their overhead costs. We are focused on growing our young businesses. Glen Copack not only is an asset for our new and growing entrepreneurial companies in the Finger Lakes and Southern Tier, it also provides excellent jobs for our residents. I am so very grateful that we have Glen Copack in our community because it plays a significant role in our efforts to build year-round economic resiliency,” added Cherry.
To learn about how Glen Copack can meet your needs, visit glencopack.org or call (607) 535-6934 x132.