ALEXANDRIA
RECORDER
Your Community Recorder newspaper serving the communities of southern Campbell County
THURSDAY, MARCH 9, 2017
CELEBRATING
120 YEARS
3DAYSales Event •3/10 •3/11 •3/12
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$1.00
BECAUSE COMMUNITY MATTERS
OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS AT BAWAC: Employees find pride in work and place in world Melissa Reinert mstewart@enquirer.com
FILE PHOTO
Greg Austing, of Park Hills, works at BAWAC Inc. filling boxes with screws.
FLORENCE – Susan Brown rubs her fingers through her blonde-grayish hair; her eyes large and inquisitive behind her glasses. “I like working,” the 53year-old Covington woman said, during a quick break. “It gives me something to do. It gives me money to buy the things that I want and the things that I need.” There’s also a sense of pride that comes with working. Brown likes to brag a little about how well she’s doing production wise. “When it comes to my job, I want it done good.” She’s also proud of the relationships she’s made. “The people here are nice,” she said. “I’ve got a lot of friends here.” Brown works at BAWAC (Boone Adult Worker Activity Center), a production facility located at 7970 Kentucky Drive, Florence, that provides employment, training, vocational and life skills to people who have disabilities. Brown works on the floor where she performs assembly and packaging jobs. She’s been employed for five years. BAWAC also offers supported employment, helping individuals find work in the community; and an adult day care program, the Helen R. Ziegler Life Transitions Center. BAWAC also offers transportation for clients and serves the entire Northern Kentucky region. According to president Ken Schmidt, BAWAC is more than about finding employment, it’s about finding one’s place. “You know what having a job does for any other person – the sense of responsibility and
independence – it’s the same thing for the people we’re helping,” Schmidt said. “Having a job means a lot. They feel there is a place for them.” BAWAC began in March 1943, as a unit of the Northern Kentucky Mental Health-Mental Retardation Regional Board. Schmidt was there from the beginning. “So many individuals were coming out of school wondering what they would do,” he said. “So we started.” In 1975, responsibility shifted from the Regional Board to its own volunteer board of directors. Throughout the years, BAWAC has expanded and developed new programs to meet the needs of people who have disabilities or barriers to employment. Currently, BAWAC is running a capital campaign to pay for the new 10,000-square-foot addition and a partial renovation of the existing building that was completed in 2015. They have reached 83 percent of the $1 million goal, thanks to the generosity of many donors, Schmidt said. “We have been incredibly blessed through the years to have so many people help us,” Schmidt said. BAWAC operates as a nonprofit, supported in part by United Way. The services offered are free-of-charge to clients. BAWAC builds its operational budget on fees charged to agencies for services, revenue income and donations and other contributions. “Community Support is so important and needed at BAWAC,” said Brian Wigger who handles development and comSee BAWAC, Page 2A
Need a job? DHL plans to hire 900 at airport Sarah Brookbank sbrookbank@enquirer.com
DHL Express will hire 900 employees as the company nears completion on its $108 million hub expansion at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. The expansion to sorting operations and projected growth in shipments means the company will need 3,300 employees by May. DHL currently has 2,400 employees at the CVG hub. “We are excited to leverage our newly expanded Americas Hub and welcome talented potential candidates to fill these new positions,” DHL Express Americas CEO Mike Parra said in a statement. “As we look to the future, we know the continued investment in motivated people is the key to ensuring that we meet the demands of our customers and have the ability to handle the continued growth and expansion that will occur at our CVG Hub location.” The DHL expansion includes a new ramp to park 16 wide-body aircraft, which was the centerpiece of upgrades and productivity improvements. Additional automated sorting capability
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and 40 new reload positions will enhance the hub’s ability to handle growing shipment volumes. DHL has invested more than $280 million in its Americas Hub at the CVG airport since 2009, the company said in a statement. DHL’s Americas Region encompasses North and South America as well as the Caribbean. “DHL is a tremendous business partner at CVG, and we’re pleased about their continued investment and job growth in our community,” CVG CEO Candace McGraw said. “These additional 900 jobs is another demonstration of DHL’s positive impact on the Tristate region.” According to am Enquirer article, the latest investments from DHL are designed to enhance the airport as a cargo-handling destination. Fueled by the growth of e-commerce, CVG is now the ninthlargest cargo-handling airport in North America, airport CEO Candace McGraw said. The airport handled 729,309 metric tons (803,926 tons) of freight and mail cargo in 2015, up 11.5 percent from the previous year, according to Airports Council International - North America. The trade group said CVG was ranked No. 35 worldwide in terms of global air cargo handling.
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PROVIDED/CINCINNATI/NORTHERN KENTUCKY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
DHL recently completed upgrades at its North American distribution hub in Northern Kentucky. The company has invested more than $280 million into the operation since the new hub facility opened in 2003.
Vol. 12 No. 22 © 2017 The Community Recorder ALL RIGHTS RESERVED