For six decades, CW Resources has been quietly doing something impressive: Running a sophisticated, multistate operation while staying true to a mission rooted in the vision shared by a group of New Britain parents who wanted better opportunities for their children.
Founded in 1964, CW Resources began as a local effort to create vocational pathways for young people with disabilities. Today it operates in 26 states and the District of Columbia, managing more than 64 federal and state contracts spanning facilities services, custodial work, groundskeeping, food service, laundry and linen, fulfillment, assembly, production, and co-manufacturing. The organization even runs a USDA-certified food packaging facility and recently opened an indoor hydroponics farm harvesting lettuce weekly.
Hoping to build on its track record of winning government contracts requiring rigorous performance standards, CW Resources is now extending its services to Connecticut’s commercial market.
“We are no longer just a government contractor,” said CW Resources President and CEO William J Green. “We are an active, accessible partner for Connecticut business owners.”
The timing is no accident. Connecticut is contending with what workforce observers have called a “silver tsunami” — an aging labor pool retiring from the market faster than it can be replaced. As a result, small and midsized businesses along the Interstate 91 and Interstate 84 corridors are struggling to find reliable help. CW Resources sees that gap as the precise problem it was built to solve.
The organization employs individuals with disabilities — a population that carries the highest unemployment rate of any group in the country — and provides the supervisory structure and support that most businesses can’t offer on their own. The result, CW Resources argues, is not charity. It is a competitive labor solution.
“Our partners hire us for our service; they keep us for our quality,” said Tony Zagone, vice president of contract services.
One client reported saving $14,000 in labor costs after partnering with CW Resources. The organization points to that kind of result as evidence that its supervised workforce model does not require businesses to trade social responsibility for operational performance. They can have both.
Recent growth at CW Resources underscores its pivot toward Connecticut businesses. In addition to the hydroponics farm, the nonprofit has opened a commercial laundry plant in Rocky Hill serving customers across the state, launched IT support services employing Wounded Warriors and others with disabilities, and added embroidery services for businesses needing branded uniforms and apparel. The organization also purchased La Salle Market in Collinsville, creating its own employment opportunities rather than waiting for contracts to materialize.
“We are not waiting for work,” Green said. “We are creating it.”
That kind of creativity is a must, as CW Resources does not rely on donations or grants to sustain its mission. Revenue generated through its business lines funds the work — a model that has proven durable across economic cycles for more than 60 years.
The organization’s goal is straightforward: Make hiring individuals with disabilities standard practice for Connecticut businesses, not the exception.
