However, the 22-year veteran worker for High Sierra Industries saw a corporate shakeup Wednesday. The company, which provides employment opportunities and support for adults with disabilities, merged with Washoe ARC.
“Given the economic uncertainty facing all of us, we have been looking at ways we can improve our community impact in a cost-effective manner,” said Jim Miller, the chairman of the newly formed umbrella organization. “As good stewards of our community assets, both organizations concluded that the best way of adding value to the community would be to formally combine the strengths of WARC with those of HSI.”
The two organizations provide jobs for more than 300 disabled adults throughout northern Nevada, including Brower.
Most of the work comes from International Gaming Technologies (IGT) in the form of electro-mechanical assembly and mechanical work.
According to company president and CEO LaVonne Brooks, layoffs are not in the merger plan. However, she adds that operating money is tighter after the passage of new wage laws.
Nevada’s minimum wage increased on July 1, meaning that HSI and WARC need to pay their employees more. However, the mostly state-funded organizations did not receive a matching increase to offset the minimum wage increase. The agencies are funded by a combination of both state and federal reimbursement dollars. According to Brooks, the two organizations together have a gross annual revenue of between $12 and $13 million.
WARC also receives revenue from sales at its four area thrift stores as well as from private donations.
“At the end of the day we have very little left,” Brooks said.
Brower’s mother and legal guardian, Joann Fahnestock, said she is optimistic about the merger.
“Coming together with WARC will hopefully give us a bigger voice when it comes to speaking to people who control our budget,” Fahnestock said.
Together, the two organizations have almost 90 years of experience in northern Nevada.
Washoe ARC, formerly known as the Washoe Association for Retarded Citizens, was incorporated in 1953 as a grass roots parent organization seeking better services for their children with disabilities, according to the organization’s Web site. It focused on advocacy and was a support group until 1966, when activity and work programs were implemented.
In 2002, the organization’s name was formally changed from the “Washoe Association for Retarded Citizens” to “Washoe ARC” in order to eliminate the word “retarded” from name.
High Sierra Industries began in 1977 as a small workshop offering limited jobs. Since then, it has bloomed into its formal title, the Sierra Regional Center. According to its mission statement, the SRC is a Nevada state agency that provides a variety of employment and assisted living supports to adults and children with developmental disabilities. Supports include assisting individuals in discovering their priorities and preferences and in achieving their personal life goals.
According to Fahnestock, her son is treated like an employee working at HIS rather than a disabled person.
“The philosophy there is that our employees are developmentally disabled but they are still employees,” Fahnestock said. “They are not the poor kids — they do not do that here. (They say) let’s get on doing this like a business … let’s just challenge them as much as we can. And I love that.”
“The merger of HSI and WARC brings a continuum of services under one umbrella that will streamline the process of accessing a variety of services and improving outcomes for everyone: the people we serve, our employees and our business partners,” said Russ Fields, board member and former acting executive director for WARC.
Core services of job training, job coaching and life skills training will now be offered in a variety of settings, including retail, document destruction, manufacturing and grounds maintenance. The combined organizations will also continue to offer supported living arrangements and supported employment programs.
The new board of directors held its first formal meeting Thursday.
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