Stoddard County Workshop expansion to create more workspace, job opportunities

FOX23 News at 9 p.m.

STODDARD COUNTY, Mo. (KBSI) — The Stoddard County Workshop is expanding its facility as the organization works to create more job opportunities for people with disabilities in the community.

The workshop provides employment for people with disabilities through several types of work, including recycling and cable assembly. Its mission is to give employees an opportunity to work, build skills and be part of the community.

At the workshop, jobs can be divided into individual steps based on each employee’s abilities. In its recycling operation, employees work with materials including paper, plastic, cardboard, aluminum and metal. Materials move through several stages, with different crews unloading, sorting and preparing them.

“But you may have somebody that’s not able to do the whole process. So that’s why we break it down in steps,” the workshop’s leader said. “And you can say, this person can do this, this person can do this, and that creates a job for that person.”

The workshop also has employees who assemble cable equipment. Some employees can complete an entire process, while others may focus on one part of the job.

That individualized approach is part of a mission that has continued through generations.

The current leader said his grandfather spent 40 years building the organization before he took over around 2018. Since then, he said the workshop has expanded its services and its ability to reach more people.

“We’ve been able to broaden and really be able to expand our scope,” he said. “And ultimately it’s to give these guys an opportunity, a chance to work.”

Expansion makes room for more jobs

The ongoing renovation is designed to give the workshop more room to continue that growth.

Changes inside the facility include additional floor space for employees, along with a new break room, kitchen and recreational area. Office space is becoming smaller to provide more room on the main work floor.

The project also includes a storm shelter, something the workshop’s leader said was a priority during planning because of severe weather in Southeast Missouri.

“But the inside is really what we needed. And I really, really pushed hard for that storm shelter,” he said. “I think it’s really important that we have something of that nature.”

The workshop also plans to add a warehouse as the expansion continues. That space will allow the organization to dedicate an area to materials used in its cable assembly work rather than having those operations share space with other parts of the facility.

The additional room will allow the workshop to keep more inventory and add workstations.

“So not only does that help us, we can hold more inventory,” he said. “Plus we can allow more workstations. So that creates more jobs here.”

For the workshop, the renovation is about more than updating an aging building. Its leader said the additional space will allow the organization to serve more people and continue growing the work his grandfather started.

“I’ve been a very strong advocate for that. My grandfather was, I am, and with this remodel, I think it’s a new start for us,” he said. “It’s brings in new things, but it also expands and grows.”

A place to work and belong

The workshop also serves a social role for many of its employees.

Construction has required some employees to take days off while crews work inside the facility. Its leader said many were eager to return because the workshop is a place where they work, socialize and spend time with one another.

“Most of them were just glad to be back, because for most of these, most of them, it’s their social life,” he said. “This is where they socialize and visit.”

He said employees may not yet see what the construction will eventually become, but he expects that to change once the project is complete.

“I don’t think they see the whole picture yet. I think right now they just see a bunch of junk of mess. They just see construction and walls,” he said. “But when this thing is completed and there’s a lot more in here, I think they’ll kind of realize like, wow, you know, this is for us because this is all for them.”

The workshop’s mission also extends beyond keeping people employed inside its facility. Its leader said he encourages employees who want to try other jobs and hopes employers in the community will give them that opportunity.

“If someone was to transition and go out and to do something different, my message is to just give these guys a chance,” he said. “Work with them. Don’t be hard on them. Just work with these guys, and they’ll absolutely make your day.”

For him, the expansion represents another step in a mission his family has spent decades building — creating a place where more people have the opportunity to work.

“I’m thrilled,” he said. “I’m holding in excitement, to be honest with you, because I’m very excited about it. So, looking forward to it. And I can’t wait to see it finished.”