On May 11, BH Services began providing services to the Base Information and Transfer Center at Ellsworth Air Force Base near Rapid City, South Dakota. The center handles the business mail for the base. Five people, including three people served and two staff, are now responsible for picking up, sorting and delivering mail from the Box Elder Post Office, as well as preparing outgoing mail and taking it to the post office.
Director of Federal Contracts Larry Meendering says things are going great so far. "We have had the opportunity to work with the military for several months during the transition. Our employees love it. They're always moving." Larry says BH Services was especially fortunate in the employees they were able to hire. Contract Manager Joe Sabrowski, recently retired from the military where he actually ran the Base Information and Transfer Center so he has been a great help in getting our contract up and running. Supervisor Bob Birnie was hired from within the agency so has experience supporting people with disabilities.
The new contract had stringent requirements, not only for staff, but for the people supported who were hired on. They all had to have government driver's licenses and security clearances. They needed reading skills and the ability to lift and carry 70 pounds.
For the first time, BH Services is subcontracting with the ARC of Virginia Peninsula which has nine similar sites around the country. Like our other contracts at Ellsworth Air Force Base and Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, these contracts are provided under the AbilityOne Program which make it possible for people with severe disabilities to be employed on federal contracts across the country.