Communicare Presents at September Facility Managers Meeting
Our thanks to Sherri Lutz, Production Coordinator at Communicare, Inc. for presenting during our September Facility Managers Meeting. The meeting took place at Communicare’s Hardin County Industries building, located on Ring Road in Elizabethtown, and included a tour of the facility.
At the onset of the meeting, EHCIF President Andy Games discussed upcoming plans and initiatives for October, which is designated as Manufacturing Month. Games provided information on the Hardin County Chamber of Commerce’s upcoming Manufacturing Expo on Oct. 9. Set to take place from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Pritchard Community Center, the expo will showcase local manufacturing employers and will correlate with the Chamber’s monthly Membership Luncheon. Local manufacturers interested in setting up a booth at the expo can visit hardinchamber.com/manufacturing-expo.
Games also discussed EHCIF’s partnership with area school districts and manufacturing employers for Manufacturing Month. Through this partnership, field trips to local manufacturing facilities and school visits are set to take place. Now in its second year, the initiative will feature two distinct programs for both middle and high school students. For middle school students, local industrial employers will visit schools and participate in manufacturing simulation activities designed to educate students on opportunities available within the manufacturing sector. For high school students, field trips to area manufacturing facilities will be coordinated.
This year, the partnership includes Hardin County Schools, Elizabethtown Independent Schools, Meade County Schools, Fort Knox Schools, and LaRue County Schools. Several manufacturing employers have signed up to participate.
Games also shared updates on EHCIF, including the recent purchase of approximately 140 acres along Gaither Station Road in Hardin County to serve as a new industrial park. The deal also included the purchase of the historic Hazel Hill house and the Niceley Home Furnishings building at 131 W. Dixie Ave. in downtown Elizabethtown.
Following Games’ remarks, Lutz guided meeting attendees through a tour of Communicare’s Ring Road facility, which is one of many facilities operated by the organization throughout the region to provide a broad range of services for individuals seeking support in areas such as behavioral health, developmental disabilities, and substance abuse.
Since 1967, Communicare, Inc. has been the designated community mental health center (CMHC) for Kentucky’s heartland, delivering comprehensive behavioral health care across eight counties. Among its many programs, Communicare offers employment opportunities for individuals with intellectual disabilities, carefully matching participants with jobs suited to their abilities. The program currently serves around 50 individuals and has established partnerships with industrial employers such as Gates, Plastikon Industries, Fastenal, and Inoac, providing meaningful employment and fostering independence for its participants.
During the facility tour, Lutz showcased some of the projects employees were working on – one of which included the assembly of Elijah Craig bourbon holiday gift sets. This work is made possible through a partnership between Communicare and Heaven Hill, which is headquartered in Bardstown.
Employers interested in partnering with Communicare through this program can contact Lutz at salutz@communicare.org.
Due to plans for Manufacturing Month, no Facility Managers Meeting will be held in October. Monthly meetings are set to resume in January. For more information, or if interested in attending the next meeting, please contact the Elizabethtown-Hardin County Industrial Foundation at 270-737-0300.