You could say Specialty Industries of St. Joseph, Inc., “has it all together” (the pun is fully intended). Like many area businesses, there’s more than one story to tell about this outstanding local company and the hands that work there.

Specialty Industries provides shrink wrapping, contract packaging, product component assembly, sleeving, sealing, bagging and banding – to name a few. Customers nationwide use Specialty Industries to package or repackage a range of goods for both consumers and businesses, including beverages, pet food packs, stationary, office items, gift items, cleaning supplies and many other items. When a palette of beverages or pet food items is repackaged for distribution, customers may only know they got what they wanted in the quantity they were looking for — but there’s much more to the story.

The rest of the story is that the hands that carried out the quality work belong to adults with intellectual or development disabilities, working on the job at Specialty Industries, gaining valuable work skills and employment opportunities in an upbeat environment.

The team’s ability to work with the precise customer packaging needs, in both large and small batches, truly sets Specialty Industries apart. The 115+plus employees are experienced and dedicated, and many stay with Specialty Industries for employment. The website and information provided on community tours reveals that versatility is a highlight, with requests to call and talk for any packaging need.

This ability to carry out unique packaging needs for customers quickly, and with strong attention to quality, cuts lead time for businesses and reduces their overall production costs. Specialty Industries also calls themselves the “911 team” for unexpected packaging/production problems a business might experience – and they carry through with that promise. Locally-based Hillyard Industries has shared their testimony, saying that “it doesn’t matter how challenging the order is, they seem to always meet the customers delivery demands.”  Their location also positions the company for success, being near major interstate highways to easily reach four states.

The business has been serving customers for nearly five decades, opening in 1966. Today they offer a square footage of more than 92,000 feet. As with many northwest Missouri businesses, being an active partner in the community is part of the bigger success story. Specialty Industries is part of a legacy of quality sheltered workshops in Missouri, called the Missouri Association of Sheltered Workshops, established in the 1960s. More than 8,000 individuals with disabilities are employed by sheltered workshops across the state, providing countless economic impacts and services to businesses. Parents whose children participate in sheltered workshop employment continue to say how meaningful the work and the job skills are, and that the impact on their loved one of having employment is truly significant.

Specialty Industries is also a Partner Agency of the United Way of Greater St. Joseph, and plays an active role in helping make northwest Missouri a great place to live and work for people of all abilities. Through membership with the St. Joseph Metro Chamber, Specialty Industries can share its services with area businesses and help grow the economic strength of the region.

Today, the team at Susan J. Campbell Copywriting Solutions thanks Specialty Industries for all the hands that continue to meet the needs of customers nationwide – and for all the ways they provide quality work opportunities to an enthusiastic, dedicated workforce.