Local business highlights workers with disabilities

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Sam Morris

The recycling staff stands together for a picture. “They don’t burn out, they don’t get sick of the work, they don’t bring any drama to work. The experience has been nothing but incredible for me,” Morris said.

Holly Esposito, Ranger Review Reporter

Blue Star Recyclers is a recycling company located in Colorado Springs, Colorado whose mission is to help the environment by recycling electronics and to provide jobs to those with disabilities.

The company has created 45 jobs for those with disabilities and they have recycled about 14 million pounds of material; this has saved taxpayers in Colorado approximately $2 million.

Founder Bill Morris started up the Blue Star Recyclers company about ten years ago. The company grew from a small location and expanded into Colorado Springs, Denver and Boulder.

Sam Morris, Bill’s son, started working for the company as a Director of Operations and then was promoted to Chief Operating Officer for all three locations two years later. Eventually in January of 2019, Morris took over as President of the company.

Morris explained what his experience is like working with those who have disabilities. “The folks that we work with and that we employ on the autistic spectrum, and really any other disability, love the work, they come to work on time, they never miss work, and we don’t have any lost time accidents or turnover,” Morris said.

The workers in the company set goals for themselves for the amount of units of recycled material they process each day. One worker, Nathan Broin, was consistently reaching his goal every day for several years.

“He started out with a 120% goal, and then 150%, and then 190%, and then 210%, and he keeps getting better. I really can’t imagine any employee in my experience working in the corporate world, of a guy that’s been doing the same job for that long who still takes pride and excels after that long,” Morris said.

The company does what is called a working interview, instead of a face to face interview. They put the person to work to see how well they would do in the workplace environment. “We take them to the production line, and put a computer there and show them how to do it and then see how they do,” Morris said.

The company has provided opportunities for not only the environment, but also for those who struggle to find work in the community. “They don’t burn out, they don’t get sick of the work, they don’t bring any drama to work. The experience has been nothing but incredible for me,” Morris said.