Newspaper Clipping - Newspaper Clipping Scan - Owobopte merges with IRC -Owobopte merges with IRC
New organization is called ProAct, Inc.
by Erin Johnson
Staff Writer
Owobopte, a nonprofit
organization in Eagan that pro-
vides employment and servic-
es for individuals with disabil-
ities, recently announced it has
merged with Red Wing -based
Interstate Rehabilitation
Center (IRC).
The merger effectively dou-
bles the size of the organiza-
tion, now called ProAct, Inc.
"ProAct, Inc. can now pro-
ceed to bring a new level of
N performance and commitment
o to the almost 1,000 people
N with disabilities and other bar-
4 riers to employment that we
serve on an annual basis," said
rn President and CEO Steve
Ditschler.
ProAct, Inc. will have its
headquarters in Eagan while
operating employment train-
ing, placement, transportation
and self-sufficiency skills pro-
grams in both its Eagan and
Red Wing locations. The
organization will also maintain
a satellite office in Zumbrota.
ProAct's mission is to pro-
vide vocational and personal
growth programs for people
with physical and/or mental
disabilities. The organization
helps these • individuals find
employment and offers train-
ing and skills programs to help
them become more self-suffi-
cient.
Red Wing's IRC was simi-
lar in nature and size to
Owobopte, Ditschler said.
Both organizations had similar
styles and about the same
annual budget, he said.
"This way we get the best
services at both locations," he
said. "It diversifies funding
and makes us more stable in
the long run."
The need for organizations
like ProAct is increasing, he
said.
"It's really growing in this
part of the state," he said.
"There's a great need for these
services."
In addition to helping indi-
viduals find outside employ-
ment, ProAct gives them the
opportunity to earn wages
working within the organiza-
tion. Variousbusinesses con-
tract with the organization for
packaging, assembly and bulk
mailings, generally lower -
skilled work, Ditschler said.
Often companies will turn to
Owobopte to handle promo-
tional items or a surge in
demand so they don't have to
hire employees and then let
them go when the work is
completed.
The Red Wing facility gen-
erally has more sophisticated
work available, he said, such
as operating presses and
sewing leather for the Red
Wing Shoe Company.
The organization is working
on some new programs, such
as a grant to serve people with
severe and persistent mental
illness and an employer record
system to be used in Goodhue
County.
Ditschler said while the
organization generally has a
good relationship with the
business community, there are
still companies that are unfa-
miliar with ProAct's services.
There are also those that are
apprehensive about hiring dis-
abled workers, he said.
"A lot of companies dealing
with the disabled don't know
what they're getting into. We
make it easier to ease into
that," he said. "Often we deliv-
er the most reliable employees
they've ever had"
ProAct now serves about
560 people with disabilities on
a daily basis and employs 215
people. The organization pro-
vides services to Dakota,
Goodhue and Wabasha coun-
ties as well as Pierce County in
Wisconsin.
"Before the merger, we
were too big to be small, but
not big enough to be big,"
Ditschler said. "Now we are
poised to grow and serve peo-
ple well into the future"
Erin Johnson is at
eagan.thisweek@ecm-
inc.com.
Replace your fo
at 1/3 the c
We're
only a
stone's
l