News

Grant will expand career opportunities for people with disabilities while strengthening regional manufacturing.

Bridgeville, PA - For more than 50 years, Achieva's Bridgeville Pallet and Packaging facility has demonstrated that hiring and investing in workers with disabilities is good for business and good for our community. A $750,000 Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) award from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, together with generous support from individual donors and private foundations, is supporting a major renovation of the facility to sustain and create new career opportunities for people with disabilities while strengthening regional manufacturing.

Achieva extends its sincere appreciation to State Senator Devlin Robinson for his leadership and personal involvement in securing this state grant for the project. We also wish to acknowledge and thank State Representative Anita Kulik for lending her valuable support to the grant application.

Operating since 1974, Achieva’s Bridgeville Pallet and Packaging has trained employees—many with intellectual and developmental disabilities—as skilled pallet artisans and packaging professionals. Today, the facility employs 42 people, including 23 employees with disabilities, and manufactures more than 60,000 custom and standard-sized pallets using locally-sourced wood each year while also providing a range of contract packaging, assembly, and fulfillment services for businesses throughout the region. Together these pallets and packaging solutions support local companies’ manufacturing, warehousing, distribution, and shipping operations, helping products move more efficiently throughout the local economy. Employees gain valuable job skills, earn competitive wages, and work alongside coworkers without disabilities in an integrated manufacturing environment where they build confidence, independence, and lasting careers.

For many employees, Bridgeville is more than a workplace—it is a family. Team members support one another, celebrate milestones together, and take pride in the quality of their work. Every pallet that leaves the facility represents not only expert craftsmanship, but also the opportunity for people with disabilities to build meaningful careers and lead lives of greater independence.

The RACP funding will support renovations at Achieva's Bridgeville facility, located at 360 Commercial Street in Bridgeville. Planned improvements include a redesigned interior to enhance accessibility, improve workflow and production efficiency, and create a more productive work environment. Renovations include accessible restrooms, upgraded lighting, HVAC, plumbing, electrical systems, dust collection, and manufacturing and office space reconfiguration.

The project is supported through a combination of the Commonwealth's RACP award and generous private investments. Together, these public and private investments are not only preserving a facility that has served the region for decades but will position it for continued growth well into the future.

The renovation will help retain existing jobs while creating at least four additional career opportunities as production capacity expands, opening the door for even more people with disabilities to achieve greater independence through meaningful work.

"Every person deserves the opportunity to contribute, earn a paycheck, and take pride in meaningful work," said Stephen Suroviec, President and CEO of Achieva. "For more than five decades, Bridgeville Pallet and Packaging has demonstrated what is possible when businesses invest in people's abilities. This project allows us to modernize our facility, improve safety and accessibility, increase production capacity, and welcome even more employees into rewarding careers. We are deeply grateful to the Commonwealth and our donors and partners for investing in a future where more people with disabilities can thrive through meaningful employment."

Joe Thome, plant manager at Bridgeville Pallet and Packaging, said, "When people ask what it's like to work here, I tell them we're a family. We work hard, help each other, celebrate together, and everyone belongs. As a manager, one of the most rewarding parts of my job is seeing people develop new skills, grow in confidence, and take pride in the work they do every day. Knowing these improvements will create opportunities for more people to experience that same sense of belonging means a lot to all of us."

"We are sincerely grateful to Senator Robinson and Representative Kulik for championing this investment in people with disabilities and our local economy," Suroviec said. "This is the kind of bipartisan leadership we value at Achieva because it strengthens our capacity to assist people with disabilities achieve greater economic independence."

Every improvement to the facility is designed with people in mind—from enhanced accessibility and safer workspaces to increased production capacity that will create new career opportunities. Together, these investments ensure that Bridgeville Pallet and Packaging will continue serving regional businesses while creating life-changing opportunities for people with disabilities for generations to come.

For Achieva, this renovation represents far more than a construction project. It is an investment in dignity, independence, opportunity, and the belief that every person deserves the chance to build a meaningful career. Through the partnership of public leaders, philanthropic organizations, and corporate partners, Bridgeville Pallet and Packaging will continue demonstrating that including people with disabilities in the workforce strengthens businesses, communities, and lives.

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About Achieva
Achieva is a nonprofit organization that supports and empowers people with disabilities and their families throughout western Pennsylvania. Each year, Achieva supports more than 10,000 Pennsylvanians through services including early intervention, employment, lifelong supports, family trust services, housing, and advocacy. The organization is dedicated to supporting people with disabilities to lead lives of personal significance in their communities. 

Media Contact:
Brenda Vasilescu, Director of Digital Communications
412-643-4836 | bvasilescu@achieva.info