VersAbility Resources to Expand and Open Recycling Operation in Virginia Beach
July 21, 2015
VersAbility Resources will expand its certified electronics recycling operations to Virginia Beach. The program is currently located in Hampton, and the move will allow the nonprofit organization to significantly grow operations and services.The new location comprises 130,000 square feet of industrial space at 2600 International Parkway with the opportunity for additional expansion there. The recycling and distribution facility will open this summer and provide employment to individuals with disabilities who will disassemble, sort, and aggregate computers, thereby keeping tons of waste and harmful materials out of local landfills.VersAbility is a founding member of the CyclePoint network, a nationwide framework of nonprofits serving people with disabilities who perform electronics recycling. CyclePoint is part of SourceAmerica, a national nonprofit and leading source of job opportunities for a dedicated and highly qualified workforce of people with significant disabilities. At the Virginia Beach site, VersAbility will be a material aggregation hub for CyclePoint and will process tens, if not hundreds, of millions of pounds of waste a year.Area businesses can contact VersAbility for IT Asset Disposal, including computers, servers, cell phones, keyboards, printers, modems, projectors, video/DVD/Blu-ray players, consumer electronics, household appliances, telephone equipment, televisions, and many more items.“We welcome VersAbility Resources to Virginia Beach and the very valuable services they provide businesses and individuals in our community,” said Warren D. Harris, director of Virginia Beach Economic Development. “This business not only provides employment for people with disabilities, it also provides essential services to keep our city green and environmentally responsible.” The Virginia Beach Development Authority approved an Economic Development Investment Program grant in the amount of $30,000 based on the capital investment of $2.25 million in real estate, furniture, fixtures, equipment, machinery and tools. The facility is located in the YesOceana corridor of Virginia Beach.VersAbility Resources, headquartered in Hampton, Va., supports people with disabilities in leading productive and fulfilling lives through employment, community living, day support and early childhood programs. The nonprofit organization was founded in 1953 and was formerly the Arc of the Virginia Peninsula. It has grown over the years, and now serves more than 1,400 people with disabilities and their families each year in Hampton Roads and on the Middle Peninsula and Northern Neck. Adults with disabilities participating in VersAbility Resources’ employment programs earned more than $6.2 million in wages and benefits in 2014. The organization provides federal contract staffing through 13 government contracts, through which people with disabilities work alongside enlisted and civilian personnel at military bases as far away as Hawaii.The mission of the Virginia Beach Department of Economic Development is to attract and retain national and international businesses to stimulate capital investment and create jobs. Virginia Beach is the most populous city in Virginia with a population of 440,000, and it is the 37th largest in the United States. It is recognized as one of the Best Run Cities in America by 24/7 Wall St. The Department of Economic Development received re-accreditation through the International Economic Development Council in 2012 and is one of only 29 economic development organizations in the world to have this recognition. It is listed among the Top Five Overall Mid-sized American Cities of the Future, Top 10 for Economic Potential and Top Five for Infrastructure by fDi magazine. CNNMoney.com ranked Virginia Beach as the Easiest Place to Start a Business and the 2nd Most Business-Friendly City in the country. For more information, visit www.yesvirginiabeach.com.
