TWO Ballarat disability support organisations are set to merge, forming the region\u2019s biggest employment social enterprise.<\/p>\n
By the end of next month, Ballarat Regional Industries and McCallum Disability Services will be united, keeping their current names but supporting and empowering over 600 adults with disabilities through employment opportunities as one entity.<\/p>\n
McCallum CEO Tyrone McCuskey has been appointed the joint operation\u2019s CEO, while BRI CEO Geoff Russell will transition to a merger facilitation and support role.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe two organisations have been working together for many years, and we\u2019ve talked about mergers in the past because we share similar values and visions about empowering people through employment, so this is a natural extension of a business relationship,\u201d Mr McCuskey said.<\/p>\n
\u201cComing out of COVID, there\u2019s a great opportunity for us to get together, share resources, talent and pool ideas around how we can provide individuals who live with a disability more services than just employment, and to provide our commercial customers more chances to do business with us.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got a lot of complementary businesses. BRI has a lot of food packaging, while we do industrial packaging. They\u2019re in landscape gardening, and we do a bit of home gardening. There\u2019s a lot of synergies.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Russell said the merger will generate more flexible career development and advancement opportunities for the social enterprise\u2019s workforce, boost service provision, membership, partnerships in commerce, and community connectedness.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy bringing these two longstanding Ballarat organisations together, we are strengthening services for the people of Ballarat,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are proud of the opportunities we provide for people with disabilities. We give them real jobs in the recycling, packaging, event management, manufacturing, and maintenance sectors; jobs that make a difference to their lives and to the commercial partners for whom we are fulfilling contracts.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe work together, we have done for years, aren\u2019t enemies and never have been. We\u2019re here for the one purpose, to provide the greatest opportunity we can for people living with a disability, in a whole range of areas.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr McCuskey said McCallum and BRI\u2019s independent directors want to make sure the organisations stay strong in the long term, and that their programs are run and governed locally.<\/p>\n
\u201cTogether, we\u2019ve provided over 100 years of community services and are a community asset. We\u2019re passionate about keeping it local for local families,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
TWO Ballarat disability support organisations are set to merge, forming the region\u2019s biggest employment social enterprise. By the end of next month, Ballarat Regional Industries and McCallum Disability Services will be united, keeping their current names but supporting and empowering over 600 adults with disabilities through employment opportunities as one entity. McCallum CEO Tyrone McCuskey […]<\/p>\n