Press Release
Arc GLOW, a chapter of Arc, NY, that provides innovative supports and services to people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities in Genesee, Livingston, Orleans, and Wyoming Counties announced that it has sold its trash collection and transfer station to Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (Casella) a regional vertically integrated solid waste, recycling and resource management company headquartered in Rutland, Vermont.
More than 20 years ago, the Arc of Genesee opened its trash center to fill a need for theCity of Batavia, help create jobs, and produce a positive revenue stream for the organization. Now, to position itself better for the future and focus on its core mission, Arc GLOW has decided to move away from the waste and recycling industry.
“We’ve truly appreciated having the citizens of Batavia as our customers. They have been amazing advocates for our organization and the people we support, and we believe that this new partnership with Casella will help Arc GLOW focus on its core values and allow our organization to meet the needs of the people we serve in a financially sustainable way,” said Martin Miskell, Arc GLOW CEO. Casella will continue operations utilizing the existing Arc GLOW property and staff on West Main Street in Batavia, including the Transfer Station which will be operated by an Arc GLOW work enclave with the same familiar faces that customers have been accustomed to.
Casella, which has successfully implemented similar innovative employment programs through partnerships with other organizations such as Goodwill Northern New England, has a strong presence in Batavia, providing sustainability services including trash and recycling collection to area residents and businesses.
“We’re proud to be a strong community partner in Batavia and believe that the work that has been done by Arc GLOW over the years is inspirational and aligns well with our core values,” said Casella Chairman and CEO, John W. Casella. “Casella was established nearly 50 years ago, and we believe that growing and supporting our people so that they can provide outstanding service to our customers and their communities is central to everything we do.”
Arc GLOW intends to use the funding from the acquisition to invest in its programs and services to help meet the needs of the people and families they support. According to Miskell, this has become a challenge in recent years.
“In a field where our funding is consistently being squeezed, this injection of capital will position our organization for the future. We are evaluating every program and service we provide to ensure we are meeting the needs of the people in our community. I encourage every parent, family member, or community member to reach out if there is a specific need that we need to reach.”
Current Arc GLOW customers will be contacted directly with more information on what the acquisition means for them, and both organizations feel that customers will experience very little, if any change in their current service.
As first reported by The Batavian in May, prior coverage can be found HERE
UPDATE: Statement from Martin Miskell, chief executive officer, Arc Glow
I am excited to tell you that we have sold our trash and recycling business along with the West Main Street property to Casella.
For many of you, this has been the worst-kept secret in Batavia.
We could not acknowledge anything until the deal was finalized as Casella is a publicly traded company and has to abide by the regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
I know change can be hard and many citizens of Batavia and the surrounding area have been great supporters of the Agency but, this will help the Agency move forward into the future.
Why did we sell?
- The number of jobs provided to individuals we support has shrunk dramatically over the years.
- Our fleet was very old and would have been very costly to replace.
- We have been losing money for quite some time.
- The competition has increased dramatically in the last 10 years. The larger companies have greater economies of scale and can charge less than we can for the same service.
- We were able to sell the business when it was still valuable.
- We will be able to use this money to reinvest in our fleet, facilities, and our IT. This in turn will help us provide a higher quality of service to those we support.
- Casella has agreed to hire all staff who want to stay on with them.
- Casella has agreed to keep the transfer station open to the public and has signed a contract with us to have an Arc GLOW work enclave along with a job coach run the transfer station.
- Casella has given us the last three and a half years of their lease on Apollo Drive in Batavia as part of the deal.
- Casella has become a valuable corporate partner and will continue to help us with our annual membership drive and be a financial supporter of the Agency.
What’s happening next?
- We have six months to move out of the West Main Street location.
- Transportation will be moving to Apollo Drive, which is a great facility.
- Genesee Data Management (GDM) is also moving to Apollo Drive.
- Facility Maintenance will be moving to Walnut Street.
