*Please note: this story was originally featured in SOAR365’s Fall NEWZ publication. Click here to view the full newsletter.
In Henrico County, it’s a beautiful summer day – sunshine, blue skies, and a lake with trees and wildlife. But parts of the water are covered in trash.
Luckily, a SOAR365 truck pulls up. It’s Nick and Mac from the SOAR365 Commercial Grounds team. They hop out, pull on waders and get to work. Using gloves and litter pickers, they pull out tires, basketballs, and chunks of styrofoam. They scoop up motor oil bottles, chip bags, and drink cups – filling bag after bag of trash.
SOAR365 Director of Commercial Grounds, Randy Britt, says “it’s uncomfortable, strenuous work but of extremely high value to the government and citizens of Henrico County.” He notes that Nick and Mac’s willingness to jump in “makes them uncommonly special.”
What inspires such hard work and dedication? SOAR365 hires employees with disabilities, including those with substance use disorder (SUD). Stable employment is key to sobriety, but it can be hard to find. Those with SUD often face difficulties with housing or transportation.
At SOAR365, these challenges are supported like any other. “I’ve never been treated at a company, by management, like I have here,” says Nick, who just celebrated 18 months of sobriety. “If I went to anybody that I work with and said, ‘Look, this is the situation…’ I could count on those people helping me out. And that makes a big difference.” Mac agrees, noting “everybody works together.”
Nick joined SOAR365 as a crew member but has now worked his way up to Part-Time Crew Leader. He’s grateful that SOAR365 has given him opportunities to grow. “They were the only ones who gave me a shot,” says Nick.
With encouragement, our employees are motivated to excel – leading to results that impress our clients. In fact, Henrico County has hired SOAR365 to clean lakes, streams, trails and roadsides for over two decades.
“We all need people like Nick and Mac, who have the vision to see an end result and the grit to get it done,” says Randy. At SOAR365, meaningful employment isn’t just changing lives – it’s creating a cleaner community, a stronger workforce, and a future where everyone gets a chance to succeed.
To learn more about SOAR365’s Commercial Grounds team and the impact it has on our community, click here.
