State needs to take advantage of ‘best kept secret’ Blind Industries

Delegate LeRoy Myers, Jr., Clear Spring

April 28, 2007 09:22 am

— To the Editor:
I recently had the pleasure of taking a guided tour of Cumberland’s Blind Industries and Services of Maryland, and I truly was impressed with the facility and staff of the organization. The facility employs over 70 dedicated and hard-working employees. This is evident by their 95 percent work attendance rate. All of the employees were extremely friendly, courteous and went out of their way to explain the various functions and answered all of my questions. Not only was the staff cordial, they are the epitome of teamwork propagating goodwill, unmistakable drive, and a desire for excellence.
The multitude of services and products which this organization provides is extraordinary and its services are invaluable to the community. It has gone unnoticed by too many for too long. I feel the Cumberland office for Blind Industries and Services is one of the best kept secrets in Maryland, and that needs to change.
Cumberland’s Blind Industries and Services of Maryland offer a number of services which the state of Maryland is currently purchasing from out-of-state vendors. It is time for us in public office to re-examine what we are doing and recapture work that is being lost to other states. If organizations such as Blind Industries keep fulfilling our needs, we should be utilizing them. By doing so we can save valuable state resources and provide jobs for the citizens of Maryland.