Morcon Tissue makes partnership to provide jobs for people with diabilities

Through the Preferred Source Program managed by the non-profit New York State Industries for the Disabled, Inc., (NYSID), Morcon will be able to sell their tissue and paper towel products to various state agencies due to hiring members of a disabled workforce.

“To provide employment opportunities for disabled individuals and help them grow as people and play an active role in our community really means a lot to us. We are honored to be a part of such a progressive initiative,” Morcon President Joe Raccuia said in a statement.

“CWI has been a NYSID member for over 20 years, creating jobs and selling a variety of commodities to New York State agencies, most of which have been commercial paper products,” said April Boucher, CWI COO/Vice President.

After the Essity mill closed, workers were displaced and CWI was left without a manufacturing partner, which disrupted tissue and towel product lines for the state.

“When our previous tissue supplier closed, the biggest concern was the loss of jobs – particularly for those with disabilities – and our need to develop a new source for the product,” said Maureen O’Brien, NYSID President and CEO.

“The Preferred Source Program is so impactful and strong that it can achieve its goals despite actions as dramatic as corporate shutdowns,” O’Brien added.

A fated connection with Morcon President Joe Raccuia made the company an obvious partner to fill the void left open by Essity. 25 years earlier, Essity was owned by Encore Paper, and Raccuia was the company’s president. At the time, Raccuia recognized the benefits of the Preferred Source Program and made Essity an integral tissue supplier for the state.

Now Raccuia has achieved the same status for Morcon. In collaboration with Montgomery County-based product distribution partner Hill & Markes, Raccuia and Morcon Tissue signed up for the NYSID-Preferred Source Program seamlessly.

“When we learned that the Essity plant was abruptly closing, and individuals with disabilities would be losing jobs, we asked how we could help,” said Chris Traver, Director of Business Development at Hill & Markes.

“We had a strong relationship with Morcon Tissue for over a decade. When we approached Morcon, they immediately asked, ‘How can we help and get this done quickly?’” Traver said.

Thus far, Morcon Tissue has fully integrated five people with disabilities at their plant in Cambridge, with plans to continue that growth into the future, Raccuia said.

The workers from CWI contribute to the Morcon team by conducting several tasks around the manufacture of tissue products including wrapping and stacking pallets, tailing machines and running bailers, O’Brien added.

One of those CWI/Morcon employees is Alexei Studenka. At an event on Thursday, Sept. 19 to showcase Morcon’s new employment opportunities, Studenka expressed his appreciation for the job and what it has meant to him.

“Working makes me feel awesome!” Studenka said. “Earning a paycheck and budgeting my money makes me self-reliant.”

“They bring a great work ethic and skill to the team and they appreciate earning wages that enhance their personal security,” O’Brien said.

Individuals with disabilities are unemployed at a rate of 67% in New York State, according to O’Brien, which he calls “staggering.”

“We have a saying at NYSID that ‘a job can change everything,’ and that is why we engage with community employers who champion the inclusion of individuals with disabilities in their workforce,” O’Brien concluded.

As previously reported, there is strong evidence of a manufacturing decline in not only Warren County but across New York State with the 2023 closures of the aforementioned Essity in South Glens Falls, Lehigh Cement in Glens Falls, and the news that AngioDynamics will be shutting down their manufacturing facilities in late 2025.

However, Morcon Tissue appears to be the exception.

Not only has Morcon doubled down on their investment in the state, but the company has also experienced exponential growth with a record-breaking year with sales up more than 30% from last year, according to the company’s website.