Syracuse company takes people off the street, gives them jobs

CNY Business Journal (1994-95), May 29, 1995 by Harting, Don

SYRACUSE--John E. Sweeney may want to make the state labor department a job-creation machine, but here in the Salt City, the private sector is way ahead of him.

Owners of CS Inc., a nonprofit company on East Washington Street near Pine Street, say they are taking people off the street and giving them jobs. Kenneth A. Smith, general manager of the startup company, said some, but not all, of the people CS employs are the same poverty-stricken people and panhandlers seen on downtown street corners in the Salt City.

Men and women are put to work at CS packaging products for sale. Two of the largest customers are Syracuse Language Systems, Inc., the fast-growing software publisher with links to Syracuse University and the Newhouse publishing empire; and Cedar Industries, Inc., the vocational rehabilitation arm of Hutchings Psychiatric Center. Smith, who is in charge of new business development for the company, said workers include welfare others, Somalian and Vietnamese refugees, non-English speakers of all types, recovering alcoholics, schizophrenics, and people suffering from depression. Some are slightly disabled, some are severely disabled, and others are not disabled, he said.

Using this work force, Smith said the company has been churning out tens of thousands of packages of Triple Play Plus language-learning software for Syracuse Language. Packages include a compact disk containing the software, a microphone, and an instruction manual, all wrapped and boxed. The assembly line is operated during the day by Cedar and at night by CS. Recently CS has been able to crank out between 1,500 and 1,700 units per night.

"It's a very efficient operation," Smith said. "We're able to do this work cheaply."

Another CS customer is the Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce, Smith added. The chamber has hired half a dozen CS workers to prepare 3,000 items for mailing.

Smith's own background is in education, not business. He earned a master's degree in his field, but he spends his time finding new deals for CS. He said the company has no religious affiliation and was started with private contributions.

The overall goal is to help raise workers' self-esteem by enabling them to make a contribution to society, Smith explained.

"Instead of just taking...government money [and] government services, they're contributing something in return," Smith said. "Basically, we're just trying to develop business ideas to generate income to help these people."