Alphapointe, one of the nation’s largest providers of rehabilitation services and employment for people who are blind, was recognized by Missouri Governor Mike Parson for its service during the pandemic on Thursday.
Deemed essential at the outbreak of the pandemic, Alphapointe team members manufactured more than 160 million products in the past year, including facemasks and life-saving tourniquets and splints for the military, prescription bottles for the Department of Veterans Affairs and sanitation items used by federal and state agencies around the nation.
“This certificate of recognition is for the employees of Alphapointe for what you did during one of the worst crises we’ve seen in our state,” Governor Parson said during a special recognition ceremony at Alphapointe. “This is to tell you how much the people of the State of Missouri appreciate you for what you’ve done during the last year for fellow Missourians – many of whom you’ll never meet – but I want you to know that, every day, you made a difference in their lives.”
The certificate of recognition signed by Governor Parson includes language recognizing Alphapointe as “the largest employer of people who are blind in the State of Missouri and one of the largest in the nation” as well as for its team members who “during a time when businesses and people shuttered their doors, came to work every day and performed heroically throughout the pandemic by manufacturing more than 160 million items, including life-saving tourniquets, splints, facemasks and prescription bottles for our veterans and active-duty U.S military, while also providing essential rehabilitation services and programs to people of all ages.”
Prior to the ceremony, Governor Parson toured the 100,000+-square foot complex and interacted with Alphapointe team members – more than half of whom are blind or have vision loss.
“We are grateful to Governor Parson for making time to recognize and thank our dedicated workforce,” Alphapointe President and CEO Reinhard Mabry said. “Governor Parson’s visit is a validation of the incredible amount of work performed by our staff during the pandemic. It was hard, but we found creative and inventive ways to ensure that organizations and agencies around the nation received the essential items they needed. We’ve made tens of millions of life-saving products and provided essential rehabilitation services to thousands of people. We are thrilled to have our work officially recognized by Governor Parson.”
Following the presentation of the Certificate of Recognition, Mabry presented Governor Parson with a special edition of the SKILCRAFT B3 Aviator pen that was Army green in honor of the Governor’s military service and engraved with his name.