Sucess Stories
Mission Statement
Primary Funding

Brief History Of Blue Valley Industries

In 1976, Blue Valley Industries was started as a community service, by a group of parents, within Whatsoever Circle Community House. Blue Valley was originally housed within the basement of that community center. As word of the service spread so did the number of persons who came to Blue Valley for service. Because space became a priority the workshop moved to a larger facility on Truman Road.

In 1981, the current building was built and leased to Blue Valley Industries by Jackson County Board of Services. It quickly became apparent that even this building was not large enough for activities of the agency and an addition was planned. This addition to the building was completed in March of 1986. The addition essentially doubled the size of the work floor and dock space and enabled the Blue Valley Skill Center to locate in the lower level of the building.

In our short history Blue Valley's Board of Directors has had the foresight to be the incubator of programs needed by the population that the agency serves. Two prominent examples of this are the previously mentioned Skill Center and The Blue Valley Head Injury Program. The Skills Center was a very needed service, but it did not fit easily within the mission of Blue Valley Industries and when the Skills Center was determined to be sufficiently stable it, as well as its Board of Directors, was spun off as an independent entity known as Developing Potential Incorporated (DPI).

The Head Injury Center was dissolved when it was determined that it was too financially draining on the financial resources of Blue Valley and that similar services were being created by another agency that has more financial resources.

Blue Valley Industries continues to judge its services based on feedback from those it serves, its community, and by watching market trends. To support its current training and employment services Blue Valley uses an enclave to train individuals who are preparing for competitive employment and employees a behavioral instructor who works individually with targeted consumers who are below the minimum production standard for the agency.

Blue Valley currently has a healthy financial foundation, surveys indicate the services continue to be vital to the local community and it has several on-going partnerships with local business to ensure a steady flow of work for those in service.