DUXBURY, Mass. -- VERC Enterprises, a leading convenience store and Mobil/Gulf gasoline operator with 24 locations throughout eastern Massachusetts and New Hampshire, has been named Employer of the Year by Westwinds Clubhouse in Fitchburg, Mass.
Westwinds Clubhouse is one of 32 clubhouses within the Massachusetts Clubhouse Coalition, a nonprofit organization committed to helping people with long-term mental illness find and secure employment, housing, education, services and support in the community.
"VERC Enterprises was selected for this honor based on its general reputation for employing those with mental illness and specifically for the support and confidence they have demonstrated to one of our members, who is employed at their Fitchburg location," said Marcia Aucoin, director of Westwinds Clubhouse.
VERC employee and Westwinds Clubhouse member Ryan works at the VERC Fitchburg On the Run Mobil.
Leo and Paul Vercollone, president/CEO and vice president, respectively, of VERC, in addition to Westwinds Clubhouse member Ryan, who is employed by VERC, and other VERC staff have been invited to attend the Massachusetts Clubhouse Coalition awards ceremony on April 10 at the State House in Boston. The Vercollones and Employers of the Year from other clubhouses within the coalition will receive their award during the ceremony.
Marcia Fowler, commissioner of the Department of Mental Health, State Senator Jennifer Flanagan and other members of the Massachusetts Legislature and Senate are slated to attend the awards ceremony.
VERC is widely recognized as a leader in hiring those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In 2010, Leo and Paul Vercollone received Distinguished Citizen Awards from the Arc of Massachusetts for employing individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
"It is a privilege to be named a recipient of the Employer of the Year Award from such a respected human services coalition," said Leo Vercollone. "We are proud of our commitment to employ those in our communities with developmental challenges; it is a commitment we plan on honoring for many years to come."
VERC is the region's leading, independent chain of convenience stores and gasoline stations. The firm has more than 200 employees. In 2011 VERC was recognized by the Boston Business Journal as a Best Place to Work in Massachusetts and as a Leader in Diversity and by the Boston Globe as a Best Place to Work in Massachusetts.
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