BOSTON – Senator Michael O. Moore (D-Millbury), Representative David K. Muradian, Jr. (R-Grafton) and Senator Ryan C. Fattman (R-Webster) are excited to announce that Riverdale Mills Corporation has been awarded a Workforce Training Fund Program grant.
This grant program is available to help companies improve productivity and competitiveness by providing resources to invest in the Massachusetts workforce. The Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development has teamed up with Commonwealth Corporation to review and award businesses throughout Massachusetts grants in an effort to fund training. These funds can be used for both current and newly-hired employees. Riverdale Mills in Northbridge is expected to receive $202,833 to train 147 employees and anticipates adding 20 jobs by 2020.
“Investing in the improvement of employee skills is critical to a productive workplace,” said Senator Moore. “Through training, employees can assess strengths and weaknesses, develop additional skills, and learn and grow together. I extend my congratulations to the entire team at Riverdale Mills on receiving this grant.”
“I am very happy that Riverdale Mills is a recipient of a Workforce Training grant,” said Representative Muradian. “As a business, they are deserving of this opportunity and I am confident that they will be able to create new jobs and expand the opportunities of their employees.”
Riverdale Mills is a leading manufacturer and distributor of welded wire mesh fabrics for agricultural, marine, security and construction industries. One of their products called Aquamesh can be used in building lobster and agricultural trap, and is now shipped to fishing ports all over the world. Wirewall, another one of their products, which is a high security fencing wire mesh, is used on the global scale to protect embassies, borders, airports and refineries. This product is very popular and sought after as it is highly requested by security and safety experts, construction management consultants, and architects. Overall, as a business they pride themselves in customer service and have continually played a positive role in the community.
Workforce Training grants are awarded on a rolling basis throughout the year. In FY 2018, $21.2 million was awarded to train 15,278 workers at 926 companies. In return, companies who completed the grant program added jobs at a rate of 11.9% over their two-year grant period. This program is geared to help maintain economic strength through the creation of new jobs and opportunities for all workers.