From the WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2001 issue

PETER Fulvi places his black sneaker on a foot pump and presses it twice, sending two squirts of water into a plastic bag labeled "Waterfield Farms." He takes a basil plant out of a big green Rubbermaid tub, puts it in the bag. wraps the bottom of the bag around the plant pot and secures it with a rubber band. Then he daubs the bag twice with a purple glue stick and folds the top of the bag over to fasten it. Finally, he yanks the bag off its hook and places it in a Styrofoam box by his side. The whole process has taken no more than a minute. Fulvi will repeat it all morning until he and his co-workers have packaged 155 cases of sweet basil. which will be shipped to supermarkets throughout the Northeast. Does he ever get bored? Sometimes I do, but I think of all the money I'm making.' he says "I really enjoy this job."

'I'm doing good'

Like all the basil packers employed at Bioshelters in Amherst, Peter Fulvi is mentally retarded. Fulvi. 52, and his co-workers are clients of the Northampton-based Community Enterprises, a nonprofit organization that provides employment and housing support for people with disabilities. Fulvi and a roommate live independently with some agency-provided support in a Northampton apartment. Prior to working at Bioshelters Fulvi sorted cans at a local redemption center "I liked it, but it was awful dirty," he says. Once. I found a dirty diaper when I was going through the cans. After that I said, "That's enough. I want another job." Fulvi has been at Bioshelters for the eight years since then. That makes him the employee with the most seniority. "Even my wife [Tracy Hightower, Bioshelters' vice president] hasn't been with me as long as he has," says John Reid, the founder and president. "So there's a friendship there." Indeed, Fulvi and Reid have gotten to know each other fairly well over the years. Reid recalls how Fulvi used to be very overweight I mean, he was huge," Reid says. These days Fulvi is trim and fit. He's been on a diet for two years. and he's taken up weightlifting and walking. He really has transformed himself,' Reid says "He looks great." The two men like to tell a story about the time a snowstorm deterred just about every able employee from coming to work -- but not Fulvi, who takes PVTA buses from Northampton to Amherst. "I called the weather and they said it was going to be snowy," Fulvi says. "I didn't believe them, so I still went to work." "He got here on time, and I was dumbfounded.' Reid says. "He looked at me like I was asking a very stupid question and he said, 'But the basil has to he packed! Fulvi continues to make strides. For one, he's socking away every penny in order to travel to Italy this fall with a Wakefield-based business that organizes vacations for disabled people. It will be his first trip to Europe, he says. And when Community Enterprises was nominated recently by the President's Committee on Employment for People with Disabilities because of its connection to Bioshelters. Fulvi was chosen to be the spokesperson for its disabled employees. 'That means that I'm doing good." Fulvi says. 'It makes me feel good inside, too."

Part of the team

With its inflatable plastic greenhouse roof, Bioshelters is hard to miss. Located near Annie's Garden & Gift Store on Route 116, the Company uses a recirculating aquaculture and hydroponic system to raise fish and grow basil for commercial sale. John Reid, who founded the company 15 years ago. Employs disabled people in part because the college students he'd hired proved to be less than dependable, and in part because he'd grown up with dyslexia and attention deficit disorder. As a result he says, ''I sort of knew what it was like to not be one of crowd, to be a little bit odd or different. Instead of generating a so called "sheltered" workplace Reid felt it was important to integrate his disabled employees into Bioshelters' existing work environment. That way, he says, ''They can really feel like they're part of the team. Disabled people make up a quarter of the 35-person work force at Bioshelters, where they package anywhere from 50 to 300 cases of basil a day. This is a real business, a real place and a real job," says their on-site work supervisor, Rosemary Oligino of Community Enterprises "And that's our main objective - to mainstream 'em and get 'em out in the real world. Like everyone else, Bioshelters' disabled employees attend company events such as holiday parties and barbecues, and they throw birthday parties for one another. But the social benefits are mutual, and Reid says able people have much to learn from disabled folks. They have wonderful insights on life," he says. "We sort of forget that we can have fun and appreciate people, and they help rid us of that cynicism." For example, Reid recalls how a disabled employee managed to cheer him up after a blaze damaged Bioshelters one Saturday in 1994. "I was not a happy camper Monday, but one of the guys took me by the shoulders and said, 'John, it's going to be OK. You just have to put one step in front of another and keep going' " His advice may have been clichéd, Reid says. "But it made a big difference to me the next few days."

The greenhouse effect

Bioshelters is hardly the only area business to employ people with disabilities. Walmart, Stop & Shop, Dave's Soda & Pet City, Hampshire College, Amherst College and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst all currently have disabled employees But there's something about Bioshelters that causes disabled people to thrive. "They've worked very well over the years and more so than at other sites" John Reid says. "I've always wondered what it is we do here that helps people grow." Some have suggested it has something to do with working under greenhouse lights and being surrounded by plants, he says. Others believe it has something to do with the basil itself. Indeed, when Reid consulted some aromatherapy charts out of curiosity, he was stunned to find that the herb is known to be soothing to the stomach and nerves - and to aid in mental acuity. Serendipity? "Who knows?" he says with a grin. What we do know, however is that Community Enterprises gets so many requests from disabled people who want to work at Bioshelters that it maintains a waiting list. "They brag about this place and now all their friends want to come here," Rosemary Oligino says.

'It's nice and clean'

Vicky Taft is one such braggart. She has been working at Bioshelters for seven months. Like Peter Fulvi, her last job was at a redemption center. "That stunk," says Taft 34. "Working with disgusting, dirty cans - that was absolutely gross." Her experience at Bioshelters has been a study in contrasts. "I like this job," Taft says. "Its nice and clean, I like the smell of it, and it's more skills for me to do." She also likes her co-workers, who she considers "great friends" "They don't pick on me like other people do," she says. Finally, she says. "We work hard for our paychecks, but the money is great here. She and her co-workers earn $6.75 an hour - minimum wage. Disposable income is important to Taft because, as she says, "I'm always busy." She lives in a staff-supported residence in Haydenville and participates in activities organized by her social-service agency, the Northampton-based ServiceNet. She goes dancing at Club Metro in Northampton on Mondays. takes horseback riding lessons in Holyoke on Tuesdays, does aerobics on Wednesdays, participates in a women's group on Thursdays, goes out to eat with her house-mates on Fridays, and visits her parents in Goshen and Easthampton on Saturdays and Sundays. ''And I do Special Olympics too," Taft adds. "We just came in fourth place for bowling." ''They have a very active life more so than the rest of us," Rosemary Oligino says. "They're just into everything. I've been to dances with these guys, and I'll tell ya, they're fun to party with." On top of all this, they unwaveringly show up for work at 8 a.m. five days a week. "They get really upset if they can't come to work because of inclement weather,'' Oligino says 'It's amazing."

Wrapping it up

Back in Bioshelters' greenhouse, Vicky Taft, Peter Fulvi and seven others are wrapping up their morning's work. "OK guys, 15 more!" Rosemary Oligino shouts, referring to the number of cases left to fill. "c'mon you can do it!" Oligino collects the basil plants as fast as the workers can package them. By the dozen, she puts the plants in cardboard boxes labeled "Waterfield Farms," Bioshelters' brand name. Then she tapes the boxes shut and stacks them on skids for shipping. "OK, 10 more! Let's do it!" A boom box is tuned to 96.5 FM, and Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing" is playing. When a song comes from the ''Backstreet Boys comes on Taft gets excited. "Backstreet Boys, oh yeah!" she cries out. "I'm going to see them Wednesday!" "Where are they playing?" Fulvi asks. "Hartford." Oligino tells them to minimize the chit-chat; they've got work to do. "All right, seven more! C'mon, let's do it and get outta here - it's hot!" Finally, she tells them to go ahead and break down their work stations. To shouts of "Yee-haw!" and "Whoo-hoo," they empty their buckets of water, put away their rubber bands and glue sticks, shake out their floor mats and sweep their areas, and put all the leftover basil plants in one container. As she watches them, Oligino marvels at the workers' diligence. "I think it's a shame that other businesses don't give these people a chance," she says. "I don't think other businesses fully understand retardation, nor do I think they want to take the time to understand it." In this rush - rush - rush economy, Oligino says Employers are loathe to hire anyone with special needs. But while mentally retarded people may require a certain amount of patience and accomodation, Oligino argues that the benefits of employing them outweigh the costs. "These people have a lot to offer," she says. "They're dedicated and consistent, they're here everyday whether it's hot or cold, and they bust their a**es for this job." Christina L. Barber can be reached at cbarber@gazettenet.com.

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