Northeast Metro Business VHEDC 2018 | Page 67

Collaborations from page 23 Founded in St. Paul, in 1983, Kowalski’s has won many awards that reflect its excellence in the grocery industry and its high ideals, including the Employer of the Year St. Paul Rehabilitation Award and the Governor’s Award for Outstanding Community Spirit & Participation. The company prides itself on being civically responsible – making a difference in its communities by promoting quality of life. Barker says the collaboration with Kowalski’s goes even further than staffing their grocery stores. “As a good steward of resources, Kowalski’s contracts with Merrick to recycle its plastic waste. In 2003, Merrick added a work option for its clients to recycle this waste. Merrick’s crews pick up plastic from business partners; then it is sorted and bundled by Merrick clients and resold to be used in per