A manufacturing company that was launched nearly 45 years ago to provide jobs for people with disabilities in and around Greater Hazleton is growing with the assistance of one of its largest clients and CAN DO, Inc.

CTC Manufacturing has recently expanded into two CAN DO-owned facilities with more than 33,000 square feet of space within the Valmont Industrial Park that will be used to complete work for Henkel, formerly Dial Corporation. Henkel has a manufacturing facility in Valmont.

Henkel uses CTC’s employees to put sleeves on Dial soaps that are shipped all over the country. CTC’s move to Valmont will allow the company to do even more work for Henkel, such as displaying, shrink wrapping and other aspects of packaging. “Having CTC employees in Valmont will allow Henkel to operate faster and increase its capacity and sales. Everybody wins,” said CTC CEO Steve Peterson.

Peterson said the increased work with the expansion into Valmont will help CTC in its objective of becoming 100 percent self-sustaining. The company is a non-profit organization. “Our location in Valmont makes us more competitive. Our new facilities will allow us to become a co-packer for Henkel. This means product will be able to be shipped directly from us,” Peterson said.

The new workspaces in the Valmont facilities will help CTC’s own growth as well, since the type of work will be more team orientated, which helps increase productivity. This increase in production may also help the company to buy new equipment and provide new job opportunities.

Last year, the company packaged 10 million bottles of soap for Henkel. In 2015, they are projecting to double that amount.

Peterson said CTC’s relationship with CANDO has been “very positive.” He said his company really wanted space in Valmont Industrial Park and CAN DO was very helpful in finding just the right location for their expansion. “CAN DO’s staff was very supportive in getting the space ready,” Peterson said.

With the new location, Peterson said the company has room to grow. “The benefit will be putting people to work,” Peterson said. “Our relationship with CAN DO is important because it gives us more flexibility in what we can commit to in the future.”

CTC Manufacturing, Inc. was launched in 1970 by a group of concerned parents who wanted to make sure there would be job opportunities for their disabled children when they grow up.