US (CT): Plans for 80,000-square-foot greenhouse in Bridgeport
"We'll have shovels in the ground very soon," Richardson said.
Heroes Village is a new "socially conscious, for-profit" organization focused on helping veterans find jobs, its founders say. St. Lorenzo, a Vietnam veteran and CEO, lives in Newtown. Richardson, the chief business affairs officer, resides in Weston. Heroes Village offices are in downtown Bridgeport.
Their goal is to hire between 25 and 40 ex-service personnel to staff the greenhouse complex. "They're coming home, no jobs," St. Lorenzo said. "The guys say, 'A bed is great, but I really need a job.' "
Neither St. Lorenzo nor Richardson have farming experience. They have hired a master gardener to oversee the greenhouses and are getting advice from the University of Connecticut's College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
"We've done greenhouse educational courses before ... so it was a natural fit," said Bonnie Burr, an assistant director at the agriculture college who helps oversee a community outreach program. "We can help in terms of figuring out what kind of greenhouses work best, how to set up systems with plants inside and doing ... workforce training."
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