Clear View Bag Providing Jobs for Former Inmates


Albany, NY – More than 23,000 people leave New York's prisons each year and securing a job after release can be very difficult. It's not always clear what businesses will hire former inmates, or how their skills can transfer to the workforce.



Clear View Bag, an Albany New York based manufacturer of custom plastic bags, has been providing employment to the previously incarcerated for the last few decades. “I have been doing this for the last 26 years and have never felt knowing someone’s criminal record would have helped me find my better employees,” said Todd Romer, Operation Manager at Clear View Bag. “Their criminal history does not sway my decision to hire or not. I hire people based on the feel I get when meeting them face to face,” Romer said



The family run business has long been supporters of this endeavor. Over 23,000 prisoners are released from New York prisons every year looking for work. Clear View Bag manufactures custom printed plastic bags for the medical and food industries. Most of the jobs are working on printing presses and bag conversion machines. The company employs over 80 people in Albany including several who have been in prison.



Romer does not seek out people with criminal histories but also doesn’t bother to ask. Romer’s philosophy was inspired by his father who would find jobs for those willing to work hard. “We sell you work hard you move up. We sell security. We have never had to lay off anyone in 54 years,” Romer stated.



The company was recently featured in an article in the Albany Business Review along with other area employers who offer employments to former convicts. The practice is becoming increasingly important as more people than ever are coming out of New York’s prisons looking for work. “Incarceration doesn’t define you anymore than how you grew up or where you grew up, or the color of your skin”



About Clear View Bag



Founded in 1961, Clear View Bag is a domestic custom manufacturer of heat sealable packaging materials. They specialize in lower volume custom work in all sorts of constructions including custom plastic bags, plastic security bags, printed plastic bags, wicketted bags, tape bags, and rollstock. Clear View Bag services a wide range of end user markets including medical, industrial, retail, food, and security.



For more information please visit www.clearviewbag.com





 


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