In 1972 when the Haywood County Sheltered Workshop first opened its doors with six clients, few would have guessed that the small day program for developmentally disabled adults would grow into Haywood Vocational Opportunities, a nonprofit social enterprise company serving 235 clients annually and employing 348 workers.

Now, 40 years later, HVO is not only one of the largest employers in Haywood County, but the company also provides job training and programs to help adults with disadvantages and varying degrees of physical and mental disabilities succeed and become productive citizens in the community.

“A person who has a disability or barrier to employment can be a productive citizen,” said HVO President George Marshall, who has worked for the organization for almost 35 years. “That’s ...