Highline celebrates 50 years of service

HURLEY — Since 1966, Highline has continued to provide rehabilitation services for individuals with disabilities in Iron County and the surrounding area.

When the disability services program became incorporated in 1966, people thought it wouldn’t last more than six months, according to current CEO Donna Reinerio.

In response, Hurley Mayor Paul Santini and a group of like-minded people formed a board and selected Santini to be chairman. They were determined to prove the naysayers wrong, Reinerio said.

Moving forward, in November 1966 Reinerio said the group hired two initial staff members and the Masonic Building on Silver Street in Hurley became the new location for the then Look-Up Workshop.

Santini would go on to act as chairman and director until Feb. 1, 1967. The same day, Joseph Giovanoni was hired as the first executive director.

During the first year of operation, Reinerio said the board of directors and the staff “laid the groundwork for the workshop.”

The clientele steadily increased during that first year. With that, Reinerio said two more staff members were hired and they started looking for a new location. In October of 1967, she said the workshop leased the old Erspamer Supermarket in Hurley and remodeled the building. On Nov. 6, 1967, they moved into the building.

During that year, Reinerio said the Look-Up Workshop had 27 clients, two of whom were placed on “gainful employment,” six were in job training and two returned to school.

One year later, on April 12, Reinerio said Giovanoni left Look-Up Workshop for another job and Larry Kirby replaced him on May 12 that year.

In 1971, the workshop started a day service program that is still in operation. Reinerio said the program helps individuals learn about skills that are important in day-to-day life. On service days, Reinerio said each individual has his or her own program, in which Reinerio said an individual explores and discovers new things.

Then, in 1977, Look-Up Workshop purchased by the Maple Leaf Group Home on U.S. 2 in Kimball. Reinerio said the workshop operated the building as a motel and residential group home for eight individuals. The motel closed in 1978, but she said the residential home remains open today, “providing a place to call home for five individuals.”

In 1984, Reinerio said the founders decided it was time for a new location and a new name. Two years later, she said 100 Cary Road in Hurley became the new location and building for Highline Corporation.

She said many people have questions about name.

“The name change was just as important as the new location,” Reinerio said. “It refers to the wires running through the property. It was always a discussion during the building process, so it became our name... Highline.”

In December 2001, Gary Leino became the next executive director with the death of Kirby. Previously, Reinerio said Leino had been with Look-Up Workshop for 29 years. Leino retired on Jan. 1, 2008, and Reinerio took over as executive director.

As the executive, she said the program has a “very dedicated staff who believes in the goals and mission of the Highline Corporation.”

In the production floor, there is a workshop that keeps people busy. There, they make an array of products, including cutting boards, cheese trays and wooden pet steps. The products, Reinerio said, are shipped all over the United States and across the world.

In the future, Reinerio said they hope to add a gazebo in the backyard that will be handicapped-accessible.

To be in business for 50 years, Reinerio said, “feels incredible.

“It’s a service that is well needed,” she said.