In honor of Applied Industries, Inc. Board of Directors and its founder Nadine Williams, the Lower Columbia College Foundation has announced the establishment of a $335,000 endowment by the Applied Industries, Inc. Board of Directors in support of LCC students.

“This generous endowment supports two scholarships each year for students with disabilities, funding for disability programs and the Student Success Fund. We are honored to recognize Applied Industries, Inc. as the LCC Foundation’s tenth largest donor,” said LCC Foundation Board President Alex Nelson.

Ms. Williams created Applied Industries, Inc. as part of her vision to provide employment opportunities to people with disabilities. “While many people contributed to our success, Ms. Williams’ character, values, and service foundation is attributed to our being able to leave a legacy benefiting people with disabilities far into the future. We thank the community for 56 years of supporting our program,” shared Applied Industries, Inc. Executive Director Dale Novotny.

“The living legacy created by the Applied Industries, Inc. endowment will benefit people with disabilities into perpetuity” said Lower Columbia College Vice President of Foundation, HR & Legal Affairs Kendra Sprague, “and because of this tremendous gift for generations to come, the LCC Disability Support Services Center will now be named the Applied Industries, Inc. Disability Support Services Center.”

Established in 1959, Applied Industries, Inc. was a nonprofit located in Longview that provided local employment and training opportunities to people with disabilities for 56 years. Their mission was to provide training, employment and job placement assistance for people with disabilities. Applied Industries, Inc. was a wood product manufacturing company that specialized in wood pallets. They were unique in that they were a business that also provided a social service.

After its closure in 2016, Applied Industries, Inc. invested its remaining operating capital at the LCC Foundation to secure future educational and training opportunities in an effort to continue helping people with disabilities in the community.