FRANKLIN – Brentwood-based Swiftwick International LLC and Swiftwick employee Salvatore Pellegrino were Tuesday named Employer and Employee of the Year by the Tennessee Department of Human Services’ Division of Rehabilitation Services.
 

Pellegrino, a Fairview resident, was hired at Swiftwick in May 2009 after successfully completing the Employee Development program at the Franklin Tennessee Rehabilitation Center. After completing the Division of Rehabilitation Service's Vocational Evaluation program, he was employed at TRC for several months, working in its assembly workshop while he improved his job and social skills.
 

At Swiftwick, Sal (as he’s know to friends and co-workers), works independently in the company’s warehouse and packaging department.
 

In his strong New York accent, he shared that the TRC “helped me out a lot and they prepared me to get back in the workplace.”
 

His supervisor at Swiftwick, operations manager Meghan Sisko, said Sal’s a reliable employee and has proven to be a “packaging perfectionist.”
 

“Watching Sal’s growth over the past year has been a great experience,” she said. “He has had his ups and downs at work, just as we all do, but I’m proud that he has stuck with us, continued to work hard and become a very important and integral part of our team.”
 

Attending Tuesday’s presentation and reception were Franklin Mayor John Schoer and Williamson County Mayor Rogers Anderson. Many TRC staff and board members also attended as did representatives of Swiftwick.
 

After receiving his own plaque on behalf of Swiftwick, company CEO Mark Cleveland said, “It’s really about putting people to work in Tennessee.” He shared that the partnership Swiftwick has developed with TRC is mutually beneficial.