"365 days a year, besides the holidays, our team provides enhanced cleaning, maintenance services and connecting folks to Downtown San José," says Chloe Shipp, Operating Manager for the San Jose Downtown Association.

If you have ever visited Downtown San José, you've probably seen Groundwerx workers in their bright-colored t-shirts and rubber gloves, pushing wheeled trash cans through the city's busy streets.

These #SiliconValleyStrongHeroes, who have added facemasks to their familiar equipment, help clean our downtown streets of trash, waste and graffiti. With the risks of COVID-19 and cleanliness essential, the support they provide is more vital than ever. Each day, this team works tirelessly to help clean the city's center. It’s a difficult job that’s never finished.

However, just helping to keep our downtown area clean is not the only thing they do. Groundwerx has another role - that of “Downtown Ambassador”. Their Ambassadors assist folks in the with directions, a walk to a car and serve as “eyes and ears” to report unusual events.

The Groundwerx team is a family, with more than 55 percent of their current staff serving as an employee for more than five years, and nearly a third have more than a decade of service with the team.

Since the organization started in 2008, Groundwerx has grown to include not only employment opportunities but work experience programs for displaced individuals to gain work experience and case management. This program serves as a feeder opportunity for Groundwerx to hire members of this program to their team full-time.

We thank our #SiliconValleyStrongHeroes for their commitment to keep our downtown clean and support our community by reinvesting back into our community with residents needing assistance.

To learn more about Groundwerx, please visit https://sjdowntown.com/groundwerx/. If you see a mess that needs immediate attention, please call Groundwerx at 408-287-1520 or download the Groundwerx App for iPhones or Android.