XENIA — The founder and director of a non-profit center in Dayton is expected to take the helm overseeing the operations of the trade school and recovery center going into the former Greene County Career Center property in Xenia Township.

Founders of the Emerge Recovery & Trades Initiative announced this week that Jeff Sorrell of Xenia will transition into the position of executive director of the non-profit, which is overseeing the operations of the Emerge Commerce Center at the site of the former career center, 2960 W. Enon Road.

Sorrell is the founder and director of the Life Enrichment Center in Dayton, a non-profit community center that began serving underserved residents in Dayton in 2002, providing hot meals, clothing, education, training, and other resources.

“It’s a holistic approach to helping people change,” Sorrell said. “I am more interested in the things that help transform people long-term. This new role is essentially doing what I am already doing on steroids.”

Sorrell said the transition from the Life Enrichment Center to the Emerge Commerce Center is expected to be a smooth one that will take place throughout the remainder of 2021 to ensure the LEC is left in good hands without any issues resulting from his departure.

“I had already planned to step aside at 20 years,” Sorrell said. “We have someone who will be stepping up into my role (at LEC) from within.”

Kip Morris, CEO and part owner of Five Star Heating and Cooling Group; Chris Adams, owner of Narrow Path Plumbing; and Doug Van Dyke, owner of Van Martin Roofing, purchased the former GCCC property at auction in March.

All three have strong ties to the Miami Valley area recovery communities and have spent years building their companies with the help of people in recovery.

Although Adams knew Sorrell many years ago, Morris said the group got in touch with him recently when they heard he was transitioning away from the LEC in the near future.

“I toured the Life Enrichment Center in 2014 and was really impressed by what he had done,” Morris said. “He’s a special individual who has an amazing ability to take a project from thought and bring it to fruition. I was impressed by him and the Lord put him on my heart. He knew Chris and when we all got together it seemed like it was meant to be.”

Upon taking over, Sorrell will handle all the day-to-day operations of the 48-acre property, which includes several buildings, a large outdoor campus area, and a four-acre scenic freshwater pond.

In addition to training in plumbing, roofing, and HVAC work, with real-world work experience in those respective fields, the property will have men’s and women’s recovery centers that will include separate temporary housing on site. It will include a program for adults leaving foster care.

Area businesses are encouraged to join the endeavor and will be offered low-cost rent, discounted business services, and paid and unpaid internships performed by the people completing the on-site recovery and foster care emancipation programs. Emerge Commerce Center also offers a wide range of business development and growth tools that will help new or pre-existing entrepreneurs expand their business or non-profit and function at a higher level while at the same time helping people in need.

For more information, visit https://www.emergerecoverytrade.com/.