Brother and Sister Food Service is truly the “American Dream come true” for Aziz Sahovic.

Aziz is the owner of a Bosnian food producer who fled his native country with his family at the beginning of the Bosnian War and took refuge in Austria. After spending a year in Innsbruck, he moved the family to the United States.

Far from Bosnia, Aziz began his first business venture in New Jersey. He built a small smokehouse in his backyard and began making unique and delicious smoked meats using the old world skills and passion handed down from his family. In a short time, his hard work and dedication to quality was recognized by the local community. His American dream had paid off. At that moment, Aziz made a decision to open his own business and call it “Brother and Sister” for the love and affection of his two children, Vedad and Vildana.

Brother and Sister started operating in 1997 in a 6,000 sq. ft. building in New Jersey. Soon that space became too small and it was time for expansion. In 2007, the family decided to leave New Jersey and move to Harrisburg, PA in what they thought would be their last move. But just as before, this much larger facility had become too small to keep up with rapidly rising demand for their products. In early 2015, Brother and Sister acquired a large building located on Spangler road in Camp Hill, PA. Over the last year the new facility has been transformed into a 150,000 sq. ft. USDA-certified production facility, filled with state of the art meat smokers and the most advanced use of new world technology. The new production facility is on schedule to make their first production run by mid-March of 2016.

As part of our larger strategic focus to provide value-added services to our regional employers, SCPa Works has taken the lead in assisting Brother and Sister with their workforce needs. PA CareerLink® Cumberland County is in the process of assisting Brother and Sister with writing job descriptions for the following positions: Meat Cutters and Trimmers, Meat Mixer Operators, Quality Control Analysts, Packers, Shipping and Receiving Clerks, and Industrial Janitors.

Brother and Sister have executed a Master Agreement with SCPa Works for the On-the-Job Training program. On-the-Job Training can reimburse the employer for 50% of the employee’s hourly wage during the training program for up to 6 months or $5,500 per eligible individual. Dawn Lowe, Business Service Representative, from the PA CareerLink® Cumberland County is working with Brother and Sister to develop training programs for the various job openings. Brother and Sister plan to hire approximately 100 new employees over a two year period. The OJT program will not only provide beneficial cost savings for Brother and Sister but will also provide eligible job seekers the opportunity to learn new skills in an industry that provides family sustaining wages.

Please contact PA CareerLink® Cumberland or PA CareerLink® Capitol Region for more information about the available positions.

Brother and Sister is just one of many success stories here in the South Central region, and one of many companies that SCPa Works is helping to grow and expand. We believe that our regional economy will continue to grow as we unlock the human talent that drives the development of businesses and individuals. We at SCPa Works are excited to provide the support, resources and market intelligence that will help companies like Brother and Sister continue to grow and fulfill the “American Dream.”

By Sam Marte – PA CareerLink® Cumberland County