Common Ground Cafe opening in Clarksville to support special needs Progressive Directions clients

Jimmy Settle, Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle
·2 min read

Being different is one way all people are the same. It's where we all meet on common ground.

That's the basis for the business name of a new cafe in Veterans Plaza near downtown Clarksville, opened by Progressive Direction Inc. (PDI), a nonprofit devoted to supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Common Ground Cafe held its official grand opening and ribbon-cutting Wednesday on Pageant Lane, revealing a menu of sandwiches and wraps, soups and salads, sweets and specialty coffees, plus weekly specials for breakfast and lunch.

With this opening, the public gets another new dining option, which is especially convenient to Montgomery County employees working in the various departments housed at Veterans Plaza.

Zoe Schneck pours a hot hazelnut latte at Progressive Directions' new Common Ground Cafe.
Zoe Schneck pours a hot hazelnut latte at Progressive Directions' new Common Ground Cafe.

But as officials explained Wednesday, there is an added bonus with this new business.

Supported by the city of Clarksville and Montgomery County Government, the objective of the café is to serve great food and drinks to the community, while serving as a training ground, readying individuals with disabilities for the workforce.

Proceeds will go to support PDI’s mission of providing services to its clients, to help them attain personal success through gaining pride, dignity and independence.

"It's not just another restaurant," said PDI President and CEO Jay Albertia, "it's a way to give back to the community and change a life."

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PDI has been in operation for 46 years, and Albertia has been working with it for the past 25 years. He called Common Ground Cafe "another partnership that is a great example for the state of Tennessee."

Brad Turner, state Commissioner of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, was on hand for Wednesday's grand opening and wholeheartedly agreed.

The City of Clarksville and Montgomery County worked jointly to help bring Common Ground about as PDI's 86th innovative work location.

Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts guided an effort that ended in the city giving PDI $100,000 to open the cafe.

County Mayor Jim Durrett, recognizing that having a cafe in Veterans Plaza would benefit county employees and constituents visiting those offices, contributed by giving Common Ground free office lease space for 10 years.

PDI clients will do 300 hours of training in the cafe, which in many cases, can open doors to future employment elsewhere in the community.

Albertia said Clarksville-area job training agency, Workforce Essentials Inc., will help secure employment for clients once their training at the cafe is complete.

Common Ground Cafe is in Suite 102 of Veterans Plaza and will be open to the public weekdays from 7 a.m.-2:30 pm beginning June 6.

Reach Jimmy Settle at jimmysettle@theleafchronicle.com or 931-245-0247. To support his work, sign up for a digital subscription to TheLeafChronicle.com.

This article originally appeared on Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle: Common Ground Cafe in Clarksville supports Progressive Direction