E. J. Harrison & Sons is a company of Harrison Industries. Myra Harrison is president of the company she and her late husband, Elmo Harrison, founded. Sons Ralph, Jim and Myron are vice presidents. Each worked in nearly every job in the company before they became partners with their parents. Elmo Harrison died in 1991.The company is new celebrating 70 years in business.Over those decades, it has grown into a multi-million dollar business that provides trash pick-up and recycling services to the county of Ventura, the cities of Thousand Oaks, Camarillo, Ventura, Ojai, Fillmore, Santa Paula, and Carpinteria. Today the company serves more than 70,000 residential, industrial and commercial customers. All have the opportunity to recycle materials such as glass, plastic, newspaper, and other paper products.Recycling is now a major part of Harrison’s business, as the company is helping local governments meet a recent state law that required cities and counties to cut by half the amount of trash they send to landfills by the year 2000.The Association of Fundraising Professionals is a worldwide group of professionals that advances philanthropy by enabling people and organizations to practice effective and ethical fundraising through education, training, mentoring, research and advocacy.
E.J. Harrison & Sons named 2002 Philanthropist of the Year
November 29, 2002
Santa Paula News
E. J. Harrison & Sons, a family-owned waste disposal and recycling business, has been named, “Philanthropist of the Year for Ventura County” for the company’s long history of community service throughout Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.
The Santa Barbara/Ventura County chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals celebrated Annual Philanthropy Day Friday by presenting company President Myra Harrison and her sons, Ralph, Myron and Jim, with the award at a luncheon at Spanish Hills Country Club in Camarillo.“Giving back to the community is something that my husband and I have always believed in and our sons have followed in those footsteps,” Myra Harrison said.The Boys & Girls Club of Ventura was among those that nominated Harrison for the award. Harrison has a long history of sponsoring cultural events, donating thousands of dollars to charities, and providing free trash service to events throughout the two counties, said Diane Koranda, the club’s executive director, who presented the award.“They are very community-minded,” Koranda said.Also nominating Harrison was the Ventura Chamber of Commerce. President Zoe Taylor said in her recommendation letter, “Their dollar investment in the community is only a part of the significant contribution they make to the community of Ventura in helping to make the community a better place to live.”Harrison Industries has been a major financial supporter of organizations that help children such as the Casa Pacifica shelter, the Boy Scouts of America, and the Boys & Girls Clubs in Ventura County. Harrison Industries also supports various cultural organizations including the Ventura Chamber Music Festival, the Rubicon Theatre, the Fillmore Orange Festival, the Carpinteria Avocado Festival, the Ventura and Camarillo Chambers of Commerce, and the Ojai Music Festival. Furthermore, the business has provided services like free trash pickup and extra containers to many organizations, festivals and community clean-up events.
