In 1965, with the passage of Senate Bill 52, the Sheltered Workshop Program of Missouri came into begin supervised by the Department of Elementary & Secondary Education. Northeast Missouri Sheltered Workshop, Inc. was founded in March of 1966. Members of the Hannibal Junior Chamber of Commerce also sponsored the workshop as a project.
The group began operations in a single room in the Admiral Coontz Armory but soon outgrew these facilities. In 1967, the city of Hannibal donated the former Dura-Steel building located on Lindell Avenue. The workshop moved to its current location at 659 Clinic Road in 1972.
Over the years, it is estimated that over 10,000 people have been served by the NEMO Sheltered Workshop.