Beyond Vision Annual Report – 2014-2015
“Beyond Vision will enrich the lives of Americans who are blind… through the dignity of work valued by customers and the community.”
LEADERSHIP MESSAGE
The barriers to employment for people who are blind continue to be very stubborn. The unemployment rate of working age, legally blind adults is an unacceptable 70%. The good news, though, is Beyond Vision continues to grow and expand its mission by
providing more jobs for people who are blind.
In 2015, we added several new jobs resulting in 90% of our direct labor force now comprised of people who
are blind. We are also very committed to vertical mobility and constantly look for mission candidates for our administrative and management positions. We are proud of the fact that 50% of our entire workforce is now staffed by people who are
severely visually impaired or legally blind. These employment numbers increased because of significant growth in our business supplies segment and our commercial assembly and packaging services. We also saw healthy growth in our SKILCRAFT® manufactured, government products through the AbilityOne program. Another proud milestone this year, Beyond Vision received its first U.S. patent for our unique computer privacy filters. Beyond Vision provides 100% of the US government’s computer privacy filters based on this patent and a partnership with 3M Corporation.
An extremely important addition to our ever-improving technology was the acquisition of a 3-D printer. This new service is available to all of our commercial customers and enables Beyond Vision to provide fast and accurate product prototypes. It is particularly useful for production fixtures to help our employees efficiently produce high quality products. This money-saving capability enables our visually impaired engineering staff to conveniently review CAD (Computer Aided Design) models in three dimensions. Used for in-house needs as well, we are developing 3-D emergency exit plans and tactile performance metric bar graphs. 3-D printing is allowing us to communicate these and other important messages to our visually impaired staff using their sense of touch to “see” clearly.
In early 2016, we will finish an expansion of our Customer Care Center. This state-of-the-art renovation will include work stations for 34 Customer Service Representatives, two Supervisors and a Manager. The new upgrades will also include an employee break room and private conference areas. We intend to aggressively grow our Customer Care Center and offer many more jobs to visually impaired people who are currently unemployed. Beyond Vision has the capability to serve even more satisfied customers. We stand ready to meet your manufacturing, communications, assembly, packaging and business supplies needs. We look to the future with great expectations and appreciate the tremendous support of our customers and donors who embolden our vision and mission: “Beyond Vision will enrich the lives of people who are blind…through the dignity of work valued by customers and the community.”
— Jim Kerlin & Thomas Arenberg
Volunteer Board of Directors
Thomas E. Arenberg, Chair
Jacqui Cline
Shawn Duffy, CPA
Atty. John Emanuel
Atty. William Hughes, USAFR (Ret)
Eric D. Isbister
James Kerlin
Donald Klenk
Burton Metz
Jeffrey Peil
Eric Schumann
Atty. Arthur Wasserman, PhD
ROBUST
GROWTH
Operating capital from Beyond
Vision products and services
continues to grow within each of
our business units. In addition,
philanthropy plays an important
role in the fulfillment of our
mission.
*Please contact us for spreadsheet data*
A SOCIAL ENTERPRISE
THAT WORKS
We provide a wide range of
manufacturing and front office
services to new and existing
customers. It is the work we do
for our customers that creates
the job growth for people who
are visually impaired and blind.
Give us the opportunity to
quote on any size job and you
will help provide sustainable
employment for people who are
blind.
In addition to our headquarters
in Milwaukee, WI, Beyond Vision
operates nine Base Supply
Centers located on military
bases and federal installations
in six states.
EMPLOYMENT
GROWTH AWARD
In 2015 Beyond Vision was
honored to receive the 2015
Employment Achievement Award
from the National Industries for
the Blind (NIB). We are very
proud to have been recognized by
NIB and our peer sister agencies
across the country for being able
to grow opportunities for the
dignity of jobs for Americans who
are blind.
ALL NEW 3-D PRINTING
CAPABILITY
3-D printing allows for rapid
prototyping of new products.
Computer Aided Design (CAD)
models become three dimensional
objects in a matter of hours, rather
than the days or weeks it once took
to create them.
We’ve made dozens of
manufacturing process fixtures
to aid our visually impaired
workforce to maximize efficiency
while insuring a world class level
of quality to meet our ISO 9001
system standards.
PATENT AWARDED
In 2015, Beyond Vision received
its first U.S. patent recognizing our
unique privacy filter designed by
employees here at home who are
blind using quality 3M materials.
Our privacy filters help safeguard
data on your computer screen by
blocking visual hackers from side
views.
SERVICES OFFERED
CUSTOMER CARE CENTER
The Beyond Vision full service
Customer Care Center (incoming
and outgoing) has the competitive
edge. Here’s why:
• While people who are blind
may not see, most of their other
senses are finely tuned. Listening
for cues, voice inflections,
tone, etc., help people who
are blind “see.” The Beyond
Vision Customer Care Center
employees have mastered the
art of listening!
• In addition, many studies have
proven that people who are blind,or have other disabilities, are often
more dependable and try harder
on the job because finding that job
may have been very difficult.
• The average Customer Care Center
has massive turnover challenges
leading to quality problems,
extra training costs and general
perceived risk for customers.
At Beyond Vision we have a
discernible advantage precisely
because we employ the blind.
BUSINESS SUPPLIES
The SKILCRAFT® brand business
products are available to federal
government and commercial
customers through Beyond Vision.
These top-rated office supplies,
technology, food services, break
room, bathroom, cleaning and
general business supplies are
manufactured by a blind workforce
across the United States.
For 20 years we’ve distributed a
selection of more than 50,000 products
to federal installations, these products
are now available to commercial
customers. Call us today for our
complete catalog of products.
ASSEMBLY & LIGHT
MANUFACTURING
Beyond Vision provides a full
range of bench assembly and light
manufacturing services to such
notable brands as Harley Davidson,
Briggs and Stratton, GE, and Pentair.
No job is too big or too small. We
have a long reputation for exceeding
customer expectations for efficiency,
quality and on time delivery.
PACKAGING & FULFILLMENT
We offer the full range of packaging
capabilities including kitting, boxing,
plastic, clam shell and shrink wrap. In
the past few years we have brought
on a more robust capability for auto
bagging. We have multiple high
speed auto-bag machines capable
of up to 130 bags per minute, along
with 100% weight count automatic
inspection.
MACHINING
We are very proud of our current
machine shop record of 99.99%
quality and 100% on time delivery
to such major customers as OTC
(Oshkosh Truck Corporation), P&H
Mining – Division of Joy Global, CAT,
GenMet, and many more.
BEYOND VISION DONORS
Every contribution helps Beyond
Vision provide sustainable and
worthwhile employment for people
who are visually impaired.
Beyond Vision appreciates philanthropic
support from individuals, foundations
and corporations. We have three
opportunities for support – general
operating funds, capital campaign and
programming. Donations can be in cash,
pledges or planned giving.
INDIVIDUALS
Anonymous
David & Carol Anderson
Robert E. Anthony
Thomas Arenberg
Steven Arend
Janie & Cliff Asmuth
Mary Baer
Daniel & Ann Baker
Carol Beecher
Casey Berrell
Walter Bertinick
Pauline Birnbaum
Eugene Blank
James & Ruth Brostowitz
Barbara Brown
Robert & Wendy Buettner
John & Julie Busch
Carr Family Fund
Joseph & Heather Carroll
Natalie Cerfus
Lisa Farr-Chowanec
Richard & Mary Jo Christiansen
Marcus Cone
Rodney & Susan Copes
Nicholas Czaplewski
Patrick Czaplewski
Richard Davenport
William & Nancy Davidson
K & D Donarski
Eugenia Dries Trust
Shawn Duffy
James & Debra Ellsworth
John Emanuel
Kelly Etzel
Nancy Falls
Robert & Judy Farchione
Michael & Pamela Fenlon
Thomas Gillard
Leon Golynsky
Scott & Sandra Gorman
Clarke Green
James & Patricia Greenway
Cheryl C. Grey
Donna Gunn
Michael & Teresa Guillemot
Scott & Linda Haag
R. Haeger
Sandra Hartay
Scott & Karen Hebegger
Thomas Heinrich
Fujiwara Hirofumi
Doreen S. Horak
William & Peggy Hughes
Dale & Joann Hutchinson
Maureen Hutchinson
Ronald Hutchinson
Gustasp & Barbara Irani
Eric & Mary Isbister
J & L Harley Davidson, Inc.
Henrietta Jones
RK Kapusta
Glenn Kennedy
William & Cindy Kerlin
Jim & Shawn Kerlin
Marvin Knuth
Daniel & Elizabeth Kolb
Daniel Langdon
Kathleen Lawler
Scott Leonard
Matthew & Brenda Levatich
Alfred Mangels
Albert & Eleanor Marciniak
Jim & Kathleen McCaslin
Robert J. McLeod
Maxine Melchior
M Miller
Monty’s Cycle Shop
George & Julie Mosher
James & Ann Murtha
Coreen Mutranowski
Paul Muzzey & Cynthia A. Freer
Bruce Neumiller
Justin Nichols
Judith & Brian O’Connell
Margaret Oteman
Debra Ortiz
Thomas & Mary Palmer
Clifton Perryman
Steven & Doris Pertzsch
Steve & Mary Beth Piehl
Peter Rieck
Dolores Rudolph
John Phillip Ryan
Marion Sass
Roger Schneider
E. Schroeder
Rosemarie Schweikart
Mary Ellen Spiegelberg
Herbert Stark
Kimberly Stepien, M.D.
John Stibal
S. Sturemer
Mark Taber
Joseph Torsiello, Jr.
Kathleen Trentadue
Verna Treu
William & Barbara Velez
R.B. Wagner
Arthur Wasserman, Ph.D
L. Zimdars
FOUNDATIONS
W. Asmuth Family Foundation #2
Helen Bader Foundation
Badger Meter Foundation
Alvin & Marion Birnschein Foundation
Lynde & Harry Bradley Foundation
Bradley Impact Fund
Briggs & Stratton Foundation
Joan and Peter Bruce Fund
Caledonia Lioness Club
Emory T. Clark Family Charitable
Foundation
Patrick and Anna M. Cudahy Fund
Elizabeth Elser Doolittle Foundation
Dyar Foundation
Ralph Evinrude Foundation
Forest County Potawatomi Foundation
Gardner Foundation
Greater Milwaukee Foundation
Harley-Davidson Foundation
Evan & Marion Helfaer Foundation
Dorothy Inbusch Foundation, Inc
JayKay Foundation
Ladish Foundation
Teerlink Family Foundation, Ltd.
Catherine & Walter Lindsay Fund
Nonprofit Management Fund
PPC Foundation
Park Bank Foundation
Thomas Reinhart Foundation
Schoenleber Foundation
Helmut Wolfgang Schumann Foundation
Stackner Family Foundation
Terrlink Family Foundation, Ltd.
Olive I & Eunice J Toussaint Foundation
Vilter Foundation
Wauwatosa Savings Bank Foundation
WE Energies
Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek Foundation
Margaret Wiegand Trust
Ziemann Foundation
City of Milwaukee Community Block
Grant Program Award
Department of Workforce Development
Award
Public Service Commission
of Wisconsin
CORPORATIONS
American Transmission Company
Bartolotta Restaurants
Belleville Shoe
J&M Borchardt
Bostik, Inc.
Briggs & Stratton Corporation
Capital Investment Services of
America, Inc.
Capital Stampings
Cartridge Savers
Duffy Grain, Inc.
Essendent
Freshwater Plaza Market Mixed Use
Global Precision Company
Harley-Davidson Corporation
Home Depot
Legacy Capital Partners, Inc.
MGIC
Milsco
National Industries of the Blind
Okuma
PieperPower
Rustico Pizza
Super Steel LLC
Synergy LLC
Vilter Manufacturing
Wangard Partners, Inc.
West Allis Hotel Ventures, LLC
WMEP/Abbott Labs
CDBG Milwaukee
Beyond Vision is a brand of Associated
Industries for the Blind and Wiscraft Inc.
This is a comprehensive list of all donors
to Wiscraft, Inc., d/b/a Beyond Vision.
We apologize if there are any omissions.