Beyond Vision
2021-2022 Annual Report
President’s Message
I’m reminded of the Charles Dickens quote, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” Beyond Vision’s government business was significantly reduced due to the pandemic and many government employees continuing to work remotely. Supply chain challenges also continue to cause delays in our ability to fulfill certain products for the government. Our staff has worked tirelessly to overcome these challenges to best serve our customers and our mission. Many companies folded under these pressures. I’m happy to say that Beyond Vision is coming out of the pandemic strong.
It’s not hyperbole to describe 2022 as a ‘seminal’ year for Beyond Vision. After several years of work, our dream is becoming a reality. Beyond Vision has a new home. The West Allis campus is called the VisABILITY Center.
Simultaneous to completing the construction, we raised about 60% of the capital cost via New Market Tax Credits, a grant from the state of Wisconsin, and our capital campaign. We can’t thank our many generous donors enough, you made our dream come true.
It’s just a building, right? Oh no. The VisABILITY Center is much more than just a new building for Beyond Vision. Our new home will be transformational for people who are blind in Wisconsin. We now have twice the square footage, providing room for growth for the foreseeable future.
It features state-of-the-art universal design, optimizing way-finding accessibility for those with low or no usable sight.
Part of our dream is that the VisABILITY Center will also be a place for more collaboration and potential colocation with the other non-profit service providers to people with vision loss.
We hope to leverage this facility, optimized for people who are legally blind, to maximize the potential for individuals affected by vision loss. Through collaboration and leveraging the VisABILITY Center campus, everyone’s operational cost can be reduced, and services maximized to better support the blindness community in Wisconsin.
Our plan for continued growth is working. We’ve already taken on work for the government and commercial customers, which has translated into more job opportunities, career advancements and financial stability.
Beyond Vision is a great place to work…a great place to learn and a great place to earn. We use the metaphor that “Beyond Vision is a ‘runway’, a place to land and a place to take off in your career.” We provide a competitive and integrated employment environment in which people with vision loss work side-by-side with normally sighted counterparts, earning the same competitive wages and with equal opportunity for career advancement.
The new VisABILITY Center campus will provide the infrastructure for us to fulfill our vision to “Enrich the lives of Americans who are blind…through the dignity of work valued by customers and the community.” Indeed “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” The future is bright.
Jim Kerlin, President & CEO
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Volunteer Board of Directors
Jeffrey Alan Peil, Chairman
Thomas E. Arenberg,
Accenture (Retired)
Shawn Duffy,
C.P.A. Controller, WTC Machinery
John Emanuel
Senior Counsel, Husch Blackwell LLP (Retired)
William Hughes, Chairman Emeritus
USAFR (Retired)
Attorney, Partner, Husch Blackwell LLP
Eric D. Isbister, Secretary
CEO, GenMet Corporation
James Kerlin
President & CEO, Beyond Vision
Gen. Paul E. Lima (ret.)
President, St. Johns Northwestern Military Academies
Burton Metz
Vice President, Wangard Partners
Tom O’Connell
CEO, Tank Holding Corp./Snyder Industries
(Retired)
ART SERNA
CEO, City on a Hill
MICHAEL CHEW
Mississippi Industries for the Blind (Retired)
53% Mission Ratio
138 Employees
73 Employees who are visually impaired
64 Employees who are sighted
Blind Paid Working Hours 97,707
Mission Direct Hours 95.5%
Revenue $40,041,000
Our Vision
Enrich the lives of Americans who are blind…
through the dignity of work valued by customers and the community.
Our Mission
Grow by being a valued partner to customers, suppliers, and the community while operating as a fiscally responsible enterprise.
Groundbreaking Events
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October 1st, 2021
Bringing together our friends, supporters, employees, advocates, and construction team was a major step in starting the building process.
All the design and planning were done. The kick-off of this project represented more than a a commitment to a new space. Construction meant the future we had envisioned was becoming a reality.
With their generosity, continual encouragement and introductions to community leaders, members of our Board of Directors and the Capital Campaign Cabinet led us to make great headway in our fundraising efforts over the past few years.Your support made this possible. Thank you.
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Ambassadors
As construction neared completion, our team of Ambassadors began testing navigation to ensure accessibility. The team of cane and guide dog users helped prepare coworkers for the big move.
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Meet Jennifer and Rebecca
Jennifer:
y background is in blindness skills training. I was working as the admissions coordinator for a blindness training center when I heard about the opportunity to join the Beyond Vision team as the Talent acquisition Coordinator. I was eager to challenge myself to work with blind and sighted applicants to fill positions with qualified candidates. I worked as the Talent Acquisition Coordinator for over a year and learned a great deal during this time. I gained confidence from the trust and high expectations of my abilities shown to me by my supervisor and coworkers. I participated in a leadership program and learned to see myself as a potential leader. I also learned about networking and challenging myself to seek out new opportunities.
When Rebecca told me of her decision to attend law school, I decided that this was the perfect opportunity for me to challenge myself with a new role. I interviewed for the position and was excited to be promoted to the role of HR Generalist. I am now learning my new role and continuing to challenge myself as I also mentor others. I am excited for future opportunities at Beyond vision and for being a part of a company which values all its employees for their important contributions.
-Jennifer Wenzel
Rebecca:
Before joining Beyond Vision, Rebecca was working as a mental health and substance abuse counselor. While the career was fulfilling, she wanted to challenge herself to something more. During her time as HR Generalist at Beyond Vision, she had a significant impact on many of her co-workers. And Beyond Vision had a significant impact on her. Rebecca’s dream of becoming a lawyer had always seemed unattainable. The confidence she built working at Beyond Vision make her take the chance. She is now attending law school in Boston.
“I am very thankful to companies like Beyond Vision for helping me gain valuable skills to go on and pursue my dreams. IN the past 2.5 years my blindness skills and confidence have improved significantly.” -Rebecca Arrowood
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Our Employees of the Year
STACY F.
Administrative Assistant
“Keep your head up. No matter how hard life can get, think positive.”
GEORGE W.
Assembly & Packaging
“I just like Beyond Vision.”
Megan S.
Customer Care Specialist
“I love being able to break down misconceptions about what being blind/disabled means and what we can do. ”
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EVENTS:
Doors Open Milwaukee, September 25th, 2021
Held each Fall, this event brings the community together and gives visitors an unexpected glimpse into businesses and buildings in the area. Beyond Vision hosted our last Doors Open Milwaukee visit to the State Street location. We look forward to welcoming everyone to the VisABILITY Center for the 2023 tour.
White Cane Day, October 15th, 2021
Reckless driving has been a top safety priority across the nation. Beyond Vision employees took the time to focus on pedestrian safety. Most significantly, reminding everyone the white cane represents safety and should be respected by drivers. This advocacy effort drew media attention and helped expand the awareness of reckless driving in Wisconsin.
Learn more about past and upcoming events on our website: www.BeyondVision.com
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Shot in the Dark 2021
A unique golf outing that takes place in the dark. The event also helps us connect with our supporters in a fun, relaxed environment. Held annually.
Sponsors: Presenting Sponsor: Essendant
Eagle Sponsor: Wipfli
Birdie Sponsors: Eric Schumann, HD Supply, Capital Investment Services, Crown Matting Technologies, Robertson Ryan & Associates, Legacy Capital Partners Inc.
Putting Green: Federal Resources, 3M, Dawes, National Business Furniture, Belleville, Visiontron
Hole Sponsors: ATC, Argus Technical Services, Briggs & Stratton, Buy-Rite Distributors, Duffy Grain, GenMet, Husch Blackwell, Moore Construction, National Exchange Bank
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Philanthropy at Work
Did you know that 7 out of every 10 adults who are blind are not employed? Support we receive from the philanthropic community drives our mission forward and makes this social enterprise WORK.
On the surface, we may look like any other company providing machining, assembly, and call center services. Dig deeper and you will find that these mission driven business units serve a greater purpose. As a social enterprise, we provide our customers with quality products and services at a competitive price, while creating meaningful and sustainable employment opportunities for people who are blind.
Your support is the difference maker when comparing us to our for-profit competitors. More than half of Beyond Vision’s workforce is blind or visually impaired. Philanthropy provides our staff with individualized job skills training, coaching, adaptive fixtures, accessible technology and more. Philanthropy gives our staff upward mobility and makes our mission possible.
Beyond Vision operates on business success. As a competitive organization, we focus on offering the services people need. By driving business, we drive our mission and create more career opportunities for people who are blind.
Whether it’s a job in our Machine Shop or a call program in our Customer Care Center, we make customers our top priority. With the current labor shortages many businesses are struggling with, we have an experienced team of employees ready to take outsourced work from customers who need our help.
Many people love to learn about the innovations made to make our machining, assembly and packaging services work. Technology is key to our top quality call center services.
Never limiting ourselves, Beyond Vision continues to diversify. From our manufactured government products to military kitting, we never stop looking for growth opportunities. Because our growth creates more career paths for people with vision loss
Come for a tour to learn more about our program and products or refer a business you know that needs our services..
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Donors
INDIVIDUALS
Emily Adams
William H Alverson
Thomas & Diane Arenberg
Cliff & Janie Asmuth
Lukas Baumann
Scott Beglinger
Ruth Benben
Todd Bentley
Peter Benz
Matt Blankman
Elizabeth Borst
Brian Brieske
Kathryn Brown
Mark Brown
Mike Buettner
Rob & Wendy Buettner
Ronald & Janet Buettner
Cindy Buss
John Casper
Michael Chew
Emily Constantine
Geoffrey Cooper
Carrie Davidson
Duane Delaney
Donna Denneau
Tracey Dent
Craig Donze
Joan Duffy
Patrick Duffy
Ryan Duffy
Shawn Duffy
John Emanuel
Bernie Erenberger
John Eurich
Jake Feeley
John Feeley
Art Flater
David & Anne Frank
Bridget Fritz
Nate & Taegan Grunwald
Tom Hagen
Mike Harpster
Debra Heaton
Monique Hoth
Bill Hughes
Debbie Imus
Eric& Mary Isbister
Marissa Jablonski PhD
Dawn Jasper
Erica Jensen
Tom Kastory
Shawn & James Kerlin
Willie Kerlin
Bill King
Dave Kraninger
Mary LaPointe
Erin Larson
Paul Lima
Billy Macdonald
Barry Mandel
Burton Metz
Robert Mlynarek
Sharon Moody
Mike Moore
Paul & Cindy Muzzey
Neghan Neimon
Mike Nelson & Nancy Seidl Nelson
Cathleen Neubauer
Mike & Angela Newman
Brittany Nothem
Tom O’Connell
Pat O’Hara
Anthony Otto
Thomas Patzman
Jeff Peil
Angela & Luc Piessens
Mike Proctor
Kevin Riordan
Katie Robinson
James & Jennifer Roth
Bob Schroeder
Scott Schultz
Carl Schumacher
Eric & Jane Schumann
Art Serna
Lynn Sigfred
Bill Simser
Kirk Skaradzinski
Lindsay Smith
Tom Smith
Nate Suelflow
Kathryn Sullivan
Chris Urban
Aina Vilumsons
James & Yong Voigt
Jennifer Wenzel
Greg West
Terry Winarski
Robert Wittke
Richard Woods
ORGANIZATIONS
1985 Bancorp of Wisconsin Community Foundation Inc.
3M
- W. Asmuth Family Fund
Amazon Smiles
American Transmission Company
Bader Philanthropies, Inc.
Badger Meter Foundation
Bentley World-Packaging
Boerke Co.
Bostik
Briggs & Stratton
Capital Investment Services
Catherine & Walter Lindsay Foundation
City of Milwaukee CDBG
Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region
Crown Matting Technologies
Cushman & Wakefield
Dan & Shelia Vaner Sanden Family Foundation
Dawes Rigging & Crane Rental
Elizabeth Elser Doolittle Charitable Trust
First Midwest Bank
Fresh Revenues
GenMet Corp
Dr. Harry J. Heeb Foundation
Husch Blackwell LLP
Infinity Benefit Solutions
Kapco
Kiwanis Foundation
The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation
Margaret Wiegand Trust
Mellita S. & Joan M. Pick Charitable Trust
Moore Construction Services
National Industries for the Blind
National Business Furniture
Network for Good
New Berlin Lions Club
Otto Bremer Trust
Patrick & Anna M. Cudahy Fund
PayPal Giving Fund
PNC Bank
Ritchie Engineering
Robertson Ryan & Associates
Thomas J. Reinhart Foundation
TRIBUTES
In memory of Lorraine G.
Ruth Benben
Your support of Beyond Vision provides more people who are blind with the dignity and independence of work. Whether your support comes by outsourcing work or through donations, you are changing lives. Thank you.
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