IFB Solutions thanks Sen. Thom Tillis for supporting Improvement and Expansion in North Carolina manufacturing

Posted on February 9, 2026February 18, 2026 by Seth

Senior Senator for North Carolina sponsors funding for revitalization of manufacturing infrastructure that supports employment opportunities for individuals that are blind and disabled.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — IFB Solutions, the largest employer of people who are blind in the U.S., thanks Sen. Thom Tillis for his leadership in securing federal funding in the Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations process to help offset the costs of revitalizing critical manufacturing infrastructure in the state of North Carolina.

The funding secured through the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill will be used to improve and expand manufacturing facilities in the Winston-Salem area that support the Department of Defense through the AbilityOne program. The project includes an approximately 25,000-square-foot expansion of IFB’s campus, safety and traffic improvements to support employees who are blind and rely on public transportation, enhanced access for commercial freight, and modernization of warehousing and production space. The investment will also allow IFB to consolidate its greater Winston-Salem operations into a unified master campus, strengthening supply chain reliability and operational efficiency. Overall, the project will increase capacity, support long-term job stability, and reinvest federal dollars into North Carolina’s workforce and economy, sustaining and expanding 452 jobs, including 192 for residents who are visually impaired.

“We are deeply grateful to Sen. Tillis for his long-standing support for IFB Solutions and the AbilityOne program,” said Dan Kelly, president and CEO of IFB Solutions. “His support for this funding will ensure that North Carolina continues to be a leading supplier of over 920,000 mission critical protective and base layer garments to our armed services annually, in addition to supporting the delivery of over $78 million in federal contracts throughout the area.”

The AbilityOne Program is the largest single source of employment for people who are blind or who have significant disabilities in the U.S., supporting employees at 405 nonprofits in more than 1,000 locations across the country, through contracts with 40 government agencies. Nonprofit organizations participating in the program are contracted to supply more than $4.4 billion in products and services to the U.S. government. Through its participation in the AbilityOne Program, IFB Solutions has held long-standing contracts with the Department of Defense to manufacture uniforms and field equipment for the U.S. military, providing both critical supplies for U.S. service members and meaningful employment for people who are blind.

ABOUT IFB SOLUTIONS®

IFB Solutions is a nonprofit corporation and AbilityOne® agency founded in 1936 as Winston-Salem Industries for the Blind. IFB builds life-changing opportunities for people who are blind or visually impaired in a workforce segment that remains significantly underemployed. IFB serves federal, military, state, and commercial customers through packaging and assembly, including products offered through its Amazon.com storefront, advanced textile manufacturing, Base Supply Center operations, and professional services, including call center staffing. Its integrated employment model emphasizes upwardly mobile career pathways supported by vocational training, skills development, and wraparound career services that promote long-term economic independence. Headquartered in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, IFB operates nationwide. Learn more at ifbsolutions.org.

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IFB Solutions to Hire 60 New Employees and Offer Specialized Training Thanks to City of Winston-Salem ARPA Grant

Posted on August 30, 2023 by hayley

Winston-Salem nonprofit IFB Solutions, the largest U.S. employer of people who are blind, plans to hire 60 new employees in the coming months. The majority of the new positions will be part of a textile manufacturing line producing cold weather gear and other specialty garments for the U.S. military. Like other IFB operations, the new manufacturing line will include positions for people who are blind as well as those who are sighted.

Mayor Allen Joines at IFB Solutions' Winston-Salem manufacturing facility. — Mayor Allen Joines tours IFB Solutions’ Winston-Salem manufacturing facility, which is set to expand production this fiscal year.

Because of the highly technical nature of the line’s sewing operations, IFB is expanding its textile training team and offering specialized training for employees. Funding for the enhanced training program was made possible by an ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) grant from the City of Winston-Salem.

“When you provide training to an employee who has just secured his or her first job, you are setting them on a path to independence not just at work, but in life,” said Dan Kelly, IFB Solutions CEO. “For 38 percent of our employees who are blind, IFB Solutions is their very first job so it’s incumbent on us to give them the training and support they need to be successful. We’re incredibly grateful to the City of Winston-Salem for awarding us this critical grant to expand our employee training as we grow our organization.”

IFB’s mission is to provide life-changing opportunities for people who are blind through employment, training and services. Every IFB employee receives “wrap-around” services including job training, on-site medical care, transportation to and from work, a subsidized on-site canteen serving breakfast and lunch, and access to low-vision services at the Ronald G. Sherrill Community Low Vision Center on the IFB campus. Currently, IFB employs more than 450 people at its Winston-Salem facility.

“Nationally, we know that 70 percent of working-age adults who are blind are not employed, and finding an open position is just one facet of that statistic,” said Kelly. “Having access to reliable transportation to and from work is key as are on-site services like food and medical. We’re fortunate to have a supportive city and donor community whose generosity makes it possible for us to support our employees, blind and sighted, in these ways.”

IFB Solutions has already begun posting open positions on the Career Portal of its website, www.ifbsolutions.com. In addition to manufacturing positions, IFB also offers remote work opportunities and positions with its Base Supply Center division.

IFB Solutions Announces Dan Kelly as Incoming President and CEO

Posted on September 14, 2022September 14, 2022 by Seth

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Laura Burrows, Two B Public Relations
laura@twobpr.com, 336-575-6757

IFB SOLUTIONS ANNOUNCES NEW CEO

Dan Kelly will be leading the nonprofit in 2023

WINSTON-SALEM, NC (Sept. 14, 2022) – IFB Solutions, the country’s largest employer of people who are blind or visually impaired, has named Dan Kelly as its next president and CEO. Kelly will begin leading the Winston-Salem-based nonprofit organization in January 2023, following the year-end retirement of current CEO David Horton.

Kelly, who has been blind since childhood, currently serves as IFB’s executive vice president of strategy and programs. He will be the organization’s first CEO who is blind. Prior to joining IFB in 2007, Kelly worked for National Industries for the Blind in Alexandria, Virginia. A competitive swimmer from age 12, he won 17 medals as a member of the U.S. Paralympic Swim Team and has completed a marathon, triathlons, long-distance open water swims and a 100-mile tandem cycling challenge.

“IFB Solutions is recognized across the country for its work creating jobs and building independence for people who are blind or visually impaired,” said Kelly. “It’s an incredible honor to serve as its next CEO and to continue the legacy of excellence established by David Horton, who I’ve had the opportunity to work alongside for 15 years as a mentor, friend and colleague.”

Bob Newell, IFB board member and chair of the search committee, added: “On behalf of the search committee, we are delighted to announce Dan as president and CEO starting in 2023. Throughout his career, Dan has demonstrated an unwavering dedication to creating opportunities for people who are blind to pursue their careers of choice. He is an exceptional professional and an inspiring individual.”

Kelly will succeed David Horton, who joined IFB in 2001 as the nonprofit’s controller and has served as its CEO since 2008. In September 2021, IFB Solutions announced Horton’s plans to retire at the end of 2022 and the formation of a search committee. IFB utilized the services of the search firm Buffkin/Baker who initiated a national search that generated more than 50 applications from a diverse group of candidates. The search committee interviewed six exceptional finalists who were national in scope and shared a clear passion for the mission of IFB Solutions.

“We are pleased that the top performing candidate in the selection process came from within the IFB organization,” said Brenda Diggs, IFB board chair and member of the search committee.

ABOUT IFB SOLUTIONS
IFB Solutions is a nonprofit corporation founded in 1936 as Winston-Salem Industries for the Blind, and it provides employment, training and services for people who are blind or visually impaired. As the largest employer of people who are blind in the United States, IFB operates manufacturing facilities in Winston-Salem, N.C., Asheville, N.C., and Little Rock, Ark., in addition to operating nearly 20 office supply stores across the country and producing mattresses. IFB produces eyewear under its Twenty200 brand at its Winston-Salem lab. IFB Solutions funds employee training and services as well as community programs through grants and private donations, making possible summer camps, afterschool programs and activities for children who are blind, and Community Low Vision services through its low-vision Centers across North Carolina and in Little Rock, Ark. ifbsolutions.org

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Local nonprofit hosts sports field day for students who are blind or visually impaired

Posted on May 15, 2022May 16, 2022 by Seth

Asheville’s IFB, Nation’s Largest Employer of Blind, Visually Impaired, Awarded $20K Grant

Posted on January 31, 2022January 31, 2022 by

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — IFB Solutions in Asheville, the country’s largest employer of people who are blind or visually impaired, has received a $20,000 grant for job training.

The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina recently awarded the company the grant through the foundation’s Human Services Grant Program. The funds will be used to support a paid training program for people with visual impairments, which includes training in sewing, orientation, mobility, the use of assistive technology and independent living skills.

IFB Solutions Receives $20,000 Grant for Job Training in Asheville

Posted on January 31, 2022January 31, 2022 by

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — IFB Solutions, the country’s largest employer of people who are blind or visually impaired, recently received a $20,000 grant from The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina for job training in its Asheville facility. The grant, which came from the foundation’s Human Services Grant Program, is being used to support a paid training program for people with visual impairments, which includes training in sewing, orientation, mobility, the use of assistive technology, and independent living skills.

Fundraiser selling Brailled ‘Happy Holidays’ cards aims to empower blind and vision-impaired Charlotte children

Posted on December 15, 2021 by

Our IFB holiday fundraiser has the power to empower blind and vision-impaired children for the rest of their lives. We are selling brailled “Happy Holidays” cards to raise money for our S.E.E (Student Enrichment Experience) Program.

“You could just make a kid’s life,” teenager Hayes Hanvey of South Charlotte says of the card fundraiser.

Full story from FOX 46 here.

Weaverville Girl’s Special Holiday Cards Benefit Camps for the Blind

Posted on November 21, 2021 by

Tempi Meinch, a S.E.E. student in our Asheville program, met with WLOS to share how she helps make IFB holiday cards. Happy Holidays!” she says, Brailling special holiday cards that have more than just sentimental value. The cards made by blind and visually impaired children across the state benefit our S.E.E. Program.

Full story from WLOS here.

State budget contains potential revenue boost for IFB Solutions

Posted on November 17, 2021 by

The Republican state budget proposal includes a potential revenue boost for two Triad nonprofit groups that serve and employ people who are blind and visually impaired. Senate Bill 105, which is projected to pass the Senate and House this week, includes the language from bipartisan House Bill 654.

Read the full article from the Winston-Salem Journal here.

Rejoining Civilian Life is Hard, but Employers Can Help Make it Easier

Posted on November 8, 2021January 5, 2022 by

By: Scott Smith

Transitioning from military to civilian life can be disorienting, confusing, and leave you not sure of where to even start with navigating a new, unfamiliar world. Having a supportive employer like IFB Solutions makes that transition easier. Full feature from the Military Times here.