News Release

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

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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 names Maximus, Guidant Global its 2024 Partner of the Year

Posted on by hayley

Both companies have been integral in creating accessible jobs for people who are blind

 

Marvin Pearson, Workforce Services
Marvin Pearson, who is blind and deaf, is one of the IFB employees working at Maximus’ San Antonio call center. Pearson said that earning a living alongside his sighted peers “proves to the world that I’m just as capable as anybody else.”

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — IFB Solutions, the largest employer of people who are blind in the U.S., has recognized Maximus and Guidant Global as its 2024 Partner of the Year — citing the companies’ dedication to creating a workplace that supports the needs and experiences of people who are blind.

Headquartered in Winston-Salem, IFB Solutions is a nonprofit that provides employment, training and support services for people who are blind or visually impaired. The company’s Manufacturing division supports nearly 300 employees, many of whom are blind or visually impaired, from its facilities in Winston-Salem and Asheville, North Carolina, as well as in Puerto Rico. And its Workforce Services division — the department under contract with Maximus and Guidant Global — broadens the organization’s reach and impact by acting as a staffing agency for customer service, data collection, analysis and sales roles across the country.

A leading provider of customer support for government services worldwide, Maximus and its recruiting partner, Guidant Global, joined forces with IFB Solutions in 2022 to integrate employees who are blind or visually impaired into its workforce. Maximus offers work-from-home customer service roles to individuals within proximity of its three Texas call centers. In the three years since, this partnership has created life-changing job opportunities for 30 individuals who are blind — and that number continues to grow.

“We’re honored to receive this recognition from our partner, IFB Solutions,” said Michelle Link, chief human resources officer at Maximus. “We value individual differences and strive to provide a work setting and experience where all employees can thrive. We’re thrilled that our partnerships with IFB and Guidant Global have helped us focus on new ways to expand our employee pool. The success of this employment and training program and the employees who have joined Maximus is due to the hard work of many, advancements in technology, and support from our experienced partners.”

Regardless of a person’s experience or skillset, screen-based jobs like these are often inaccessible to those with low or no vision, as not all companies’ internal systems are compatible with assistive devices commonly used by those who are blind or visually impaired. It takes a focused effort to ensure employees who are blind have access to all the same tools and information as their sighted peers, which makes dedicated partnerships with companies like Maximus and Guidant Global all the more impactful.

Kevin Fowler shared his story of becoming visually impaired and starting to work for IFB in Workforce Services
Kevin Fowler works from his home office in San Antonio. IFB’s partnership with companies like Maximus and Guidant Global are crucial to removing barriers to employment, such as transportation, for people who are blind.

“One of the biggest hardships that a blind person faces at work is a lack of accommodations, support and understanding,” said Kevin Fowler, one of the San Antonio-based customer service representatives employed through IFB’s partnership with Maximus. Despite his extensive experience in customer service and IT, Fowler, who is blind, struggled for three years to find work after being laid off from his previous position. He is one of the 70% percent of working-age blind or visually impaired adults who have faced sustained periods of unemployment throughout their lifetimes.

“I’m just so thankful for the opportunity to work and to provide for my family — and to work for a company that understands we still do the same job a sighted person can do,” Fowler continued. “At Maximus, if we need help, we have a network of support from people who understand what it’s like to problem-solve while a computer is talking to you in one ear and a customer is talking to you in the other. They have an understanding of not only what we do, but how we do it. It’s been one of the best jobs I’ve ever had.”

Also employed at Maximus’s San Antonio call center, Marvin Pearson, who is blind and deaf, said that earning a living alongside his sighted peers “proves to the world that I’m just as capable as anybody else. I’m so happy to hear that Maximus and Guidant Global are being celebrated, because they’ve continued the work of IFB to step in to set up a level playing field. They’ve given us the tools and opportunity to succeed, which is all it really takes. I’m excited to see what the future has in store for our partnership.”

Seferino Castro, Maximus employee
El Paso Call Center Manager Seferino Castro works closely with those employed through the companies’ partnership with IFB. “I’ve been with Maximus for 11 years, and it’s just so exciting to see our core values reflected here — to work for a company that has a heart,” he said.

In the coming weeks and months, the three companies plan to celebrate their valued partnership by welcoming a new group of customer service trainees, all of whom are blind or visually impaired, to the Texas teams.

“People are at the center of everything we do, as our mission is to empower people who are blind,” said Shannon Satterfield, director of professional services at IFB Solutions. “Maximus and Guidant Global have proven themselves as leaders in this area by joining our efforts to provide employment for individuals who deserve an opportunity to succeed. We are so proud to call them our 2024 Partners of the Year.”

By working together, IFB Solutions, Maximus and Guidant Global have not only created meaningful employment opportunities for people who are blind, but they have also provided an example of how businesses can drive lasting change by investing in the workforce.

IFB Solutions hires Alina Garcia Ravelo to lead Asheville manufacturing facility

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ASHEVILLE, NC (Aug. 8, 2024) – IFB Solutions, the largest employer of people who are blind or visually impaired in the country, has hired Alina Garcia Ravelo to oversee its Asheville operations as the nonprofit’s plant manager. The Asheville manufacturing facility, located on Sardis Road, is one of three manufacturing facilities operated by IFB Solutions, a nonprofit headquartered in Winston-Salem, N.C.

In her new role, Ravelo will lead IFB’s Asheville manufacturing team and oversee all facility operations. Ravelo, who is legally blind due to a condition called cone dystrophy, was born and raised in Havana, Cuba. In 2013, after graduating with honors from Technological University José Antonio Echeverría with a degree in industrial engineering, she emigrated to the United States, working as an industrial engineer for Georgia Industry for the Blind by day and earning a master’s degree in engineering from Florida International University at night. In 2019, she was hired at IFB Solutions’ Winston-Salem facility as the location’s production supervisor, but she left one year later due to the challenging hours-long commute from her home in Western North Carolina. Prior to rejoining the IFB team, Ravelo worked at Eaton Corporation in Arden as a senior manufacturing engineer on one of the facility’s product lines.

Ravelo gives a tour of the Asheville manufacturing facility
Ravelo, who joined IFB as plant manager in June 2024, gives a tour of the Asheville manufacturing facility. Legally blind and sensitive to bright lights, Ravelo often wears dark sunglasses indoors.

“I’m excited to be back at IFB, because, at the end of each day, I go home feeling like I made a difference,” Ravelo said. “Being legally blind myself, I feel like my employees can relate to me and I can relate to them. I understand what they are going through, because I’ve been through the same. You have to work twice as hard to reach your goals, so every accomplishment means so much more. Any time I’m able to help someone succeed, it’s a celebration — and it’s the best feeling of my professional life.”

IFB’s Asheville plant employs more than 120 people, about half of whom are blind or visually impaired, to manufacture products such as uniforms, field equipment and office products for the U.S. government and military. The Asheville facility operates product lines that support Military Resale and the Impulse Merchandising Program for the Defense Commissary Agency. Employees who are blind assemble and package more than 400 different products, which are then shipped and sold at military installations and commissaries around the world. Asheville employees also manufacture poncho liners for the U.S. military — affectionately known as the woobie — and also sells military-grade woobies to the public through its online Pinnacle Mercantile store.

In addition to its manufacturing facilities, IFB operates Base Supply Center retail stores in government locations and military bases. IFB also offers a growing number of work-from-home positions for blind or visually impaired individuals across the country.

Ravelo is the first person who is blind to take on the plant manager role at IFB.

“By having me as their plant manager — and by having a president and CEO who is blind, a director of supply chain who is blind, and others — everyone can see that there is no limit to what they can achieve,” Ravelo said. “If you want to do something, you can go for it. We are here to prove that is true.”

Asheville plant manager Alina Garcia Ravelo
Asheville plant manager Alina Garcia Ravelo

Maximus and IFB Solutions Partner on New Program to Hire Blind and Visually Impaired for Full-Time Contact Center Work

Posted on by Seth

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Maximus Media & Public Relations
Eileen Cassidy Rivera, media@maximus.com

Employment and Training Program Launched in Texas Will Expand Nationally in 2023

(TYSONS, Va. – April 5, 2022) – Maximus, a leading employer and provider of government services worldwide, and IFB Solutions, a non-profit organization that provides employment, training, and services for people who are blind or visually impaired, today announced the successful launch of a new joint program that integrates employees who are blind or visually impaired into the workforce. Seventy percent of working-age adults who are blind or visually impaired face sustained periods of unemployment throughout their lifetimes. This program will help address that challenge through an inclusive workplace that supports the needs and experiences of our sight-impaired colleagues.

“We value individual differences and strive to provide a work setting and experience where all employees can thrive,” said Michelle Link, Chief Human Resources Officer, Maximus. “For several years, Maximus has been focused on capacity-building opportunities, such as this partnership with IFB Solutions, to expand our potential pool of new employees and help us build an effective and inclusive workforce. Thanks to the perseverance of many, advances in technology, and an experienced partner in IFB Solutions, we’ve built an employment and training program aimed specifically at those who are blind and visually impaired. We’re excited to welcome these new employees to the Maximus team.”

Six people completed the initial pilot training in Texas and are now supporting Maximus as Customer Service Representatives on contracts that deliver government services and share information with the general public. As the largest employer of people who are blind in the United States, IFB Solutions leveraged its experience to create a targeted training program with Maximus for this cohort of employees. The training program lasted six weeks and was managed jointly by IFB Solutions and the Maximus Texas Project Team. The preparations focused on developing the skills needed for the employees to meet the job requirements, with an emphasis on learning the unique technologies developed to assist them.

“People are at the center of everything we do, as our mission is to empower people who are blind,” said Shannon Satterfield, Director of Professional Services, IFB Solutions. “Maximus has shown itself as a leader in this area by working with us to create this new program that provides the empowerment of employment to people who deserve it. We are so proud of every person who completed the training, as they persevered through early challenges to accomplish something that would have been impossible only a few years ago.”

Building on the success of the first class of employees, Maximus and IFB Solutions are training a second cohort of individuals and plan to expand the pilot program across the country in 2023. Employees from the inaugural class joined the second session to share their experiences, provide tips and encouragement, and mentor their peers.

The employees who successfully completed the initial training and are now Customer Service Representatives include:

  • Maggie V.: “Before the opportunity to work for IFB Solutions in partnership with Maximus, I had no prior call center experience. But because of the accessible training, I’ve learned so much in so little time. This opportunity has been a life-changing experience for my kids and I, and it has allowed me to regain my confidence.”
  • Mary A.: “My passion is making sure that those who are visually impaired can live the best life possible. This program has given me a chance to do that, and it’s a welcome opportunity for this community.”
  • Elias T.: “It brings me joy and satisfaction to serve and provide clients with the information they need. I appreciate the work that Maximus and IFB Solutions put into the training to give me a new job and a new future.”
  • Ruben R.: “This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with Maximus means the world to me. It is both a joy and honor to be a part of a team as unique as mine.”

 

About Maximus

As a leading strategic partner to governments across the globe, Maximus helps improve the delivery of public services amid complex technology, health, economic, environmental, and social challenges. With a deep understanding of program service delivery, acute insights that achieve operational excellence, and an extensive awareness of the needs of the people being served, our employees advance the critical missions of our partners. Maximus delivers innovative business process management, impactful consulting services, and technology solutions that provide improved outcomes for the public and higher levels of productivity and efficiency of government-sponsored programs. For more information, visit maximus.com.

 

About IFB Solutions
IFB Solutions is a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation founded in 1936 as Winston-Salem Industries for the Blind. Today, IFB strives to be America’s leader in building life-changing opportunities for people who are blind through its mission of creating employment opportunities for this critically underemployed population. IFB’s guiding principles focus on creating upwardly mobile career paths, building on its existing textile operations to develop integrated and technical employment opportunities, and maintaining a strong foundation of packaging and assembly operations as workforce entry points. IFB’s operational footprint includes large-scale manufacturing, Base Supply Center retail and online stores, Workforce Services staffing division, and its Pinnacle Mercantile Amazon storefront. IFB Solutions also provides essential job training for employees and community outreach through its Community Low Vision Centers and programming for children who are blind. ifbsolutions.org

IFB Solutions Announces Dan Kelly as Incoming President and CEO

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IFB Solutions Announcing Incoming President and CEO Dan Kelly

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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