Bestwork Industries for the Blind Announce New Initiatives & Services

Bestwork Industries for the Blind, Inc. (Bestwork), the leading employer for people who are blind or visually impaired in New Jersey, is celebrating its 41st Anniversary and introducing new initiatives. The organization located on Olney Ave is known for providing training and employment for people with visual impairments through textile manufacturing, military apparel construction, paper converting, packaging, warehouse and distribution, and commercial sewing. But the scope of work is expanding as are the employment offerings, which will help address the high unemployment rate (70%) of people who are blind or visually impaired.

The organization is now under the leadership of Jon Katz who assumed the role of President and CEO in July 2021. Over the last year, Katz primed the nonprofit to transition from a traditional, self-sustaining manufacturing business model to that of a full-service social enterprise. Under this new model, Bestwork will have a greater impact on the visually impaired community.

Katz’s aggressive multi-year vision plan includes:

• the launch of an e-Commerce store, with office products, janitorial, breakroom, and safety product offerings (COMING THIS FALL);
• opening a Sight Center, to provide eye screenings for people experiencing vision loss;
• diversifying Bestwork’s current lines of business, to include new opportunities such as kitting, light assembly, 508 compliance, document scanning and imaging – work that’s ideal for someone who is blind.

“With a solid foundation in place, we will continue to hone our operational practices as we mature to a best-in-class status,” said Katz. “All key indicators point in the direction Bestwork is heading. I am confident with continued investment in growth that the organization will thrive, new lines of business will take shape, and the social enterprise we envision will evolve.”

These initiatives will attract a new pool of applicants, such as those who are graduating or transitioning from high school or college into the workforce. The diversity of offerings will also entice applicants who are not interested in the manufacturing side, the ability to work on the corporate side where their interests and skillsets would better serve the organization.

Katz is focused on developing people in blind direct labor positions into indirect labor jobs, which means increasing competitive, integrative employment opportunities paying competitive wages, and offering professional career tracks with upward mobility for people who are blind or visually impaired.

The talent is out there, and soon the jobs will be, too. While Bestwork works to recruit externally for these new roles, current employees can also apply for any of the new employment offerings. “This effort will facilitate transitioning staff to non-sewing jobs as they become available, said Katz.”

Bestwork prides itself on the diversity of its workforce, comprising of all ages, ethnicities, education levels, and business acumen. Not to forget veterans, of which Bestwork employs 9, including Katz who is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Marine Corps. Veterans are how Bestwork got its start.

Bestwork was founded by Jim Varsaci, a WWII veteran blinded in combat, and his wife, Rita with help from private citizens, the New Jersey Commission for the Blind (NJCBVI), and National Industries for the Blind (NIB), the nation’s largest employment resource for people who are blind.

Initially named Contract Shop #3 and located in Camden, Jim worked as a manager overseeing fellow blind or visually impaired people while they provided packaging services companies such as Campbell’s and RCA until government funding for the program ran out. Jim and Rita were determined to prevent job losses for their colleagues who so desperately needed employment so they launched Bestwork Industries for the Blind, Inc. as a private, not-for-profit agency on September 14, 1981.

Through its association with NIB, Bestwork contracted work with the Department of Defense and manufactured military garments for the US Navy – a contract Bestwork still fulfills today, among many others.

For more information about Bestwork Industries for the Blind or to schedule a tour, contact Director of Communication and Marketing Lauren Scarpa at 856-424-2510 or lscarpa@bestworkindustries.org.