Boost for non-profit: NABA expands manufacturing

With the economy in a prolonged downturn, it’s nice to hear some good news every once in a while, and the Northeastern Association of the Blind at Albany has some. “You pick up the Business Review and everything’s doom and gloom, and meanwhile, we’re growing,” says Christopher Burke, Executive Director of the Association.

This quarter, the Northeastern Association of the Blind at Albany (NABA) hired eight new employees for its manufacturing unit.

Sales have gone up, too, Burke said. This year’s sales are already up $828,000 over last year’s, and with orders continuing to come in, Burke expects to them to go up even further.

The association attributes increased demand to government stimulus money and the manufacturing unit’s faster turn-around. “We’ve improved operations so much that turnaround is up,” Burke said. “Now we’re getting repeat orders.”

Located on the third floor of the NABA building at 301 Washington Avenue, the manufacturing unit consists of a vast network of industrial sewing machines, other machines for fabrication, and storage and shipping facilities. Here, sighted and visually impaired employees work together to construct safety vests, tyvek suits, and other uniform components for organizations including the New York City Transit Authority, the Long Island Railroad and the U.S. military. On a recent weekday afternoon, employees, NABA’s workforce totals 90, bustled over the machines, and carted materials back and forth across the busy floor.

The association also houses a clinic for the visually impaired, and provides services and programming for children, adults and the elderly, including training programs and summer recreation programs.

Recently, New York State Senator Neil Breslin awarded the association a $15,000 grant to help expand the children’s programming—another good piece of news. The association will use the grant money to help set up technology facilities for the youth on the 4th floor of the building. There, kids will have access to tools like magnifying screenreaders, voice-activated GPS, and software that makes text on the computer screens larger. Once installed, these desks will also be used by adults, teens, and other populations.

NABA houses all these programs and the manufacturing unit under one roof, and there’s not a lot of space left over, Burke said. They’ve already reconfigured the building to expand operations, and if they grow much more, he said, they’ll run out of room.

Still, Burke admits, these are good problems to have. “We’re very busy now, we’ve got orders in hand. The future looks busy,” Burke said. “In this economy, that makes for good morale.”