IFB Solutions

On Friday, September 27, Hurricane Helene impacted western North Carolina, including IFB Solutions' Asheville operations. While the Asheville facility remains secure with no damage, it will be closed on Monday, September 30. IFB is working to check in with all employees; if you are an Asheville facility employee and have received a text from HR, please follow the steps to check-in. The safety and well-being of our team remain our top priority. We’ll continue to provide updates as more information becomes available, and will be communicating individually with customers and vendors. Thank you!

We are delighted to introduce IFB Solutions' new plant manager for our Asheville facility, Alina Garcia Ravelo. Alina, who was born and raised in Cuba and has a master’s degree in industrial engineering, is the first person who is blind to fulfill this role. “Being legally blind myself, I feel like my employees can relate to me and I can relate to them," Alina said. "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." Learn more about Alina here: https://lnkd.in/euEwUH6v

Meet IFB Solutions employee Jackie Perrea, who credits IFB with helping her launch a new career after vision loss by providing her with JAWS (Job Access with Speech) training for upward mobility opportunities. IFB's JAWS training helps individuals like Jackie find success in careers that rely on vision-based computer skills, like navigating through multiple windows on a screen. Many employees in IFB's Workforce Services division have benefitted from this training program. Recently, IFB Solutions launched a three-year, $3 million campaign to expand its Workforce Services division to support 300 jobs for people who are blind or visually impaired. Learn more about IFB's campaign to expand its Workforce Services division here: https://lnkd.in/e-x3v_kS

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.

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games have now come and gone, but the excitement isn't over for the City of Lights. Let the 2024 Paralympic Games begin! ?? DID YOU KNOW? IFB Solutions has a gold medal-winning Paralympic swimmer in its midst: our very own President and CEO, Dan Kelly, pictured here at the 2000 Paralympic Games in Sydney, Australia. From 1989 to 2002, Dan competed on the U.S. Paralympic swim team — traveling to Barcelona in 1992, Atlanta in 1996 and Sydney in 2000 — winning five gold, seven silver and five bronze medals for the U.S. over a 13-year career. "To be standing on a platform as the prime minister of Australia puts a gold medal around your neck, as the U.S. National Anthem plays on foreign soil — to represent your country at that level of competitions was just incredible,” he said. Join IFB in cheering on all of the incredible athletes in the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, held Wednesday, Aug. 28 to Sunday, Sept. 8!

Today marks 34 years of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This life-altering civil rights legislation ensures that people with disabilities have equal opportunity in matters of employment, education, transportation and voting. Learn more at adaanniversary.org. Logo courtesy of ADA National Network. #ThanksToTheADA #ADA34

Meet Kayla Cole, an IFB Workforce Services employee who uses her expertise, compassion and drive to make a real difference in the workplace. Kayla was taught from a young age that she is capable of anything she puts her mind to. She excels at her job and loves the opportunity to help others. Recently, IFB Solutions launched a three-year, $3 million campaign to expand its Workforce Services division to support 300 jobs for people who are blind or visually impaired. This division's work-from-home positions provide opportunities for hardworking individuals like Kayla to build their own paths to independence and economic security — all while eliminating key barriers to employment. Learn more about IFB's campaign to expand its Workforce Services division here: https://lnkd.in/e-x3v_kS

On June 20, players, employees and supporters came out to enjoy our annual golf tournament fundraiser.?The event raised over $185,000 to support the expansion of services we offer to adults and children who are blind.???Thank you, Omni Grove Park Inn, for hosting!

"It's hard for somebody that's blind to find a job, but a lot of places aren't set up to give you the leeway that IFB does. Instead of changing the person, here, they change the approach." — Joshua Denton, IFB Solutions' 2024 Employee of the Year Watch the video below to learn more about Joshua's story — including how he started over and found a fulfilling new career after losing his vision to retinitis pigmentosa.

Today, join us in commending Linda Bozarth, our 2024 Delmar Wall Outstanding Service Award recipient! For nearly 20 years, Linda has gone above and beyond in her role an associate at IFB’s McGuire Airforce Base Supply Center location — offering her support to customers and employees, alike. She is always willing to lend a helping hand wherever she can:?During the pandemic, when the base halted its bus services, Linda even volunteered her time and personal vehicle to transport BSC employees who are visually impaired to and from work every day. In the photo below, Linda is pictured between David Newsome, left, IFB’s director of Base Supply Centers, and John Notte, right, manager at the Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Base Supply Center store, where Linda works.