Commercial partnerships are essential to advance the Beyond Vision employment mission. Finding new business is our top priority and is often times more difficult than we would like it to be. Fortunately, sometimes a key relationship is just a dinner party away. So goes the story with GE Power and Water.
Last year, Beyond Vision CEO Jim Kerlin and GE Power & Water President & CEO Brain White met at a networking dinner function. After introductions and friendly conversation, the two began to discuss how their respective companies might benefit from doing business with each other. Business cards were swapped and the seed was planted.
A few weeks later, Brian took a tour of our facility to see what Beyond Vision was all about. Brian was so inspired by our mission and overwhelmed by the capabilities of people who are blind that he immediately began to search for opportunities to do business.
It didn’t take long for the projects to begin coming in from GE. Spark Plugs cables, Oil Drain Pans, machined parts and assembly work.
Each of these projects had some unique challenges in matching the robust production process with our visually impaired employees. However, our experienced engineering and training staff specializes in making complex manufacturing processes accessible for people who are limited in their vision. We surprised GE by developing a process for each of the potential job opportunities, exceeding their quality standards and meeting and even beating their pricing requirements. Mr. White stated, “I didn’t believe that the spark plug cable project could be done by Beyond Vision, but I was dead wrong!”
Recently, GE staff made a special visit to Beyond Vision to personally view the projects in production to take photographs and highlight our mission in their company newsletter. GE is continuing to look for more projects to add to the growing list being produced at Beyond Vision.
As our relationship with GE continues to grow, so does our mission of providing meaningful employment for people who are blind. This is a perfect example of the power of a relationship, and shows how one person can make a significant impact on our community.
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