May 14, 2021 For more than 35 years, Partnerships With Industry (PWI) has provided meaningful employment and training services for people with disabilities with excellence in the San Diego region. To continue its legacy and build on these critical services, PWI announces it will combine operations with Sacramento-based PRIDE Industries, effective July 1.
Founded in 1985, PWI supports and employs 432 people with disabilities working with notable area organizations such as Pfizer, Compass Group, UC San Diego, San Diego Zoo, and multiple departments within county government.
“When you factor in our like-minded cultures and values, our mutual passion for normalizing inclusion in the workplace, and the depth of PRIDE Industries’ reputation and resources, this is excellent news for the San Diego community,” said Daniel Sakow, Board Chair at PWI. “With PRIDE, we will create more employment options for people with disabilities through our partnerships in the local business community.”
PRIDE Industries is a 55-year-old, nonprofit social enterprise that offers personalized employment coaching, training, and job placement services, in addition to a complimentary employment resource helpline for people with disabilities, veterans, and former foster youth. PRIDE employs and provides services to 3,230 employees with disabilities with operations in 15 states plus Washington, D.C.
Together, PWI and PRIDE will provide people of diverse abilities in San Diego County with greater options for professional training, development, and employment growth. The combined organization will continue PWI’s legacy of partnering with area employers. PRIDE also brings valuable supplier diversity to the San Diego market through its facilities maintenance, supply chain logistics, and electronics manufacturing operations for companies that wish to generate a social impact through their business spend.
“As two respected California companies, we are excited to join together for a greater collective impact,” said Jeff Dern, President and CEO at PRIDE. “Our respective passions for improving the lives of individuals with disabilities through innovative employment options creates a natural union. We look forward to working with PWI and employers in San Diego County to create more inclusion in the workplace.”
PRIDE’s business services include inclusive staffing and recruitment, contract manufacturing (including electronics and medical devices), supply chain management, integrated facilities management, custodial, landscaping, and environmental services. PRIDE operates an AbilityOne contract providing shipboard provisioning services at the Naval Base San Diego which employs 90 team members with disabilities. PRIDE was recently awarded a five-year contract by the State of California to provide facilities maintenance services for the court system throughout Northern and Southern California, including the County of San Diego.
Founded in 1985, PWI was one of the first organizations in the state to provide support and training for employees with developmental disabilities. With offices in Mission Valley, PWI works with more than 250 businesses around the county and serves several hundred daily with disabilities, including Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, autism, hearing and visual impairments, physical disabilities, traumatic brain injuries and mental illness. Over the years, PWI has helped more than 12,500 San Diego County residents with job training, employment opportunities and community integration. PWI’s funding sources require extensive reporting and are dependent on a reliable, comprehensive outcome measurements system. For more information, visit www.pwiworks.org.
PRIDE Industries delivers business excellence with a positive social impact. As a social enterprise, the organization provides facilities operations and maintenance services, custodial services, contract manufacturing, supply chain management, packaging and fulfillment services, and staffing and recruitment services to private and public organizations nationwide. Founded in 1966, PRIDE’s mission is to create employment for people with disabilities, veterans, former foster youth, and trafficking survivors. Through personalized employment coaching, training, and job placement, PRIDE helps individuals facing employment barriers to realize their true potential and contribute to their communities. PRIDE proves the value of its inclusive workforce model through operational success across multiple industries every day.
