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Press Coverage
11/3/06 The Daily Courier:
YEI grows with the tri-cities: Q & A with Brad Newman, executive director of Yavapai Exceptional Industries.
Early days of YEI: “Yavapai Exceptional Industries was formed on New Year’s 1974, as Yavapai Rehabilitation Center by a board of directors that was parents of young adults with disabilities, local business people, teachers and folks that came together like a lot of folks did in Prescott in the 1970s.”
A large selection of business partners and products: “We partner with the big guys such as Sturm Ruger Company and Better Built Aluminum Products (in Prescott Valley) and with the not-so big guys like Tesoro Electronics Inc. We also have our own line of proprietary products; the whole thing is all about, of course, creating employment for people with disabilities. We have found it to be a win, win, win, win, win situation.”
A growing labor force: “We have 117 (employees) today. When I came to work here there were 14. It’s kind of a function of Prescott’s growth, definitely. We have the growth of Prescott and the tri-cities and we’re a function of that growth and then we have people who come to Prescott, move to Prescott because of us, because they have an adult child with a disability in their home and they’re seeking to relocate and they are looking for a golf course and a program for adults with disabilities.”
Biggest success? “We have had a series of mortgage burnings. We have a mortgage burning and it’s not exactly a black tie affair. It’s usually Mexican food and adult beverages and it’s not only the donors, but it’s the workers who put these facilities together of (and) course its our great people and their parents. We’ll have these great festivities where we literally burn a mortgage and it’s not exactly even technically a mortgage, it might have been some carry over financing to get this building complete or our campus in Prescott Valley.”
Biggest challenge: “The guys keep coming and that’s great. We have a no waiting list policy. That means that if you’re eligible for our program, which means you’re an adult with a medically definable barrier to competitive employment, then you’re in. And of course putting meaningful, remunerative employment in front of everybody and a level of programming so they can make the best of the employment opportunity we’ve given them and life after the job. It’s not a negative challenge.”
A tasty new product:
“(Grandma LaMure’s) Spice ‘n Slice was being operated by a similar organization in the Tempe area, pursing the same goals we have. It was a great opportunity for us to proliferate some job stations and get our reach even across the country. It’s a seasoning mix for ground beef, ground meats including game meats. It’s very popular with the hunting crowd.”
Keeping the doors open: “We have a very diverse income stream. We have 37 industrial partners and customers and our own product line, our patio furniture, the adobe block and now Spice ‘n Slice shipping around the country and that is manufacturing and sales. We are very generously supported by the people of the tri-city area we have some donors from around Arizona even around the country but mostly around Prescott.”
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