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ARIZONA INDUSTRIES FOR THE BLIND

PHOENIX, AZ · EIN 311605749 · Form 990 · FY2021 · NTEE J20Z · Employment · Large ($10M-$50M) · www.azifb.com
revenue
$10.7M
expenses
$9.3M
net assets
$14.9M
employees
107
volunteers
8
program ratio
81%
mission · from form 990

TO INSPIRE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE BLIND TO PURSUE THEIR MAXIMUM (CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O) POTENTIAL THROUGH CREATING, SUSTAINING AND IMPROVING EMPLOYMENT WHILE PROVIDING THE HIGHEST QUALITY GOODS AND SERVICES.

profile · synthesized from sources

Arizona Industries for the Blind (AIB) is a non-profit organization that creates and sustains employment opportunities for individuals who are blind or visually impaired. It achieves this by providing quality products and services, including digital document imaging, warehousing and distribution, and operating Base Supply Centers, primarily for military, government, and commercial customers. AIB operates under the AbilityOne Program.

irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2021

what they reported doing

Program narrative the organization filed with the IRS. Ordered by program spending.

  1. #1 primary $1.68M
    BASE SUPPLY STORES - PROVIDED EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING TO NINE BLIND INDIVIDUALS IN A RETAIL ENVIRONMENT.
  2. #2 $462K
    DOCUMENT IMAGING - PROVIDED EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING TO FOUR BLIND INDIVIDUALS IN CONVERTING PAPER DOCUMENTS TO ELECTRONIC. ALSO PROVIDEED EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING TO THREE BLIND INDIVIDUALS IN ADMINISTRATION AND ACCOUNTING POSITIONS.
named programs · 8 · from sources

what they call their work

Base Supply Centers
On-base retail stores at Luke AFB, Davis-Monthan AFB, and Yuma MCAS providing office supplies, furniture, cleaning products, tools, and military uniforms; also operates online store FocusworksAZ
Base Supply Centers (AbilityOne)
Operates retail stores on military bases (Luke AFB, Davis-Monthan AFB, Yuma MCAS) and an online store (FocusworksAZ) providing office products, furniture, cleaning supplies, tools, and military uniforms to military and government personnel.
Digital Data Scan
Secure document imaging service that converts paper records to electronic format, including scanning, indexing, quality control, and secure storage or destruction
Employee Computer Refurbishment and Giveaway Programs
Provides refurbished computers to employees who are blind or visually impaired.
Employee Support and Development Programs
Initiatives funded by donations including assistive technology access, computer refurbishment and giveaway, emergency transportation, and training for employees who are blind or visually impaired
Employee Training and Outreach Activities
Offers training and outreach to support the development and employment of individuals who are blind or visually impaired.
Warehousing and Distribution
Logistics and fulfillment services offering inventory management, order processing, and global shipping using advanced warehouse technology and voice-activated picking systems
Warehousing and Distribution Services
Offers fulfillment, inventory management, and supply chain solutions for military and commercial customers, including a large warehouse facility and advanced inventory systems.
activities · 4 groups

what they do

  • Assistive Technology Training for the Visually Impaired 14 activities
    • Deliver employee training and capacity-building programs
      Conducts employee training and outreach activities focused on business process efficiency, technology-driven productivity, and talent retention for individuals who are blind, with over 65 years of experience in workforce development within the AbilityOne ecosystem.
    • Employee Support Programs for Blind Individuals
      Provides programs and services for employees who are blind, including continued learning, emergency and alternate transportation, and employee recognition. This also involves acquiring assistive and adaptive technology, such as handheld CCTV devices, and operating computer refurbishment and giveaway programs.
    • Employee Support Programs for Blind Individuals
      Provides programs and services for employees who are blind, including continued learning, emergency and alternate transportation, employee recognition, and the acquisition of assistive and adaptive technology such as handheld CCTV devices. The organization also operates computer refurbishment and giveaway programs for these employees.
    • Employee Support Services for Blind Individuals
      Provides programs and services to support continued learning, emergency and alternate transportation, and employee recognition for employees who are blind. This also includes acquiring assistive and adaptive technology, such as handheld CCTV devices, and operating computer refurbishment and giveaway programs for individuals who are blind.
    • Employee Support and Technology for Blind Employees
      Provides programs and services to support continued learning, emergency and alternate transportation, and employee recognition for employees who are blind. This includes acquiring assistive and adaptive technology such as handheld CCTV devices, and operating computer refurbishment and giveaway programs for these employees.
    • Employee Training and Outreach
      Conducts training and outreach activities specifically designed to support individuals who are blind in the workplace.
    • Employee Training and Outreach
      Conducts training and outreach activities specifically designed to support individuals who are blind in their employment.
    • Employee Training and Outreach
      Conducts training and outreach activities to support individuals who are blind, focusing on business process efficiency, talent retention, and technology-driven productivity.
    • Employment for Individuals Who Are Blind
      Provides employment opportunities for individuals who are blind or visually impaired through the production of quality products and services, operating under the federal AbilityOne Program. This includes training, continued learning, and support services like emergency transportation and assistive technology acquisition.
    • Employment for Individuals Who Are Blind
      Provides employment opportunities for individuals who are blind or visually impaired through the production of quality products and services, operating under the federal AbilityOne Program. This includes training, continued learning, and support services like emergency transportation and assistive technology acquisition.
    • Employment for Individuals Who Are Blind
      Provides employment opportunities for individuals who are blind or visually impaired through the production of quality products and services, operating under the federal AbilityOne Program. This includes training and employing individuals for over 65 years, focusing on business process efficiency, talent retention, and technology-driven productivity.
    • Provide employment and support services for individuals who are blind or visually impaired
      Creates employment opportunities for individuals who are blind or visually impaired through the production of goods and services under the federal AbilityOne Program. Provides ongoing support including assistive technology (e.g., handheld CCTV devices), computer refurbishment and giveaway programs, transportation assistance, and employee recognition initiatives.
    • Providing employment for individuals who are blind
      Creates employment opportunities for individuals who are blind or visually impaired through the production of quality products and services, operating under the federal AbilityOne Program.
    • Training and Outreach for Blind Employees
      Conducts employee training and outreach activities to support individuals who are blind, leveraging over 65 years of experience in training and employing blind individuals with a focus on business process efficiency, talent retention, and technology-driven productivity.
  • AbilityOne Base Supply Center Operations 8 activities
    • Base Supply Center Operations
      Operates three AbilityOne Base Supply Centers at military installations in Glendale (Luke Air Force Base), Tucson (Davis Monthan Air Force Base), and Yuma (Yuma Marine Corps Air Station), providing essential supplies such as office products, furniture, cleaning supplies, tools, military uniforms, and specialty items. They manage 35,000 SKUs, process 26,000 to 28,000 orders per month, maintain 92 million inventoried pieces, and conduct daily shipments to various domestic and international destinations, including Iraq, Afghanistan, and Europe. An online store is also available, and free delivery is offered for orders.
    • Base Supply Center Operations
      Operates three AbilityOne Base Supply Centers at military installations in Glendale (Luke Air Force Base), Tucson (Davis Monthan Air Force Base), and Yuma (Yuma Marine Corps Air Station), providing essential supplies such as office products, furniture, cleaning supplies, tools, military uniforms, and specialty items. They manage 35,000 SKUs, process 26,000 to 28,000 orders per month, maintain 92 million inventoried pieces in stock, and conduct daily shipments to various domestic and international destinations. An online store is also available, with free delivery for orders.
    • Base Supply Center Operations
      Operates three AbilityOne Base Supply Centers at military installations in Glendale (Luke Air Force Base), Tucson (Davis Monthan Air Force Base), and Yuma (Yuma Marine Corps Air Station), providing essential supplies such as office products, furniture, cleaning supplies, tools, military uniforms, and specialty items. They manage 35,000 SKUs, process 26,000 to 28,000 orders per month, maintain 92 million inventoried pieces in stock, and conduct daily shipments to various domestic and international destinations, including Iraq, Afghanistan, other parts of Asia, Europe, and the United States. An online store is also available, and free delivery is offered for orders.
    • Base Supply Center Operations
      Operates three AbilityOne Base Supply Centers at military installations in Arizona (Davis Monthan Air Force Base, Luke Air Force Base, and Yuma Marine Corps Air Station) to deliver essential supplies, including office products, furniture, cleaning supplies, tools, and military uniforms, to military personnel. This program also creates employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities and Veterans, processes 26,000 to 28,000 orders per month, and maintains 92 million inventoried pieces in stock across 175,000 square feet of warehouse space.
    • Base Supply Center Operations
      Operates multiple AbilityOne Base Supply Centers at military installations (Davis Monthan Air Force Base, Luke Air Force Base, Yuma Marine Corps Air Station) in Arizona, delivering essential supplies such as office products, furniture, cleaning supplies, tools, and military uniforms to military personnel. This includes managing a large inventory, processing thousands of orders monthly, and providing free delivery.
    • Logistics and Inventory Management
      Manages extensive logistics operations, processing 26,000 to 28,000 orders per month, maintaining 92 million inventoried pieces across 35,000 SKUs, and operating 175,000 square feet of warehouse space. They achieve high performance metrics including 99.78% on-time delivery and 99.8% inventory accuracy, with daily shipments to domestic and international destinations.
    • Operate Base Supply Centers under the AbilityOne Program
      Operates three Base Supply Centers at military installations in Glendale (Luke AFB), Tucson (Davis-Monthan AFB), and Yuma (Yuma MCAS), providing office products, furniture, cleaning supplies, tools, military uniforms, and over 700 Skilcraft®-branded AbilityOne products. Offers an online store and free delivery for orders, processing 26,000–28,000 orders monthly with 99.78% on-time performance for high-priority orders.
    • Operating Base Supply Centers
      Operates three AbilityOne Base Supply Centers at military installations in Glendale (Luke Air Force Base), Tucson (Davis Monthan Air Force Base), and Yuma (Yuma Marine Corps Air Station), providing essential supplies such as office products, furniture, cleaning supplies, tools, military uniforms, and specialty items, including over 700 AbilityOne products with the Skilcraft® label. They also manage an online store and offer free delivery.
  • Secure Information Destruction Certification 1 activity
    • Conduct confidential document destruction
      Coordinates secure, compliant destruction of confidential documents through an outside vendor in accordance with government specifications, and provides customers with destruction certification.
  • Uncategorized 14 activities
    • Advocacy for Employment Opportunities
      Advocates for expanding employment opportunities for people who are blind by engaging with congressional offices and sharing personal experiences to change perceptions of blindness.
    • Advocacy for Employment of Blind Individuals
      Participates in conferences, such as the NIB/NAEPB Conference, to advocate for expanding employment opportunities for people who are blind by engaging with congressional offices.
    • Advocacy for Employment of Blind Individuals
      Participates in conferences, such as the 2026 NIB/NAEPB Conference, to advocate for expanding employment opportunities for people who are blind by engaging with congressional offices.
    • Advocacy for Employment of Blind Individuals
      Participates in conferences and engages with congressional offices to advocate for expanding employment opportunities for people who are blind.
    • Advocacy for Employment of People Who Are Blind
      Advocates for expanding employment opportunities for people who are blind by engaging with congressional offices and sharing personal experiences to change perceptions of blindness.
    • Advocacy for Employment of People Who Are Blind
      Participates in conferences and engages with congressional offices to advocate for expanding employment opportunities for people who are blind.
    • Advocate for expanded employment opportunities for people who are blind
      Engages in advocacy efforts such as participating in the 2026 NIB/NAEPB Conference to meet with congressional offices and promote policies that expand employment for people who are blind. Shares personal stories to shift public perceptions and advance community opportunities.
    • Deliver document imaging and digitization services
      Provides end-to-end document management services including preparation, scanning (up to 54 inches wide at 100–600 dpi), image enhancement, and delivery in PDF/TIFF/JPG formats via SFTP or physical media. Supports compliance with HIPAA and Sarbanes-Oxley by converting paper records to electronic formats, reducing storage costs, enabling fast record retrieval, and offering long-term digital archival via ImageSilo™ and short-term physical storage.
    • Document Digitization and Management Services
      Converts paper documents up to 54 inches wide to electronic images at resolutions between 100 and 600 dpi, enhancing quality through de-speckling and de-skewing. These services help organizations comply with federal regulations, improve record searching, reduce physical storage costs, and support disaster recovery. Digitized documents are delivered in various formats and can be stored long-term electronically or short-term physically, with confidential document destruction services also coordinated.
    • Document Digitization and Management Services
      Converts paper documents up to 54 inches wide to electronic images at resolutions between 100 and 600 dpi, enhancing quality through de-speckling and de-skewing. These services help organizations comply with federal regulations, improve record searching, reduce physical storage costs, and support disaster recovery. Digitized documents are delivered in various formats (PDF, TIFF, JPG) and can be integrated into existing systems, with options for long-term electronic archival storage and confidential physical document destruction.
    • Document Digitization and Management Services
      Converts paper documents up to 54 inches wide into electronic images at various resolutions and formats, helping organizations comply with federal regulations, improve record searching, reduce storage costs, and support disaster recovery. Services include document preparation, scanning, image enhancement, delivery, electronic archival storage, and confidential document destruction.
    • Document Digitization and Management Services
      Converts paper documents up to 54 inches wide into electronic images (PDF, TIFF, JPG) at various resolutions, enhancing quality through de-speckling and de-skewing. These services help organizations comply with federal regulations, improve record searching, reduce storage costs, and support disaster recovery, with options for electronic archival storage and confidential document destruction.
    • Document Digitization and Management Services
      Converts paper documents up to 54 inches wide into electronic images at resolutions between 100 and 600 dpi, enhancing quality through de-speckling and de-skewing. These services help organizations comply with federal regulations, improve record searching, reduce physical storage costs, and support disaster recovery. Digitized documents are delivered in various formats (PDF, TIFF, JPG) and can be integrated into existing systems, with options for long-term electronic archival storage and confidential physical document destruction.
    • Document Digitization and Management Services
      Converts paper documents up to 54 inches wide to electronic images at resolutions between 100 and 600 dpi in various formats (black & white, grayscale, or color) to help organizations comply with federal regulations, improve customer service, and reduce costs. Services include preparing documents for scanning, enhancing digital images, delivering digitized documents via various methods, providing long-term electronic archival storage, and coordinating confidential document destruction.
financials · form 990 · fy2021
revenue
Total revenue$10.74M
Contributions & grants$78K1%
Program service revenue$7.88M73%
Investment income$16K0%
Other revenue$2.76M
expenses
Total expenses$9.34M
Program expenses81%
Admin / overhead19%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$5.96M
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$17.48M
Cash$11.18M
Investments$0
Liabilities$2.54M
Net assets$14.94M
Liquid reserves14.4 mo
3 years on record · 2019–2021 · YoY revenue -4.4%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2021

who runs it

paid leadership · 3
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
CHRIS LAFOLLETTE PRESIDENT & CEO 40 $203K
LARRY MANN VICE PRESIDENT/SECRETARY & 40 $138K
LORRAINE HUDSPETH VICE PRESIDENT/TREASURER & 40 $128K
board members · 5
  • EMILY WARD — DIRECTOR
  • GREG KOLTON — CHAIR
  • LEE GIURLANDA — DIRECTOR
  • MICHAEL HUTT — DIRECTOR
  • RUTH O'BRIEN — DIRECTOR
relationships · 12

who they work with

  • AbilityOne Network — Operates the Base Supply Center (BSC) Program under the AbilityOne network.
  • Arizona State Library Archives and Public Records Government — Coordinates with AIB on scanning authorization and document retention schedules for State of Arizona customers.
  • Davis Monthan AFB Partner — Hosts the AIB Base Supply Center (BSC) on base to deliver essential supplies and support employment for individuals with disabilities.
  • Davis Monthan Air Force Base Partner — Hosts a Base Supply Center operated by Arizona Industries for the Blind.
  • Digitech’s ImageSilo™ Partner — Provides long-term electronic archival data storage and web-based document access for AIB’s document imaging services.
  • Luke Air Force Base Partner — Hosts a Base Supply Center operated by Arizona Industries for the Blind.
  • NAEPB Network — Participated in the NIB/NAEPB Conference, indicating affiliation with the National Association of Employment Programs for the Blind.
  • NIB Network — Participated in the NIB/NAEPB Conference, indicating membership in the National Industries for the Blind network.
  • National Industries for the Blind Network — Source of Skilcraft® labeled AbilityOne products carried by Focusworks Base Supply Centers.
  • National Industries for the Blind Partner — AIB is an affiliate of National Industries for the Blind.
  • United States Military Partner — Provides warehousing and distribution services to the U.S. Military
  • Yuma Marine Corps Air Station Partner — Hosts a Base Supply Center operated by Arizona Industries for the Blind.