Current Industries partnership marks 25 years

Company hires developmentally disabled adults

PETER JENSEN

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Each week The Bellingham Herald takes a look at a business in Whatcom County. This week: Current Industries.

What’s new: Bellinghambased Current Industries is a nonprofit that hires developmentally disabled adults to assemble wire and cable packages for local manufacturers. The company recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of its partnership with GB Enterprises, which supplies 80 percent of Current Industries’ contracts, Current Industries Executive Director John Butorac said. GB Enterprises makes battery-powered cable kits for the telecommunications industry that provide electricity in case of a power outage; Current Industries cuts and assembles the cable for the kits.

What’s next: GB Chief Executive Officer Grace Borsari said she expects to continue sending a consistent flow of contracts to Current Industries. As GB grows, so does Current Industries, she said. The companies’ partnership provides about $2 million in wages to adults with disabilities every year.

CURRENT INDUSTRIES

3720 Williamson Way
Bellingham, WA 98225
734-5353

“It costs a few cents more than going to China, but it’s for a good cause,” Borsari said. “One of the most gratifying experiences for me is visiting Current Industries and observing workers with disabilities overcoming many preconceived ideas and creating satisfaction for themselves.”

Company history: Current Industries was started in 1968 and paid disabled adults to weave rugs and do woodworking, Butorac said. It resembled more of an activity center than workplace, so in 1983, with the help of GB Enterprises, it shifted to manufacturing.

“We wanted to create higher expectations for what these people could do,” Butorac said “It’s important to have a normalized environment, so to do that we needed to run it like a business.”

Marketplace: While GB Enterprises provides most of its contracts, Current Industries also does work for Wood Stone Corp., Blue Sea Systems, ZF Marine and CAMMS Shelters, Butorac said.

Revenue: Butorac said Current Industries generates $3 million in revenue annually.

Employees: The work force comprises about 50 employees, including disabled and non-disabled adults.