BHS, Blind Association reach document deal
The Blind Association of Butler has a new contract for its Out of Sight Shredding company with the Butler Health System.
Out of Sight Shredding, which has been in business for six years, employing about 10 people who are blind, visually impaired or otherwise disabled, according to Warren Dixon, regional sales manager of the company.
Dixon declined to specify how much the contract would be, but the work covers all shredding for the health system, including the outreach centers. The contract will add roughly 3,100 additional work hours annually for the company, according to executive director Jennifer Bindernagel.
The contract was announced Thursday.
Dixon and Bindernagel expect the company to hire a few more people, but they are not sure yet how many. Dixon estimates the contract will increase the company’s shredding volume by 30 percent.
“Really, it’s a win-win,” Dixon said, stressing that this contract keeps the money in Butler County rather than to an outside company. Any profits made from the company go to fund the blind association, Dixon said.
But the company did have to enter into a bidding process for the contract.
“We had to compete with other large companies to secure this bid,” Dixon said.
The company is certified by the National Association for Information Destruction and maintains the highest security protocols in the industry.
Once shredded, paper that goes through Out of Sight Shredding is then recycled into other paper products, Dixon said.
The business was initially created out of the Leadership Butler County Class of 2009 after Bindernagel came up with the idea. The class helped to develop the business plan and marketing materials and to fundraise for the creation of the business.
Out of Sight also minimizes cost to the health system while still providing a high-quality service, according to Anne Krebs, chief financial officer of the health system.
“To control costs and keep BHS a strong and viable asset for our community, BHS evaluates vendor agreements on a regular basis,” Krebs said.
“Out of Sight was a vendor for consideration for our shredding services. During the evaluation process, we had the opportunity to visit their work site and saw firsthand the level of commitment and pride that their workers and management take in that organization. We are pleased to be able to make a good business decision and support a local company that gives so much back to our community.”
The company provides both commercial and residential shredding from Erie to Pittsburgh, and has hundreds of commercial clients, Dixon said.
