WICHITA, Kansas, July 23, 2008 – When it comes to jobs in Wichita, manufacturing is our number one industry, but one local company is not only making quality parts, it’s improving the quality of life for its employees.

Stamping out state license plates is generally a job for prison labor. Only a few states use private companies and Kansas is one of them.

Center industries prints and stamps all of the vehicle tags in the state, but that’s not all.

“Assembly work and everything from window frames for Spirit,” said President of Center Industries Walt Aikman. “We're a major sub-contractor of all the major aircraft companies here in Wichita. We have a printing department, we have a plastics and glass department and we try to stay diversified quite a bit.”

Center Industries is a thriving manufacturing company. It will do about $30 million in business this year alone. There's one big difference: it's a non-profit.

Seventy-five percent of the people who work on the line have disabilities. They're paid a competitive wage, and Center Industries has to compete with every other business out there for the work that they complete.

“I have rehab engineers who take a machine or a process and adapt it to a specific disability,” Aikman said.

Aikman says that each member of his work force embodies the perfect employee. Center has very low turnover and everyone is motivated. But to work there, the employees much give up all government assistance. But they are proud to become self-sufficient and are happy to get on a payroll and pay their share of taxes.

“We did an impact study two years ago and with just the people we had then, the difference between getting a government subsidy benefit of some kind versus paying taxes was about 1.9 mm that year.”

Center employs almost 300 people; however there are more workers in Kansas than there are opportunities like this.

Profits are used to expand their facility and to diversify their product line. That creates more opportunities for handicapped workers.

“Our mission is to employ and train people with disabilities,” Aikman said. “And that in itself gives dignity to them, gives them a sense of purpose and we're also returning a dollar back to the American taxpayer.”

Center has manufacturing contracts that will get them through 2012. But it is always looking for more and with each new contract, comes a chance to empower another Kansas who otherwise may not have a job.