BRISTOL, INDIANA – ADEC is honored to be the recipient of 2022’s “Most Inclusive Workplace” Award presented at the Northeast Indiana Manufacturing Awards. The first incarnation of ADEC Industries opened in 1958 as the area’s first sheltered workshop which provided vocational training and work experience for adults with disabilities. Over the next several decades, the workshop expanded and increased focus on rehabilitation for individuals who were blind. In the early 1980’s, ADEC was awarded a grant that helped build the current location of ADEC Industries in Elkhart, so they could extend vocational opportunities to a greater number of people.
In 2020, the ADEC Board of Directors and Leadership made a transformation change to convert ADEC Industries from a sheltered workshop to a fully integrated competitive employer offering work opportunities for those with disabilities. Today at ADEC Industries, individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities perform high-quality packaging and assembly work for industrial customers across the country. ADEC also manufactures their own line of trash bags, branded Silver Linings, which are used in all state government offices in Indiana and are available for retail and other business sales. Being an inclusive employer is important to everyone at ADEC, both within ADEC Industries and every other ADEC program and facility, so being recognized in this way is an honor. Thank you to everyone at ADEC Industries for being a great example of everything that an inclusive workplace can accomplish.
First held in 2020, the Northeast Indiana Manufacturing Awards recognize outstanding manufacturers in our region. Companies are nominated for awards and then voted on by the readers of local newspapers and websites for their commitment to excellence, workplace diversity, environmentally friendly practices, innovative workplaces, and the overall strength of manufacturing in our Northeast Indiana communities. This year the awards were given out in a live virtual event from 9 to 10:30 am on Friday, April 29th.
