Lions Industries sees growth surge, faces hiring hurdles for visually impaired workforce
Lions Industries for the Blind has seen significant growth over the past year, with new projects, expanded shifts, and rising sales placing the Kinston-based nonprofit in one of the most productive periods in its history. But with that success has come a pressing need: more employees who are blind or visually impaired.
“We’ve gone from 48 employees to around 70 in just the last year,” said Sharon Axelberg, general manager at Lions Industries. “That’s almost a 50% increase. We’ve added a second shift and expanded our workweek to include Fridays, which we hadn’t done before. The orders are coming in fast — it’s a good problem to have.”
Founded to create meaningful employment for people who are blind or visually impaired, Lions Industries balances commercial and government contracts, manufacturing goods for agencies across the country. One of the company’s newest projects, launched in October 2023, is expected to generate at least $2 million in sales — a roughly 80% increase over the previous year’s $2.8 million total.
“This new project is huge for us,” Axelberg said. “It allows us to grow, provide more jobs, and reinvest in our mission.”
That mission is central to the organization’s work: empowering blind and visually impaired individuals by offering stable, meaningful employment in manufacturing, quality assurance, and logistics. Employees work as machine operators, inspectors, utility workers, and order processors — roles designed to provide independence and community integration.
But despite the increase in business, the nonprofit is struggling to fill its openings with local visually impaired talent.
Axelberg said the organization ran a four-month recruitment campaign across eastern North Carolina in early 2024, but the response fell short of expectations. While several hires came from Pitt County, none came from nearby Lenoir, Wayne, or Jones counties — Lions Industries’ primary service area.
“We’ve had the most success with Pitt County, but we want to find people closer to home,” Axelberg said. “We need around 15 more employees, and we’re ready to help with transportation or relocation if needed.”
The company operates two vehicles that could be used to help employees commute from neighboring counties, especially if a group of visually impaired workers could carpool with a sighted driver. “We just need to know there’s interest,” Axelberg said. “We’ll work with people to remove barriers.”
Lions Industries is also open to partnerships with local organizations to identify potential workers, and they’ve previously worked with services like New Enterprises and local shelters, although recent leadership changes have slowed some of those relationships.
The organization’s goal is to stay rooted in Kinston, where it has operated for decades, but continued growth may require facility renovations or a satellite location to accommodate increasing production demands.
“We’re committed to staying here, if at all possible,” said Mark Conner, a longtime staff member at Lions Industries. “We just need the people to make that happen.”
The company’s immediate staffing needs include inspectors, machine operators, utility workers, order processors, and at least one supervisor. But above all, they are looking for candidates who want to grow into independent and productive members of the workforce.
“Whatever challenges we’ve had, our team steps up,” Axelberg said. “We’ve built a workplace that adapts and supports people with vision loss. We just need more people to join us.”
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