<< Previous   of   Next >> Photo Courtesy Bridgeways Manufacturing Services  (click to enlarge) A new larger facility in the Merrill Creek area means more room for Bridgeways Manufacturing services. They can offer even more outsourcing opportunities for local businesses. The award-winning AS9100 and ISO 9001 certified facility is already a supplier to Boeing as well as other aerospace, medical, bio-tech and marine industry businesses.

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CONTACT SCBJ Kurt Batdorf, Editor kbatdorf@scbj.com

Bridgeways open house to highlight new facility and more outsourcing options for businesses

By M.L. Dehm
SCBJ Freelance Writer

Bridgeways Manufacturing Services, a cost effective outsourcing option for local businesses, recently moved to a new larger facility in Seaway Center in Southwest Everett, gaining more room to grow and the ability take on even more outsourcing contracts.

Those contracts are vital, not only to Bridgeways and its employees but also to the community as a whole. Bridgeways is a private non-profit agency that provides a wide range of mental health services, including supportive employment, to adults in Snohomish County.

Bridgeways Manufacturing Services aids in the recovery of individuals by bringing them back to the workforce and to financial independence in a safe and supportive environment. At the same time, the organization’s client businesses receive high quality outsourced products on time and in a cost effective manner. It’s a win-win situation for all.

“In our sheltered workshop program it is real work for real pay,” said Executive Director Donna Konicki. “In our production shop, we have some of the highest quality standards and certifications around. We are in no way subsidized for that work. We have a 99.9 percent on time delivery rate for our products.”

The company has served the aerospace, medical, biotech, and marine industries since 1981. Services provided include mechanical and electrical assembly, adhesives and bonding, kitting and packages, small parts fabrication and much more. Bridgeways is also AS9100 and ISO 9001 certified.

Recently, Bridgeways was awarded the 2009 Boeing Performance Excellence Award. The Boeing Company issues the award annually to recognize suppliers who have achieved superior performance.

Bridgeways maintained a minimum Silver composite performance rating for the 12-month performance period. Out of over 10,800 suppliers in the United States, only 486 received this award.

“The bulk of our work would be considered light manufacturing and production,” said Director of Development and Marketing Jeff Patterson. He emphasized the fact that Bridgeways is able to customize services to meet an individual client’s needs. This can result in reduced costs for those businesses.

For those employees that work at Bridgeways, the opportunity to have meaningful work in a safe and supportive environment makes a big difference towards their recovery. One employee who began work at Bridgeways last fall had been previously unemployed for ten years. She had found that just getting a job interview was nearly impossible with no recent experience listed on her resume. Now that worker credits Bridgeways with improving her quality of life and getting her back in the workforce again.

“It’s changed my life,” she said. “I’m able to pay my bills and buy things that I need and I really like my job. The people here are just amazing and I’m eager to learn new things here too.”

It is something that Konicki has seen many times since she joined Bridgeways in 1996. She has even seen one employee go from doing assembly for the aerospace field at Bridgeways to a regular outside job at a local aerospace firm.

“Part of our recovery treatment is meaningful work for someone,” Konicki said. “This isn’t just to make busy work.”

She is pleased with the level of excellence that the employees produce and consistently maintain. Bridgeways ensures consistency with process procedures and internal audits.

In January, Bridgeways moved the manufacturing operation and administrative offices to a new large facility in the Merrill Creek area. The move was completed over a weekend so that there was no interruption of service for clients. Now with 15,000 square feet of manufacturing floor, the organization can now offer even more outsourcing opportunities to a wider range of industries.

Business owners and representatives can see the new facility and learn more about Bridgeways Manufacturing Services by attending an Open House on May 12. Lunch and group tours of the new facility will be provided and Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon will speak about the importance of creating jobs for people living with mental illness.

“We’re also reaching out for additional growth in our board of directors and our agency as a whole. We have a relatively small board now and one of our strategic initiatives for this year is to grow that board. So there are a lot of different ways that businesses can help an agency such as ours,” Konicki said.

For more information about the Open House, to schedule an individual tour, or learn about board opportunities, contact Jeff Patterson at 425-513-8213 x132 or jpatterson@bridgeways.org. More information about Bridgeways can be found www.bridgeways.org.