Office Eagle AbilityOne Base Supply Center Holds Anniversary Event

Fort Knox location marks five years of service to community.

FORT KNOX, Ky., Aug. 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, U.S. Representative Brett Guthrie (R-KY-02), praised the work of the AbilityOne Program and the Office Eagle Base Supply Center (BSC) in a letter of recognition presented at a 15th anniversary celebration at Fort Knox.  The Office Eagle BSC employs people who are blind or disabled who support the mission of American servicemen and women stationed at Fort Knox.

Office Eagle, operated by Blind Industries and Services of Maryland (BISM), is one of 140 AbilityOne BSC facilities that provide mission-critical support for ongoing base operations and outfitting for military deployments.

"I want to congratulate the folks at the Office Eagle AbilityOne Base Supply Center for providing 5 years of quality service to Fort Knox," Rep. Guthrie said. "I greatly appreciate their hard work and tireless support of the service men and women, and their families, who bravely serve our country."

U.S. Senator Jim Bunning (R-KY) also had words of praise for the employees of the Office Eagle BSC.

"I am pleased to congratulate the Fort Knox Office Eagle BSC for doing good work on the base and in our communities," Senator Jim Bunning (R-KY) said in a letter presented at today's ceremony by Bunning field representative John Salyers. "Through the AbilityOne Program, Fort Knox BSC provides full-service and flexible on-site operations and works hand in hand with the Base Command and military personnel to provide quality service, supplies and support to those on the Base.  I am proud to represent you in Congress."

More than 40,000 blind or severely disabled Americans produce SKILCRAFT® products and provide services that are sold to the government and U.S. military through the AbilityOne Program. Service-disabled veterans are actively recruited by National Industries for the Blind (NIB) for employment opportunities within the AbilityOne Program.  

"Just as the mission of Fort Knox extends beyond the perimeter of this important military installation, the contribution of Office Eagle to the people and economy of the surrounding area is also an important story to tell," said Claudine "Scottie" Knott, Chief Operating Officer, National Industries for the Blind. "Office Eagle supports the mission and service men and woman of Fort Knox.  It also supports the livelihood of the men and women who, through civilian service, support our military."

"BISM is proud to employ over 400 exceptional associates at our eleven facilities in three states and the District of Columbia. And that includes the remarkable men and women we are lucky to have here at Fort Knox, supporting our servicemen and women at the Office Eagle BSC," said BISM President Fred Puente, who oversees the operations of six BSCs on military installations in Maryland, Delaware, Kentucky and the District of Columbia.

With every purchase, government and U.S. military customers support the employment of qualified professionals who are blind or have other severe disabilities with each purchase under the AbilityOne Program.  

The first BSC was opened in October 1995, at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, by LC Industries, an NIB associated agency.  Now there are 140 locations on military bases and in federal buildings in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

About National Industries for the Blind

NIB's (www.NIB.org) mission is to enhance the opportunities for economic and personal independence of persons who are blind, primarily through creating, sustaining and improving employment.  NIB and 89 associated agencies serve as the largest employer for people who are blind by the sale of SKILCRAFT® products and services through the AbilityOne Program, established by the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act.

SOURCE National Industries for the Blind