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OUR HISTORY
1953
San Angelo Association for the Blind was established with the goal of creating employment opportunities for blind individuals.
1963
West Texas Lighthouse for the Blind was established. We made mops and brooms, and we ran a resale store.
During this time the organization experienced financial difficulty and depended heavily upon the financial support of generous people in San Angelo.
1974
We purchased a division of the Magic Marker Pen Company and began producing pens and markers.
1978
The Lighthouse moved to 2001 Austin Street in San Angelo. The financial difficulties continued and we experienced losses every year. The future of the Lighthouse appeared to be bleak.
The 90's
We introduced new pen lines that were more profitable and started selling pen components to other agencies across the country. For the first time since we were established our manufacturing was able to turn a profit and we paid off our debts.
We invented the Bend E-Z pen, and after a guard was stabbed with a ballpoint pen at the Super Max Prison in Illinois, orders for Bend E-Z pens started coming in from Federal Prisons. Also in the 90’s we developed the first ballpoint pen in the nation made from post-consumer plastic.
2012
The Lighthouse launched a satellite location in Abilene, TX.
2018
In June of 2018, five people who are visually impaired came to San Angelo to request that we open a facility in Midland, TX. By October we set up a temporary room in the Midland Downtown Lions Club building, and then we purchased and renovated a more permanent location for the operation.
The Present
The present has been good to the Lighthouse; we now employ more than 70 people who are blind in San Angelo, Abilene, and Midland. Our success is attributable to a diversified product line and customer base with over 140 products and over 700 SKU’s. Currently we sell 52% to the State of Texas, 28% to the Federal government and 20% commercial.
Future
As the size of our operation grows, we will continue to support the employment of people who are blind throughout West Texas though growth of our existing facilities and expansion into new underserved locations in Texas.