Lighthouse for the Blind-Saint Louis

What Lighthouse for the Blind-Saint Louis does

Lighthouse for the Blind-Saint Louis is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit social enterprise founded in 1933 and headquartered at 10440 Trenton Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri, with additional manufacturing facilities in Berkeley, Missouri (opened October 2023 to support the Falcon Safety Products acquisition). The organization manufactures, fills, assembles, and packages over 300 commercial and government products through two plants — a liquid and aerosol manufacturing facility (described as the only aerosol plant in the world operated primarily by employees who are legally blind) and a packaging and kitting facility. Core capabilities span contract filling, packaging, and kitting of liquid and aerosol cleaners, paints and coatings, maintenance products (including corrosion preventative compounds meeting MIL-DTL-85054B and MIL-PRF-81309), EPA-registered disinfectants, adhesives, air fresheners, and medical/dental/veterinary kits ranging from individual first-aid bags to entire field hospitals. The product portfolio centers on the SKILCRAFT® government and commercial brand, supplemented by acquired brands Tear Mender®, RapidFix®, Badge Magic®, Quake Kare®/Emergency Ready™, Falcon Safety Products, plus paint lines Eco-Sure and SO-SURE.

Revenue is generated through three channels: mandatory federal procurement via the AbilityOne Program (20+ government contracts covering 200+ SKILCRAFT products distributed through National Industries for the Blind and 600+ AbilityOne nonprofit agencies); commercial product sales through a direct e-commerce storefront at store.lhbindustries.com (priced $40 to over $1,000 per SKU, including Pine Oil Disinfectants, Power Duster canned air, floor care, Eco-Sure and SO-SURE paints); and contract filling/kitting services for government and commercial customers. Recent strategic activity includes the Hillyard Industries partnership for the SKILCRAFT Hillyard Floor Care Line (soft launch October 1, 2025; full national rollout through NIB January 1, 2026). Proceeds from product sales fund the "See the Future" community outreach programs (23 programs) and the S.O.A.R. residential training program serving legally blind individuals in Missouri and Western Illinois. The company is led by President and CEO Eric Warnhoff, is ISO9001:2015 certified, and is independently governed as a nonprofit (no parent company or venture ownership disclosed).

Name

Lighthouse for the Blind-Saint Louis

Legal name

The Lighthouse for the Blind

Website

https://lhbindustries.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1933

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Lighthouse for the Blind-Saint Louis is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit social enterprise founded in 1933 that manufactures, fills, and packages 300+ SKILCRAFT and acquired-brand industrial products — staffed primarily by legally blind employees — for the U.S. federal government via the AbilityOne Program and commercial buyers via e-commerce.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

St Louis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Contract Manufacturing: Manufacturing and supplying products to U.S. government agencies through the AbilityOne Program. Holds over 20 contracts covering more than 200 liquid and aerosol products. Products include cleaning chemicals, paints, maintenance products, and first-aid kits sold to federal government customers.
2. Commercial Product Sales: Sale of commercial products through e-commerce storefront, including SKILCRAFT branded products, floor care (Hillyard partnership), disinfectants, paints, adhesives, and maintenance supplies to government and commercial buyers.
3. Contract Packaging and Kitting Services: Contract filling, packaging, and kitting services for government and commercial customers including medical, dental, and veterinary kit assembly.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Lighthouse for the Blind-Saint Louis is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit social enterprise that manufactures, fills, assembles, and packages over 300 liquid, aerosol, and kitted products under the SKILCRAFT and other government and commercial brands. The company operates a liquid and aerosol manufacturing plant and a packaging and kitting facility producing cleaning chemicals, paints, maintenance products, first-aid kits, and medical/dental/veterinary kits, primarily for the AbilityOne Program and federal government customers. It also provides contract filling, contract packaging, and medical kitting services to commercial customers.

Product overview

Lighthouse for the Blind-St. Louis is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization operating as a manufacturing social enterprise. The company operates two manufacturing plants—a liquid and aerosol manufacturing plant and a packaging and kitting facility—where it manufactures, fills, assembles and packages over 300 commercial and government products. The core product portfolio centers on the SKILCRAFT® brand sold through the AbilityOne Program, supplemented by acquired commercial brands (Tear Mender®, RapidFix®, Badge Magic®, Falcon Safety Products) and government/commercial brands (Quake Kare®, Eco-Sure, SO-SURE). Product categories span cleaning chemicals, aerosols, paints and coatings, maintenance products, medical kitting (first aid kits, catheters), adhesives, air fresheners, and corrosion compounds. The company holds over 20 government contracts covering more than 200 liquid and aerosol products. Community outreach is delivered through the 'See the Future' Programs including the S.O.A.R. program, with proceeds from product sales funding these services for legally blind individuals in Missouri and Western Illinois.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SKILCRAFT®: Primary government and commercial product brand including liquid and aerosol cleaners, paints and maintenance products.
• Quake Kare®
• Emergency Ready™
• Tear Mender®
• RapidFix®
• Badge Magic®
• Falcon Safety Products
• So-Sure
• Eco-Sure
• Refresh

Products and services

• SKILCRAFT® Brand Products Flagship government and commercial brand offering over 300 liquid and aerosol products including cleaners, paints, maintenance products, and first-aid kits manufactured, filled, assembled and packaged by employees who are legally blind. Sold primarily through the AbilityOne Program and to U.S. federal agencies.
• SKILCRAFT Hillyard Floor Care Line High-performance floor-care products including strippers, finishes, restorers, and degreaser cleaners developed in partnership with Hillyard Industries, filled and packaged at the St. Louis facility for the AbilityOne Program.
• Quake Kare® / Emergency Ready™ Disaster preparedness and emergency readiness product line offering emergency supplies and kits.
• Tear Mender® Adhesive product line acquired in 2014 as part of commercial expansion into the adhesive industry.
• RapidFix® Adhesive product line in the disaster preparedness and adhesive industries.
• Badge Magic® Product line in the adhesive and accessibility industry.
• Falcon Safety Products Safety products acquired in October 2023, with two additional Berkeley facilities opened to support the acquisition.
• Government Contract Manufacturing Services Manufacturing of liquid and aerosol products under more than 20 government contracts covering 200+ products, including cleaning chemicals, paints, maintenance products, and first-aid kits sold to federal agencies.
• Contract Filling & Packaging Services Contract liquid filling, component acquisition, and packaging services for government and commercial customers, including liquid and aerosol paints, cleaners, maintenance products, and components.
• Medical Kitting Services Assembly of medical, dental, and veterinary kits ranging from individual first aid bags to entire field hospitals, with specialized procurement, packaging, and component kitting for any type of kit.

Quantifiable outcome

• 23 See the Future community outreach programs serving blind and visually impaired individuals in Missouri and Western Illinois
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hillyard IndustriescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025Partnership to introduce new SKILCRAFT Hillyard Floor Care products to the AbilityOne Program. Hillyard provides cleaning technology and formulations; Lighthouse manufactures and packages products at its facilities. Soft launch October 1, 2025, full national rollout January 1, 2026. Products include Devastator Floor Stripper, Power Strip, North Star Floor Finish, Endeavour Floor Finish, Explorer Floor Finish, Hil-Glo Restorer, and Green Select Degreaser. Hillyard's nationwide sales team actively introduces products to customers.
• National Industries for the Blind (NIB)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNIB is the primary distribution partner for AbilityOne Program products. The full national rollout of SKILCRAFT Hillyard Floor Care products took effect January 1, 2026, through NIB distribution channels. NIB coordinates with 600+ nonprofit agencies in the AbilityOne network.
• AbilityOne ProgramcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFederal initiative creating mandatory procurement channel for products manufactured by nonprofits employing blind and disabled individuals. Lighthouse holds 20+ government contracts through AbilityOne covering 200+ products. Program maintains existing National Stock Numbers (NSNs) for government customers.
• Webster UniversityminorOthersHost venue for the S.O.A.R. (Summer Orientation & Mobility and Adaptive Living Resource) program. The three-week residential training program for legally blind young adults ages 16-21 is held annually at Webster University.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• National Industries for the Blind (NIB): The central nonprofit agency that coordinates the AbilityOne Program and acts as Lighthouse's primary distribution partner. Operates in the same federal set-aside ecosystem with similar social-mission manufacturing and product distribution to government buyers.
• Industries for the Blind and Visually Impaired (IBVI): Wisconsin-based AbilityOne-participating nonprofit that manufactures and supplies products to the federal government using a workforce that is blind or visually impaired. Closely analogous social enterprise model and AbilityOne contract base.
• Rochester Midland Corporation: Manufacturer of commercial cleaning, sanitation, and maintenance chemistries for institutional and industrial buyers. Comparable in liquid and aerosol cleaning product portfolio and EPA-registered disinfectant offerings.
• Lighthouse Guild International: National nonprofit organization serving people with vision loss, operating programs and services comparable to Lighthouse's 'See the Future' and S.O.A.R. outreach initiatives, with overlapping mission and federal funding relationships.
• Lighthouse for the Blind-San Francisco: A sister 501(c)(3) nonprofit serving people who are blind or visually impaired, with manufacturing, contract services, and federal/government product sales under AbilityOne. Directly comparable mission, customer base, and operating model.
• Claire Manufacturing Co. Specialty aerosol manufacturer producing cleaning, disinfecting, and maintenance aerosols. Comparable on aerosol filling capabilities, EPA-registered formulations, and institutional/industrial customer base.
• Betco Corporation: Manufacturer of commercial cleaning products, floor finishes, and disinfectants sold through janitorial and institutional distribution. Comparable on floor-care chemistry, institutional channels, and cleaning-product breadth.
• Chase Products Co. Independent aerosol contract manufacturer producing branded and private-label aerosol products including cleaners and adhesives. Comparable on aerosol filling capabilities and contract manufacturing for institutional/industrial customers.

Broad incumbents

• Zep Inc. Large commercial and institutional cleaning and maintenance products manufacturer serving facilities customers with cleaners, degreasers, and floor-care products. Overlaps on product categories, EPA-registered chemistries, and institutional buyer segments.
• Hillyard Industries: Established commercial cleaning and floor-care manufacturer and Lighthouse's strategic product partner for the SKILCRAFT Hillyard Floor Care line. Overlaps on cleaning formulations, institutional buyers, and AbilityOne/federal channel exposure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/lighthouse-for-the-blind-saint-louis-152410878148024
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lighthouse-for-the-blind---st-louis

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lighthouse for the Blind-Saint Louis