Partners In Employment Inc

What Partners In Employment Inc does

Partners In Employment, Inc. (PiE) is a private, nonprofit vocational rehabilitation organization headquartered in Defiance, Ohio, founded in February 1996 by Roxie Hollingshead. PiE delivers employment services to individuals with disabilities across nine Northwest Ohio counties—Defiance, Fulton, Henry, Lucas, Paulding, Putnam, Van Wert, Williams, and Wood—through a referral-based model that funnels clients from Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD), County Boards of Developmental Disabilities under DODD, and Job and Family Services.

The service offering spans the full employment lifecycle: community-based assessment, vocational evaluation (using instruments such as Career Scope, OASYS, Bennett Mechanical Aptitude Test, WAIS, and Myers-Briggs), career exploration, job development, on-site job coaching, long-term support, benefits analysis for SSI/SSDI recipients, and youth-focused programs including Summer Youth work experiences and Pre-Employment Transitional Services. PiE also offers services to employers—qualified candidate referrals, WOTC tax-credit assistance, applicant screening, orientation, accommodation consultation, and on-the-job training—though these are positioned as value-add rather than a monetized channel. The organization has maintained CARF International accreditation in Community and Employment Services since 1997, currently across two offices (Defiance headquarters and a Toledo satellite), with a team of approximately 19 staff including multiple CESP-certified professionals.

PiE operates as a service-based organization with no proprietary technology platform; all delivery is human-staffed. Revenue derives almost entirely from government agency contracts (OOD, DODD, Job and Family Services), with services provided free to referred individuals and private pay available only in rare case-by-case circumstances. The go-to-market is sales-led on the employer side and referral-driven on the individual side, with partnership relationships serving as the primary acquisition channel. The organization is founder-led, with Roxie Hollingshead as Executive Director and Linsey Hollingshead as Operations Director, and has remained independent with no external investment, no M&A activity, and no disclosed funding rounds.

Name

Partners In Employment Inc

Legal name

PARTNERS in Employment, Inc.

Website

https://aboutpieinc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Partners In Employment is a private Ohio nonprofit that provides vocational rehabilitation and supported employment services to individuals with disabilities across nine Northwest Ohio counties, funded primarily through government agency referrals from OOD and County Boards of DD.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vocational Rehabilitation and Disability Employment Services

NAICS

Vocational Rehabilitation Services (62431), Employment Services (5613)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Workforce Development & Inclusive Employment (Job Training, Placement) (BPAGALAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Work-Based Learning Programs (Internships, Apprenticeships, Community-Based Instruction) (EDAKANAF), Employment & Job Readiness Support Services (BPAGAEAJ), Workforce & Job-Seeker Services (Community-Based) (EDAAAFAM)

Keywords

• Vocational rehabilitation services
• Supported employment services
• Disability employment programs
• Job coaching services
• Workforce development services

Headquarters

HQ city

Defiance

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government-funded vocational rehabilitation services: Services are provided free to individuals when referred by another agency such as Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD), County Boards of Developmental Disabilities, or Job and Family Services. Private pay is available in rare circumstances evaluated case-by-case.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Partners In Employment Inc is a vocational rehabilitation and supported employment organization that helps individuals with disabilities obtain and maintain community employment. Its core offerings span Community-Based Assessment, Career Exploration, Vocational Evaluation, Job Development, Job Coaching, Long Term Support, and ancillary services such as Benefits Analysis for Social Security recipients. It also delivers employer-facing services including candidate matching, Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) facilitation, applicant screening, orientation, and on-the-job training support.

Product overview

Partners In Employment Inc is a vocational rehabilitation and employment services organization that provides a comprehensive suite of services for individuals with disabilities and employers. The organization operates as a single unified service offering, not a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core products include Community-Based Assessment, Career Exploration, Vocational Evaluations, Job Development, Job Coaching, Long Term Support, and Other Services (Benefits Analysis, Personal Adjustment, Work Adjustment). Youth-specific services are delivered through Summer Youth Programs and Pre-Employment Transitional Services. Services for Employers are also offered, including consultation, orientation, applicant screening, and on-the-job training services. All services are free to individuals when referred by another agency.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community-Based Assessment An on-site assessment conducted at a competitive job in the community to evaluate an individual's strengths, resources, preferences, abilities, and capabilities; a Job Coach provides instruction and evaluates work behaviors, tolerance, skills, and peer interactions for individuals with disabilities referred by government agencies.
• Career Exploration Service using informational interviews, job shadowing, and labor market analysis to help individuals with disabilities explore potential jobs or career goals in greater depth.
• Vocational Evaluation Comprehensive evaluation using vocational batteries, hands-on assessments, and simulated work samples, including tools such as Career Scope, OASYS, Bennett Mechanical Aptitude Test, WAIS, and Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to determine optimal employment goals for individuals with disabilities.
• Job Development Service encompassing employer contacts, identification of job leads, application assistance, resume preparation, interview skill reinforcement, and hiring negotiation, including Job Seeking Skills Training (JSST) to prepare individuals with disabilities to apply, interview, and secure employment.
• Job Coaching One-on-one instruction helping individuals with disabilities learn job tasks and adjust to the work environment, including learning duties, developing natural supports, increasing tolerances, providing encouragement, serving as an employer-employee liaison, assisting with accommodations, and periodic Job Retention contacts.
• Long Term Support Ongoing service supporting individuals with disabilities in maintaining community employment; service intensity varies by individual and funding source, ranging from monthly contact to always-on Job Coach assistance.
• Other Services for Individuals (Benefits Analysis, Benefits Consultation, Personal Adjustment, Work Adjustment) Suite of ancillary individual services including Benefits Analysis (Social Security work incentive planning), Benefits Consultation, Personal Adjustment (life skills training for independence), and Work Adjustment (preparing for workforce demands and stresses) for individuals with disabilities.
• Summer Youth Programs Summer programs for youth with disabilities offered across nine Northwest Ohio counties, including SY-Career Exploration (15 hr/wk for 3 weeks), SY-Work Experience (20 hr/wk for 5 weeks at minimum wage), and Summer Job placement assistance.
• Services for Employers B2B service providing area employers with qualified candidates, on-the-job coaching support, and access to the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC); additional offerings include Consultation Services for accommodation issues, Orientation Services for new-hire onboarding, Applicant Screening, and On-the-Job Training Services.
• Pre-Employment Transitional Services School-year youth services providing five required pre-employment transition components: Instruction on Self-Advocacy, Counseling on Post-Secondary Opportunities, Job Exploration Counseling, Workplace Readiness Training, and Work-Based Learning; classes delivered at local schools or virtually.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3 months of follow-up after hire, with longer-term options available to eligible individuals

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities Agency (OOD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary referral partner for individuals with disabilities seeking employment services. OOD is the state agency that funds and coordinates vocational rehabilitation services in Ohio. PiE serves as a vendor/provider for OOD services.
• Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferral partner for individuals with developmental disabilities. County Boards of DD under DODD refer individuals to PiE for employment services.
• Ohio Job and Family ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferral partner providing employment services coordination. County Job and Family Services offices refer individuals to PiE.
• Social Security AdministrationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPiE provides benefits consultations for individuals receiving Social Security disability benefits (SSI/SSDI) to help them understand how employment will affect their benefits.
• The Ability Center of Greater ToledominorOthersDisability advocacy organization serving Northwest Ohio that may refer individuals to PiE services.
• The Sight Center of Northwest OhiominorOthersOrganization providing services to individuals with visual impairments that may refer clients to PiE for employment support.
• Disability Rights OhiominorOthersLegal advocacy organization for people with disabilities that may provide referrals or additional support resources for PiE clients.
• American Council of the Blind OhiominorOthersAdvocacy organization for blind and visually impaired individuals that may refer clients to PiE employment services.
• National Alliance on Mental Illness OhiominorOthersMental health advocacy organization that may refer individuals with mental health disabilities to PiE for employment support.
• Hearing Loss Association of America - Ohio ChapterminorOthersAdvocacy organization for individuals with hearing loss that may refer clients to PiE employment services.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• APSE (Association of People Supporting Employment First): APSE is the national membership organization advancing employment-first policy and supported employment best practices — an ecosystem peer whose standards and advocacy shape the operating environment for providers like PiE.
• The Arc of the United States: The Arc is a national advocacy and service network for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including employment supports — a thematically related organization that influences policy and operates employment programs that may compete with or refer into PiE's services.

Broad incumbents

• UCP (United Cerebral Palsy): UCP is a national nonprofit network providing employment, housing, and assistive technology services for people with cerebral palsy and other disabilities — a comparable mission and service mix, including supported employment and vocational rehabilitation.
• Sevita Health: Sevita (formerly The MENTOR Network) is a major national provider of home and community-based services, including day and employment services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities — comparable in mission to PiE but operating across many states and service lines.
• Goodwill Industries International: Goodwill is the largest U.S. nonprofit workforce development network, operating employment placement, job training, and vocational programs for people with disabilities and other barriers to employment — overlapping PiE's mission but at massive national scale and as part of a broader retail-funded portfolio.
• BrightSpring Health Services: BrightSpring (formerly ResCare) is a large for-profit provider of home and community-based services, including supported employment and vocational rehabilitation for individuals with disabilities — a much larger, publicly-traded peer operating in adjacent Medicaid-funded human services markets.

Direct peers

• SourceAmerica: SourceAmerica is a national AbilityOne program administrator that connects people with disabilities to federal contract employment and provides training, placement, and retention support — directly comparable to PiE's job development and employer-matching mission.
• Melwood: Melwood is one of the largest nonprofit vocational rehabilitation and supported employment providers on the East Coast, offering job coaching, job placement, and community employment services for people with disabilities — the same core service model PiE delivers in Northwest Ohio, just at much larger scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Partners In Employment Inc