Blue Jacket

What Blue Jacket does

Blue Jacket, Inc. is a Fort Wayne, Indiana-based nonprofit founded in 2003 that delivers pre-employment training and job-placement services to adults facing barriers to work — ex-offenders (originally the sole target population), people experiencing homelessness, veterans, immigrants and non-English speakers, individuals with disabilities or mental illness, and people in addiction recovery. The core program is the Career Academy (formerly a four-week course, now compressed to two weeks), which provides soft-skills training, resume and interview preparation, free professional attire via a clothing bank, and post-graduation placement through Blue Jacket Staffing. Since inception the Academy has graduated 3,366 clients and placed more than 1,700 individuals into community-based employment; reported outcomes include a 9% recidivism rate among graduates with criminal backgrounds (vs. a 42% statewide Allen County average) and a 63-66% three-month employment rate.

Name

Blue Jacket

Legal name

Blue Jacket, Inc.

Website

https://bluejacketinc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Blue Jacket, Inc. is a Fort Wayne, Indiana nonprofit founded in 2003 that runs a two-week pre-employment Career Academy and a portfolio of seven social enterprises (clothing store, thrift store, cafe, cleaning, staffing, Fantasy of Lights event, Leadership Academy) to train and place adults facing barriers to work.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Workforce Development and Pre-Employment Training Services

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Technical and Trade Schools (6115), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (6243), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (624310), Employment Services (5613)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Employment & Job Readiness Support Services (BPAGAEAJ), Workforce Readiness, Career Pathways & Youth Employment Nonprofits (BPAGADAF), Job Placement, Matching & Career Navigation Services (EDAAAOAL), Job Readiness Training & Soft Skills Development (EDAKANAD)

Keywords

• Workforce development services
• Pre-employment training
• Transitional employment programs
• Nonprofit staffing services
• Social enterprise retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Wayne

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Retail Sales - Blue Jacket Clothing Co. The Blue Jacket Clothing Co. sells donated business professional clothing at deeply discounted prices (mostly $5 or less). All proceeds support the mission of Blue Jacket. The store also employs Blue Jacket graduates transitionally.
2. Retail Sales - Renew by Blue Jacket: Renew by Blue Jacket is an upscale resale store selling furniture, clothing, housewares, and books. Same location, same service, new mission after Blue Jacket acquired reNEW Upscale Resale in February 2023.
3. Donation Programs - Kroger & Amazon Smile: Blue Jacket participates in Kroger Community Support Program where a percentage of purchases is donated, and Amazon Smile program where 0.5% of eligible purchases are donated to the organization.
4. Fantasy of Lights Event: The Fantasy of Lights is a major annual drive-thru holiday light show at Franke Park. It is the leading fundraiser for Blue Jacket, operating as a drive-thru event with admission fees ($20 per personal vehicle, $40 per 12-passenger vans/limos, $80 for bus/trolley).
5. Staffing Services - Blue Jacket Staffing: Blue Jacket Staffing offers temporary or transitional jobs to graduates of the Career Academy. They give employers access to qualified candidates. Fees are not applied when employees transition from temporary to permanent placement.
6. Grants and Foundation Support: Blue Jacket receives grants from various foundations including Don Wood Foundation, Ardelle and Theresa Glaze Foundation, Surack Family Foundation, Mary Cross Tippmann Foundation, Waterfield Foundation, Lincoln Financial Foundation, and others. Also receives United Way funding.
7. Donations and Fundraising: Blue Jacket accepts online donations, check donations, phone donations, and clothing/thrift donations. They hold fundraising events including golf outings and the Second Chances Art Exhibit.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Blue Jacket provides a two-week intensive pre-employment training program (Blue Jacket Academy/Career Academy) covering soft skills, resume writing, interviewing, and workplace expectations, paired with a portfolio of social enterprises (thrift clothing stores, an upscale resale store, a coffee shop, an in-house staffing agency, and cleaning services) that create transitional employment opportunities. The organization serves individuals with barriers to employment, including ex-offenders, homeless individuals, veterans, people with disabilities, non-English speakers, and people recovering from addiction, while also placing qualified candidates with local employer partners.

Product overview

Blue Jacket Inc. is a Fort Wayne, Indiana nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of social enterprises centered on workforce development and employment services for people with barriers to employment. The core offering is the Blue Jacket Academy (Career Academy), a two-week pre-employment training program focused on soft skills. This is supported by multiple social enterprises including Blue Jacket Clothing Co. (thrift clothing store), Blue Jacket Staffing (in-house employment agency), Tall Rabbit Cafe + Community (coffee shop), and Renew by Blue Jacket (upscale resale thrift store). The organization also operates major fundraising events including the Fantasy of Lights holiday light display, Second Chances Art Exhibit, and Chief Blue Jacket Celebration. The portfolio operates on a transitional employment model, using proceeds from social enterprises to fund the mission while providing jobs and job training to clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Blue Jacket Academy: Two-week pre-employment training program (formerly four-week) that provides soft skills training, job search assistance, and employment preparation for people with barriers to employment
• Fantasy of Lights
• Career Academy
• Blue Jacket Leadership Academy

Products and services

• Blue Jacket Academy (Career Academy) A two-week intensive pre-employment training program covering soft skills, resume writing, job applications, interviewing, and workplace expectations for people with employment barriers, with a $10 enrollment fee.
• Blue Jacket Clothing Co. A thrift-style clothing store selling donated business professional attire (suits, dresses, pants, shirts, jackets, purses, belts, ties, shoes) at $5 or less, providing free clothing vouchers to Career Academy students and employing graduates transitionally.
• Blue Jacket Staffing An in-house staffing agency providing temporary-to-direct and transitional work crew placements of Career Academy graduates with local employer partners, with staffing fees waived when candidates transition from temporary to permanent placement.
• Tall Rabbit Cafe + Community A vintage-style coffee shop at 2001 Calhoun Street in Fort Wayne offering espresso-based artisan drinks, pastries, and meeting space, with baristas trained as Blue Jacket clients.
• Renew by Blue Jacket An upscale resale thrift store at Georgetown Shopping Center in Fort Wayne selling furniture, clothing, housewares, and books, designated to hire Blue Jacket clientele.
• Blue Jacket Cleaning

Quantifiable outcome

• 9% of Blue Jacket graduates with criminal backgrounds returned to crime (vs 42% statewide average for Allen County ex-inmates)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Fort Wayne Zoo/Fort Wayne Light FestminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 November 2024Partnership with Fort Wayne Zoo to bring 'TWICE AS BRIGHT' experience. Fantasy of Lights now part of Fort Wayne Light Fest. Enter off Goshen Road for Fantasy of Lights only, or off Sherman Blvd for Wild Lights only.
• WB ConsultingcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 October 2024Local consulting firm selected to lead the Blue Jacket Leadership Academy initiative from a statewide request for proposal process. WB Consulting is helping design and implement the leadership training program for Blue Jacket clients.
• Stone ConsultingcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 October 2024Local consulting firm assisting with the Blue Jacket Leadership Academy initiative. Supporting program development and implementation.
• The LighthouseminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024Partnership with The Lighthouse focusing on recovery and sustainability. Blue Jacket serves underemployed and unemployed residents of The Lighthouse.
• Trine UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 October 2021Educational partnership providing Blue Jacket graduates path to college degree. Trine evaluates courses taken by graduates and provides certificate of completion entitling students to up to 90 credit hours toward a bachelor's degree through TrineOnline. Trine provides 24/7 tutoring and helps access grants and scholarships.
• KrogerminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 25 February 2021Blue Jacket participates in Kroger Community Support Program. Shoppers can link their Kroger Shopper's Card to Blue Jacket and a percentage of purchases is donated to the organization.
• Amazon SmileminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 25 February 2021Amazon Smile program where Blue Jacket receives 0.5% of eligible purchases when supporters shop at smile.amazon.com. No extra cost to supporters.
• Warsaw/Markle EmployersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 10 January 2018Blue Jacket partners with employers in Warsaw, IN and Markle, IN providing shuttle transportation for graduates to access well-paying jobs. Partnership with large orthopedic manufacturer for 50+ placements.
• Embassy TheatrecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 September 2017First arts organization partnership for Blue Jacket. Partnership creates cleaning services program with facility set-up for ballroom and event rentals, lobby and front-of-house preparation for concerts and performances. Creates two full-time and at least 12 transitional 60-day jobs with permanent placement.
• City of Fort Wayne Public WorksminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 June 2017Partnership providing transitional work crews for public works projects including sidewalk improvement, trash cleanup, and city corridor beautification. At least 15 Blue Jacket clients working on projects. Former Blue Jacket client leads the team as manager.
• Fort Wayne MetalscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 November 2016Donated 13 refurbished Dell laptops to Blue Jacket Career Academy graduates who achieved 1+ year employment. Partnership with Indiana Eta chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon (Indiana Tech) to refurbish laptops. Supported Commitment Awards event.
• Fort4FitnessminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 November 2016Annual partnership organizing Winter Wonder Dash 2K and 5K walk/run during Fantasy of Lights. Since 2016, Fort4Fitness has organized the event on Nov. 14-15. Blue Jacket encourages participants to select them as charity of choice.
• Allen County Juvenile Probation DepartmentminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 28 April 2016Partnership for youth gardening program. Youth encountering trouble matched with gardening experts to learn urban farming. Program teaches organic growing methods.
• CANI (Community Action of Northeast Indiana)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 April 2014Partnership to expand employment training. CANI subcontracts with Blue Jacket for job training services. CANI clients receive training through Blue Jacket's Career Academy and job placement assistance through Blue Jacket Staffing. Partnership enables service across 11 counties in northeast Indiana.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Dress for Success: National nonprofit providing professional attire, career development, and employment support to women facing barriers. Comparable in offering free professional clothing as part of an employment-readiness journey, though narrower in population served.

Direct peers

• Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO): National nonprofit specializing in reentry employment for people with criminal records — direct mission overlap with Blue Jacket's original founding purpose and its 60% criminal-background client base.
• Roca: Massachusetts-based nonprofit providing employment, behavioral health, and recidivism-reduction services to high-risk young people and returning citizens. Comparable outcomes-focused model serving similar populations.
• National Able Network: National workforce-development nonprofit providing job training, placement, and supportive services to veterans, people with disabilities, and other barriered populations — comparable mission and service mix.
• Goodwill Industries of Northeast Indiana: Operates the same Fort Wayne/NE Indiana market with a comparable social-enterprise model (thrift retail, staffing, workforce training) and similar employment-barriers mission. Most directly comparable peer given geographic overlap and overlapping service lines.
• Vincent Village: Fort Wayne nonprofit serving families and individuals experiencing homelessness with transitional housing, childcare, and workforce development — directly comparable given Blue Jacket's expansion in 2012 to serve homeless individuals and overlap in transitional employment.
• WorkOne Northeast Indiana: American Job Center operator for northeast Indiana providing free job search, training, and placement services. Comparable as a regional workforce-development service provider competing for the same employer and job-seeker relationships.

Broad incumbents

• EasterSeals: Large national nonprofit providing disability employment services, vocational rehabilitation, and workforce development. Comparable in serving the disabilities population that Blue Jacket reports has tripled since 2022, but operates as a broad incumbent with a wider portfolio.
• Volunteers of America: National nonprofit with extensive workforce development, reentry, housing, and behavioral health programs. Comparable as a broad-based human-services incumbent with similar reentry and barriered-employment programs.

Regional players

• St. Vincent de Paul of Fort Wayne: Local Fort Wayne nonprofit providing emergency assistance, housing, and workforce-readiness support to people in poverty. Comparable as a regional safety-net and workforce-adjacent service provider in the same geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@bluejacketinc
• Facebookfacebook.com/BlueJacketInc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/blue-jacket-inc.
• Instagraminstagram.com/bluejacket.inc
• Xx.com/bluejacketinc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries4 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 Blue Jacket