creative enterprises

What creative enterprises does

Creative Enterprises is a Georgia-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit community rehabilitation program founded in 1976 and incorporated in 1979. The organization delivers vocational rehabilitation, community rehabilitation, and life skills training to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities across six physical campuses in Gwinnett, Forsyth, Dawson, White, Franklin, and Barrow counties, with headquarters at 701 Hi Hope Lane in Lawrenceville, GA. Core service lines include Community Rehabilitation Programs, Vocational Rehabilitation Services (work evaluations, supported employment, job coaching), and Georgia Medicaid Waiver Programs under DBHDD's NOW and COMP waivers, supplemented by program modules covering academics, life skills, arts, fitness, production work, horticulture (greenhouse, community garden, orchard added in 2021), animal therapy, and a licensed cat shelter (GA License # A341). Ancillary job-training ventures include Creative Scoops (mobile ice cream cart), Creative Café (courthouse breakfast service), and the Oh My Dog pet store.

The business model is government-payor and donation-driven rather than technology-driven. The core technology stack is essentially absent — there are no proprietary products, APIs, SDKs, or AI systems; the organization operates as a human services provider rather than a technology company. Funding flows primarily through three channels: Georgia DBHDD Medicaid Waiver sponsorship (NOW and COMP), Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency (GVRA) contracts for work evaluations and supported employment, and a smaller mix of private sponsors, family funds, United Way contributions, production-fee work for local businesses, and public donations via PayPal. CARF International accreditation has been maintained since the 1980s across four service categories (Community Employment Services: Employment Supports; Job Development; Community Integration; Employee Development Services), functioning as a regulatory credential required for state funding access. The go-to-market motion is community-led and referral-driven: participants enter through GVRA referrals, DBHDD waiver assignments, direct admissions, or walk-in inquiries, with the organization maintaining an admissions interest form and offering site tours at each campus.

Creative Enterprises is led by Executive Director Leigh McIntosh (M.Ed., CRC, CSAE), supported by a 13-person management team spanning programs, compliance/finance, client services, production, employment services, and county-level supervision. The board is a volunteer body of community members, and there is no parent company, no private equity ownership, and no funding rounds — the entity operates independently as a 501(c)(3). Strategic positioning emphasizes person-centered planning, individual choice, and community integration via the Classrooms Without Walls program, with growth achieved primarily through geographic expansion into additional Georgia counties rather than product or technology expansion.

Name

creative enterprises

Legal name

Creative Enterprises Inc.

Website

https://ceisite.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Creative Enterprises is a Georgia-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit community rehabilitation program that delivers vocational training, supported employment, and life skills services to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities across six campuses, funded primarily through DBHDD Medicaid waivers and GVRA contracts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Rehabilitation Services

NAICS

Vocational Rehabilitation Services (624310), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (62431), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth-to-Adult Transition & Life Skills (Independent Living, Soft Skills) (EDAAAFAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Arts, Culture & Creative Placemaking Enterprises (BPAGALAO), Communication, Collaboration & Conflict Resolution Skills (EDAMAIAF)

Keywords

• Community rehabilitation services
• Vocational training programs
• Disability employment services
• Life skills training
• Supported employment

Headquarters

HQ city

Lawrenceville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Medicaid Waiver Funding: Services sponsored and funded by Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) through New Options (NOW) and Comprehensive Supports (COMP) Medicaid Waiver programs for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities.
2. Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency (GVRA): Services funded through GVRA including work evaluations, supported employment, vocational training, job skills development, and job coaching support for individuals seeking competitive employment.
3. Private and NGO Sponsors: Programs funded by private sponsors, family funds, trusts, and community organizations like United Way on a limited basis.
4. Production/Contract Work Services: Production Facility provides labor resources for local businesses. Individuals work on tasks ranging from simple to complex while earning a paycheck, with work coaches providing supervision and training.
5. Donations: One-time or recurring financial donations accepted from the public, as well as donations of goods and supplies. The organization is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit eligible to receive charitable contributions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Creative Enterprises is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community rehabilitation program that provides vocational rehabilitation, employment training, life skills instruction, and community integration services to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities across six campuses in Georgia. Services are delivered under Georgia Medicaid Waiver programs (NOW and COMP) and through contracts with the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency (GVRA), supplemented by private sponsorships and donations, with on-site production work, horticulture, arts, and micro-enterprise training as part of the program mix.

Product overview

Creative Enterprises operates as a unified community rehabilitation program with multiple integrated service modules. The core offering consists of Community Rehabilitation Programs and Vocational Rehabilitation Services, supported by Georgia Medicaid Waiver Programs (NOW and COMP). Program modules include Academics, Life Skills Training, The Arts Program, Fitness is Fun, Production Facility, Horticulture, Classrooms Without Walls, Animal Therapy, and a Licensed Cat Shelter. Specialized job training programs include Creative Scoops Ice Cream Cart and Creative Café. A Community Garden and Orchard component provides horticultural training and community engagement. All programs work together to provide comprehensive employment and life skills training for individuals with disabilities across six Georgia campuses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Oh My Dog: A pet store operated by Creative Enterprises offering pet supplies, located at the Barrow County campus.
• Creative Scoops
• Creative Café

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Food Well AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Partnership through Food Well Alliance's Orchard Project in partnership with Giving Grove. Food Well Alliance provided a Community Garden Grant used to buy gardening tools, fencing for the orchard, and a portable sink. Creative Enterprises received one of 17 new orchards planted. Food Well is described as 'an amazing partner' and 'a major, major help and a wonderful contributor.'
• GATES (Georgia Association of Training, Employment and Supports)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStatewide association representing community rehabilitation providers (CRPs) serving people with disabilities and other barriers to employment. GATES operates on principles of person-centered planning, self-determination, consumer choice, empowerment, mainstreaming, and integration. Creative Enterprises is a member through Executive Director Leigh McIntosh, who also serves as a Director with GATES.
• Gwinnett Rotary ClubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreative Enterprises Gwinnett Campus is an active member of the Gwinnett Rotary Club through participation of Executive Director Leigh McIntosh. Part of a global network of 1.4 million members working to create lasting change across communities.
• Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency (GVRA)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorState agency mission to achieve employment and independence for Georgians with disabilities. Creative Enterprises assists GVRA by providing vocational rehabilitation services including work evaluations, supported employment, vocational training, job skills development, job placement, and on-the-job coaching support.
• Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGeorgia state department that sponsors programs through Medicaid Waiver Programs (NOW and COMP). Creative Enterprises provides direct employment, vocational training, employment assistance, and community-based life skills instruction for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities under these waiver programs.
• Gwinnett County ExtensionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCounty extension service informed Creative Enterprises about Food Well Alliance's Orchard Project opportunity, leading to the application and installation of the community orchard.
• Local Master GardenersminorOthersVolunteer Master Gardeners teach the Horticulture program at the Forsyth campus, instructing how to grow plants, herbs, and vegetables in various settings for use in Cooking classes - Garden to Table experiences.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Bobby Dodd Institute: Atlanta-based 501(c)(3) community rehabilitation program providing vocational training, supported employment, and day services to individuals with disabilities in Georgia. Operates under the same GVRA and DBHDD waiver framework, directly competing for referrals across the Atlanta metro.
• SourceAmerica: National AbilityOne-program CRP network focused on employment and vocational training for people with disabilities. Operates a comparable model of community rehabilitation, supported employment, and contract production work — directly analogous to Creative Enterprises' Production Facility and vocational services.
• Peckham Inc. Michigan-based 501(c)(3) community rehabilitation program offering vocational training, supported employment, and life skills services to individuals with disabilities. Operates social enterprises (Peckham Industries, Peckham Farms) comparable to Creative Enterprises' Production Facility and Creative Scoops/Café revenue-generating training programs.
• The Arc Georgia: Georgia state chapter of The Arc, providing advocacy and direct services including day programs, employment supports, and community integration for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Operates within the same DBHDD waiver and GVRA referral ecosystem.
• InCommunity (BrightSpring): Georgia-focused provider of community-based supports, employment services, and waiver-funded programs for individuals with developmental disabilities. Now part of the larger BrightSpring Health Services platform; directly competes for DBHDD NOW/COMP waiver referrals in overlapping Georgia counties.
• Hope Haven: Iowa-based community rehabilitation program providing vocational training, supported employment, and residential services for individuals with disabilities. Comparable CARF-accredited CRP model with social-enterprise revenue streams (Hope Haven Enterprises).
• Easterseals North Georgia: Regional Easterseals affiliate serving North Georgia with vocational rehabilitation, employment services, and community programs for individuals with disabilities. Operates in overlapping Georgia counties and competes for the same GVRA and DBHDD-funded referral pool.
• LifeBridge Community Services: Southeast-based community rehabilitation and developmental services provider offering day programs, employment supports, and community integration. Comparable CARF-accredited CRP structure with similar Medicaid waiver funding dependency.

Broad incumbents

• Easterseals: National nonprofit operating a broad portfolio of disability services including vocational rehabilitation, employment supports, and community integration. Comparable in CARF-accredited services and waiver-funded programs, but at significantly larger scale and geographic reach.
• Goodwill Industries International: Global nonprofit network providing job training and employment services for people with disabilities and other barriers. Operates community rehabilitation programs and supported employment services comparable to Creative Enterprises' core offering, but at vastly greater scale and with retail-funded revenue model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/creative_enterprises_
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/creative-ent-inc

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 creative enterprises