1966
PRIDE Industries was founded in the basement of St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Auburn, California, by a group of parents whose children had developmental disabilities. The founders dreamed of a world where people with disabilities could achieve employment and full integration into their communities. PRIDE Industries began providing vocational training and life skills development, and in the late 1970s, moved to Roseville, California, to accommodate its continued growth and success.
1970s
PRIDE began a transformation that shifted the company from a traditional non-profit organization to one that operated as a business with a social mission. This innovative vision, brought forth by two members of PRIDE's Board of Directors, represented an exciting new model for the human service industry--one of self-sufficiency, growth, and more opportunity for people with disabilities.
1980s
Michael Ziegler was hired as President and Chief Executive Officer in 1983. At the time, PRIDE had 15 employees and provided rehabilitation services to 50 people with developmental disabilities. The company's annual budget totaled $250,000, of which 90 percent came from the United Way and other federal and state sources. Ziegler was instrumental in leading the company's transition to a business operation, while advancing its founders' mission to create jobs for people with disabilities. Over the next decade, PRIDE took an entrepreneurial role in the community and transformed itself from a non-profit organization dependent on federal and state funds to a self-sufficient company providing services to Fortune 500 companies.
1990s
PRIDE enjoyed significant business growth and success throughout the 1990s and was continuously recognized as one of the most admired, fastest-growing companies in the Sacramento region. In 1997, PRIDE restructured the company and aligned systems to more efficiently and effectively support its mission and business growth. This resulted in the formation of four core lines of business: Facility Support Services , Government Services, Mail and Fulfillment Services, and Manufacturing and Logistics Services. PRIDE also received ISO certification, recognizing the company's outstanding quality system.
2000
With tremendous growth and opportunity for streamlining operations, PRIDE constructed a new headquarters in Roseville that consolidated 8 of its 15 Sacramento/Placer County facilities under one roof. In September 2000, PRIDE moved into its new 177,000 square foot facility, which initially housed 700 employees.
Today
PRIDE is one of the nation's largest employers of people with disabilities in America, providing a variety of business solutions to meet the manufacturing and service needs of companies nationwide. PRIDE employs more than 3,200 employees, including some 2,500 people with disabilities. PRIDE continues to be recognized and awarded for its unique ability to blend an entrepreneurial business spirit with its social mission, and the company is currently ranked as the third largest manufacturing and service company in the greater Sacramento region.
