Extraordinary Ventures is a non-profit with a mission to create and nurture self-sustaining small businesses with the philosophy that all people are employable. We focus on providing employment opportunities for an often overlooked workforce – Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities such as autism.
A serious employment gap exists for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and autism. As a result of negative stigma the traditional job market rarely taps this pool of talent even though they are excellent employees.
79% of adults with autism are unemployed.
Once leaving the supportive environment of the school system, adults with I/DD and Autism “fall off the cliff” into an adulthood with few services, community supports, or job prospects. Neurodiverse adults who are not employed in an encouraging workplace often lose vital skills and their emotional well-being significantly declines.
We are an organization operating on a true business model to produce high-quality goods and services. For more than 15 years, Extraordinary Ventures has been working toward bettering our community and local economy by meeting consumer needs through operating a portfolio of sustainable businesses. We are not an agency or a service provider; we are an inclusive employer creating real jobs in real businesses.
Our businesses provide real solutions for the real needs of the community while simultaneously creating paid job opportunities for a neurodiverse workforce.
Our goal for these endeavors is extraordinary…to enable every individual in our society the opportunity to achieve their highest quality of life, regardless of their intellectual and developmental abilities, by giving them a job and a purpose.
Our ventures provide premium-quality goods and services that are in demand in the competitive marketplace.
Employees engage in real work in for-profit businesses with opportunities for career development.
Employment for individuals with a wide range of abilities in a fully inclusive workplace.
An employment model that is self-sustaining through the profits of our businesses.
At Extraordinary Ventures, our dedicated employees are matched to the positions that fit their talents and interests. The result: an extraordinary workforce with remarkable longevity and high employee satisfaction. Employees have opportunities to develop new skills, take on increasing responsibility, and to build fulfilling careers.
Extraordinary Ventures has created over 200,000 hours of meaningful employment paying over $1.2 million in wages.
The median employee tenure at Extraordinary Ventures is 8.6 years, versus 1.9 years for comparable jobs at other employers. In fact, many of our employees have been successfully employed with us for over 10 years. Former Extraordinary Ventures employees have gone on to use their skills in a wide variety of public and private sector jobs.
We have accomplished much, and this is only the beginning. We continue to work to grow our businesses to create more employment opportunities.
Closing the employment gap for adults with I/DD also requires the participation of the entire community. Extraordinary Ventures is committed to sparking systemic change through a number of initiatives including:
Extraordinary Ventures
200 S. Elliott Rd
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
info@extraordinaryventures.org
Extraordinary Ventures is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
EIN: 11-3808390.
