As Autism Awareness Month draws to a close, we check in with Pitt spinout Diamond Kinetics, which struck up a serendipitous relationship with Progress City Autism Employment Network to offer employment opportunities at the company.
Diamond Kinetics CEO CJ Handron said the partnership emerged from a fortuitous conversation he had with people from Progress City, who are located in the same office building as the company on Pittsburgh’s North Side.
“They were just getting started and proposed a “pilot” where individuals in their program would come to our office to learn the packaging process.”
The Autism Employment Network expands the definition of diversity to include those on the autism spectrum.
“Progress City has solved a real pain point for us. We reached a threshold where we couldn’t handle the volume with our existing team and were getting bogged down. At the same time, we needed some improvements in overall quality assurance and the cost structure around packaging,” Handron said.
Progress City now handles packaging every Diamond Kinetics product.
“Our products are packaged and delivered by Progress City employees, now known as ‘Diamond Kinetics Packing Experts,’ who earn a paycheck, contribute to something bigger, and build valuable career and life skills,” Handron added.
Diamond Kinetics was formed from research by Swanson School of Engineering professor William “Buddy” Clark, an avid baseball enthusiast and coach. The company produces baseball bats and balls that include sensors that connect wirelessly to laptops or other devices to provide performance information to athletes, trainers and coaches.
Among the company’s clients are many Major League baseball teams and NCAA college teams.
Below is a video highlighting the partnership:
Learn more about the Autism Employment Network and other services provided by Progress City by visiting their website here: https://progresscity.net/