One booth in the vendors room at NJMEP’s ‘Made in New Jersey’ Manufacturing Day stood out among the rest for its wide array of products and designs. Hats with car wash logos, mugs with state parks on them — Spectrum Designs offered anything a company could want.
All of their products had a common thread: Unique design from unique individuals. Nearly all of the Spectrum products were produced by the neurodiverse community.
Deanna Nissen, Spectrum’s Director of Administration, said promoting inclusivity is a mission of the company.
“The magic behind us is that we provide employment to individuals on the autism spectrum,” she said.
Spectrum employs over one hundred people across three different states. Seventy percent of them are neurodivergent.
With such a supportive employer, workers at Spectrum report that they feel comfortable to express themselves without stigmatization. Employee reviews on their website celebrate the company for a welcoming atmosphere and supportive structure. In turn, they are celebrated on the site’s team page.
For fifteen years, Spectrum Designs has been working with companies, social groups and individuals to create the best promotional materials.
Now, Spectrum Designs is making space for itself in New Jersey, where it has opened a location in Hackensack.
“We’re new to New Jersey; we’ve been here since May,” Nissen said. “We just became members of ACCSES New Jersey.”
ACCSES New Jersey is a statewide nonprofit that helps organizations that employ people with disabilities win state contracts. A recent study said member organizations in New Jersey directly employ more than 1,500 individuals, who help generate more than $80 million in economic output across the state.
Nissen said Spectrum Designs is eager to add to both of those figures.
“No order is too small or too big,” she said. “We have hundreds of thousands of items.”
