Nonprofit Works to Help Itself

Like many nonprofits, the SEED Institute is constantly scrambling for grant money to keep the doors open. So the Irvine-based organization, which teaches self-employment to the disabled, decided to practice what it preaches.

SEED recently started its own business to remanufacture toner cartridges for laser printers, fax machines and personal copiers. The aim is twofold, according to executive director Julie Damon, who said SEED is looking to generate enough income to cover administrative and program costs, and to provide training for would-be entrepreneurs who want hands-on experience running a small business.

“We want to reduce our reliance on grant money and teach our clients at the same time,” Damon said.

SEED purchased the cartridge recycling dealership from Cartridge King Inc., a Maryland-based company founded in 1989 by Chip Beziat, a disability expert fed up with the lousy employment opportunities available to the disabled. The company now has 104 dealerships across 30 states, all operated by disabled entrepreneurs, rehabilitation centers or other nonprofits.

The company requires that Cartridge King dealers pay technicians at least minimum wage. But Beziat says the average technician makes $8.92 an hour, compared with less than $1 an hour earned by disabled workers in some sheltered workshops.

“We wanted to start something that would change people’s lives,” Beziat said.

The SEED dealership, called Cartridge King of Southern California, currently employs two technicians who repair, refill and repackage used toner cartridges. Students enrolled in the center’s entrepreneurial training will help out with sales and other support services.

Damon says the organization is shooting to break even in its first year of operation.

For more information on Cartridge King, contact Tonia Neumann at (949) 417-1187.

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Marla Dickerson can be reached at marla.dickerson@latimes.com.