2014 Annual Report

2014
Aspiritech
Annual Report
427 Sheridan Road
Highwood, IL 60040
312-945-TEST (8378)
312-489-2297 FAX
Aspiritech.org
LETTER FROM OUR PRESIDENT AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Dear Friends,
We are happy to report that 2014 was a pivotal year for Aspiritech as we paved new roads to providing meaningful
employment suited to the strengths of people on the autism spectrum. Most importantly, we were able to train and
then add new staff on the autism spectrum to our team. Aspiritech’s software test engineers successfully worked with
13 different companies and tripled Aspiritech’s client revenue over 2013! Moreover, we branched out into a new
service area--hardware testing.
Much of this was due to the hard work and achievements of our talented team of software test engineers headed up
by Moshe Weitzberg, PhD, and Brian Tozzo, test lead, assisted by autism specialist Marc Lazar. Their work was
supported by our dedicated board of directors and growing number of stakeholders. We would like to highlight a few
of our achievements in 2014:
 To accommodate a growing staff and workload, we moved into expanded office space in April 2014.
 To date, we have successfully worked for 35 companies, several of which entrusted us with their entire quality
assurance needs.
 100% of surveyed 2014 clients would recommend Aspiritech’s services.
 Thanks to the support of our donors, we provided free training in software testing to nine more individuals on
the autism spectrum, enabling them to be hired at Aspiritech.
 We employed 24 software test engineers; 23 of whom are on the autism spectrum. One other person on the
autism spectrum is employed as our Social Media Manager.
 Thanks to donor support, we responded to 100% of the people who turned to us for help. We provided more
than 240 people with individualized resource and referral information.
 Aspiritech was recognized as a model employment program and featured at the “Employing Adults on the
Autism Spectrum: A Conference on Pioneering Small Business Models Summit” in North Carolina.
 Our Stepping Up & Out program, graciously funded by the Grandy Foundation, continued to help our staff
members and others on the autism spectrum develop critical soft employment skills and enhance their selfesteem and self-confidence through social skills-building classes and activities, experiential education/team
building, and health and fitness activities.
 Grants from the Healthcare Foundation of Highland Park, Fred J. Brunner Foundation, Helen Brach
Foundation, 100 Women Who Care-North Suburban Chapter along with individual donor support enabled us
to continue to employ autism specialists and expand our training and job coaching program.
Thanks to the seeds planted in 2014, we anticipate accelerated growth in 2015. Business contracts are budgeted to
double yet again which will enable us to both provide more work hours to our current staff members with autism as
well as accept additional trainees off our ever-expanding waitlist.
Aspiritech proves each and every day that, given the right structure and support, and most importantly, the right type
of work, we can transform the vocational experience for many on the autism spectrum. We have proven that adults on
the autism spectrum have very important business-critical skills to offer to our economy.
Thank you for your critical support of our mission.
Sincerely,
Beverly Shapiro
Board President
Brenda Weitzberg
Executive Director
2014 AUDITED REVENUES AND EXPENSES
2014 REVENUE
$463,801
Corporations
Foundations
Special event/ind. fundraising
Software testing revenue
Other
Released from restricted
$1,350
$98,710
$52,209
$269,732
$38
$41,762
$1,350
0%
21%
11%
58%
0%
9%
100%
$38
Corporations
$41,762
$98,710
Foundations
Special event/ind.
fundraising
$52,209
Software testing revenue
Other
$269,732
Released from restricted
REVENUES
2014 EXPENSES
$362,943
Program Costs
Fundraising
Management/general costs
$262,290
$6,896
$93,757
72%
2%
26%
100%
$93,757
Program Costs
Fundraising
Management/general costs
$6,896
$262,290
EXPENSES
2014 SURPLUS
$100,858
Our 2014 surplus will be reinvested in critical infrastructure enhancements in 2015 to strengthen our current
operations to enable growth. It will be used to create an expanded and better-served break room/social space
for our staff and other individuals on the autism spectrum, increase our staff infrastructure including another
autism specialist, a full time executive director, a business director as well as other support staff.
We are especially proud of how much our client revenue from software testing services has grown thanks to
our team! And we are on track to double it in 2015!
$300,000
$250,000
$200,000
$150,000
$100,000
$50,000
$0
2011
2012
2013
2014
ASPIRITECH HARNESSES THE STRENGTHS OF AUTISM





Tremendous attention to detail
Prolonged focus on seemingly repetitive tasks
Strong visual processing skills
Affinity for technology
Ability to complete tasks with clear rules and structure
Aspiritech provides job coaching and supports as needed
through its Autism Specialists
Software testing is a perfect vocational fit!
Characteristics of Successful Employment
Programs for Individuals with Autism Spectrum
(ASD) Laura Klinger, PhD, TEACCH


Match the unique strengths and interests of
individuals with ASD with the job.
Provide supports for organization, social
skills, emotion regulation.
Aspiritech has both characteristics!
OUR TEST ENGINEERS EXCEL!
A survey of our 2014 customers found that Aspiritech’s clients:
● Rank quality of service as the most important factor in their decision to use Aspiritech.
● Are satisfied to highly satisfied on all measures including quality, timeliness, professionalism,
communications, and collaboration.
● Universally (100%) would recommend our services.
● Rank both quality and price above Aspiritech’s mission in their decision to use
Aspiritech.
In 2014:
23 Testers
1 Test Lead
A few client testimonials:
1 Social Media
“You guys hit it out of the park!” Chris Gould, Eagle Metal
Manager
9 Trained
-all on autism
spectrum
“The Aspiritech testers were a great help to our project. They were professionally
flexible in adopting our tools and methodologies… Their thoroughness and attention to
detail in the tests were second to none.” Curt Gayheart, Monarch Teaching
Technologies
“Having [the Aspiritech testers] join my project was like unleashing a herd upon my
software. We discovered many critical issues day one and they continue to provide value
on a daily basis.” Ken Everett, VP Engineering, Promantek Inc.
TESTIMONIALS FROM OUR TEST ENGINEERS
“I enjoy the people I work with, and taking on new projects at Aspiritech. Each new project presents a new
opportunity for me to learn on the job and gain experience."
"I like the group interaction and the teamwork. Also, the fact that all of us are working on multiple projects on
a daily basis, makes Aspiritech a very unique place to work for."
“In addition to meaningful employment, Aspiritech offers me a social life too.”
“My time at Aspiritech was a key factor for my current employer's decision to hire me. Aspiritech provided the
tech experience they needed to see before taking me on.” Former Aspiritech test engineer
STEPPING UP & OUT (SU&O)




Eases isolation
Improves social skills and communication
Increases self-efficacy and self-esteem
Enhances fitness
“I really have enjoyed the Stepping Up and Out program
so far. I was able to learn a few things concerning
teamwork and effective communication, and I became
better acquainted with my co-workers. The museum trips
and the excursion to the Botanical Gardens were my
favorite parts.”
In 2014, Aspiritech provided 50 Stepping Up & Out activities including lectures, outings, parties, museum trips;
team building, fitness and improvisation workshops plus three volunteer opportunities in the community.
50
SU&O
activities
in 2014
“For me, the real value of the Stepping Up & Out program is that it provides a space that is outside of my comfort zone,
but it still feels safe to be in. It reminds me that it's okay to break the routine, and I need those reminders to keep from
feeling stuck. And, it's great to socialize with a wide variety of autistic people--it helps me understand autism, and myself
better.”
$25,000
Fred J. Brunner Foundation
Grandy Foundation
$10,000-15,000
Health Care Foundation of Highland Park
Helen Brach Foundation
100 Women Who Care-North Suburban Chapter
$5,000-5,500
Finnegan Family Foundation
Louise Pearson and Jack Henkin, PhD
Hong Zhang-Sun, PhD and Xien-He Sun, PhD
$2,000-$2,600
Alvin H. Baum Family Foundation
Sweeney Family Foundation
Trillium Foundation
$1,000-1,999
Dr. Robert and Mrs. Sharon Bielski
Michele and Don Cronin
Season of Change Foundation
Jim and Joanne Steinback
Dr. Gene and Mrs. Sharyn Weiss
James and Minerva Weiss Foundation
$500-$750
Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Educate
Extrel CMS, LLC
Dr. and Mrs. Micky Foreman
Mark and Laura Friedman
Dan Garner
Bill and Melinda Gates Fdn. Matching Gifts
Chet Hurwitz and Sara Barron
Jim and Marie McCallister
Danielle Moushon
Drs. Debbie and Larry Segil
Myron and Beverly Shapiro
Drs. John Sobolski and Fatieh Khojasteh
Tablecraft Products Co.
Takiff Family Foundation
Carmela and Donald Tozzo
Linda Warren
Pin-He and Yung Zhang
$200-$499
Erika Barber
Bruce Belrose and Ester Stein
Marcia and Leon Bernstein
Ronald Brix
Reggie and Nancy Buckley
CME
Charles and Carol Calcaterra
Dr. Duke and Mrs. Claudia Cameron in honor of
Brenda's 60th birthday
Emily and Robert Carroll
Brad and Jackee Cohen
Matt and Marilee Cole
Teri and Dennis Dudasik
Dr. and Mrs. Richard Elliott
Fannie Mae Serve Program
Mr. and Mrs. Dubi Fishel
Terri and Michael Freeman
Irwin and Adrienne Friedman
Steven Froehlich
Bud Glick
Elizabeth Greene
Dr. Louis and Mrs. Suzanne Greenwald
Dr. and Mrs. Yugui Gu
Greg and Kelly Hart
Anne Jacobson and Richard Kolsky
Jeffrey Kadison in honor of Eric States
Mary and Robert Killian
Vered and Israel Klinghofer
Arieh Konigl, PhD
Darlene Krammer
Anne and Alan Kraus
Jay and Karen Lovett
Marc Mar- Yohana and Rachelle Jervis
Bill and Annette McClellan
Margaret McDonald
Courtney McNabb
Mediapros, Inc.
Ronald and Patricia Miller
Andy and Nancy Mills
Todd and Lori Newberger
Roslyn and Joseph Perlman Foundation
Clint Pross and Amy Ecker
George Rosenzweig in memory of June Hurwitz
Arthur Segil
Stephen Sehler
Byron and Jean States
Mark and Stacy Sternberg
Ileane and David Voigt
Robin and Bob von Halle
Brenda and Moshe Weitzberg, PhD
Katy and Hugh Zwick
$100-$199
Anonymous in honor of Mark Friedman
Susan and Bill Abrams
Mel and Donna Alexander
Jean and Bill Bacarella
Celia Berdes
Ben Bielski and Moselle De Long Bielski in honor of
Jacob Bielski
Michael and Rebecca Bier
Bindy Bitterman in honor of Katie Levin and colleagues
Richard Clark and Laura Whiting
Nancy and Jack Cohen
Joan Costello
Cubist
Abraham and Bette Cyzner
Betty Dayron in honor of Beverly Shapiro
Dr. and Mrs. Ira Dolnick
Stuart and Elaine Duhl
Matthew Epstein
Wenqing Fan and Xilin Han
Shirley Feigenbaum in memory of June Hurwitz
Erik and Margaret Ford
Michael Forman
Janet and Merrill Freed
Norman and Roberta Friedman
Yuji and Rika Fukunaga
Jack and Ruth Gruener
Joe Handwerker in honor of Jack Henkin
Gary Hart
Chris Heiss
Hungry Monkey
Leonard Innocenzi
Dr. and Mrs. Doug Kalvin
Shabbir Kappadin
Candida and Patrick Kyle
Steven LaKind
Harvey and Debby Lazar in memory of Leah Preis
Moshe and Toby Leibowitz
Carolyn and Larry Levine in honor of Beverly Shapiro
Renee Lewis
Carol Linch
Kevin McCarthy
Drs. Gary Posner and Judith Stamberg
Diann and Richard Root
Alan Rosenblatt, MD
Peggy and Don Shearn
Julie Solomon
Han Surtai
David Suttmiller
Elinor T. Turbov in honor of David Krause
Cindy Wolfson in memory of Bruce Kaplan
Under $100
Jon and Leslie Alpert
Katelyn Ciszan
Dan and Barrie Cohen
Leslie Corn
Thomas and Alison Duncan in memory of June Hurwitz
Paul and Diane Eident
Dorothy Fiedler
Kayla Friedman in honor of Mark Friedman
Georgia Conservancy in memory of June Hurwitz
Sheila and Vern Gideon
Barbara and Charles Gitkin
Daniel and Gail Goldstein
Laurie Goldstein
Sherrie Goldstein and Beth Berkley
Phyllis F. Grodsky
Merrill and Bernette Hoyt
Margaret Imber
Philip and Phyllis Lapin
Niya Moon
David Nehmadi
Network for Good
Laurel Nida
Jan Pilarski
Robert Ramis in memory of Irving Ramis
Susan Rochlis
Susan Rochlis in memory of Gail Glickman
Terry Rosenblum in honor of Beverly Shapiro
Dr. Stephen Salinger
Jan and Jerry Saks in memory of June Hurwitz
Gay Schreiber
Cynthia Seifert
Beverly and Myron Shapiro in memory of June Hurwitz
Robert and Deborah Shelist
Johanna Sievers
Ronnie Sokol
Sara Weinberger and Mordi Kamel in memory of June
Hurwitz
Laura Weiner in memory of June Hurwitz
Barb and Victor Weisskopf
Brenda & Moshe Weitzberg in memory of June Hurwitz
Katie and Ken White
Michael Yasukawa
Don Zabelin and Barbara Sered-Zabelin
Dr. Moshe Zamir
In Kind Donors:
● Anne Gram ● Bath and Bodyworks ● Biaggi's Restaurant
● Lee Farber ● Blue Man Group ● Bluegrass ● Bob Chinn's
Crabhouse ● Buffo's ● Carol's Cookies ● Chicago
Architecture Foundation ● Chicago Botanic Gardens ●
Chicago Shakespeare Theater ● Citywoods ● CorePower
Yoga ● Crossroads Soft Cloth Car Wash & Detail ● Diane
Steinmetz ● Enaz ● Fresh Market ● Ariane Heffernan ●
Fresh Thyme Farmer's Market ● Hub 51 ● Marcello's ●
Marriott Lincolnshire ● Michael's ● Norton's ● Piven
Theater Workshop ● Reiki Rising ● Sai Café ● The Gage ●
Therapeutic Kneads ● Timeline Theater Company ● Trax ●
Becca Weiss ● Gene Weiss ● Whole Foods Market ●
2014 Board of Directors
2014 Staff
2015 Board of Directors
Beverly Shapiro, President
Gene Weiss, M.D. Vice President
Brad Cohen, Treasurer
Sharon Bielski
Ron Brix
Mark Friedman
Bud Glick
Chet Hurwitz
Danielle Moushon
Marc Noland
Ben Prozinski
Moshe Weitzberg, PhD
Brenda Weitzberg
Executive Director
Moshe Weitzberg, PhD
Director of Operations
Marc Lazar, MS
Autism Specialist
Emma Kolsky
Autism Specialist
Brian Tozzo
Lead Tester
Katie Levin
Social Media Manager
Beverly Shapiro, President
Gene Weiss, M.D. Vice President
Brad Cohen, Treasurer
Sharon Bielski
Ron Brix
Bud Glick
Chet Hurwitz
Danielle Moushon
Marc Noland
Ben Prozinski
Ester Stein
Moshe Weitzberg, PhD
Advisory Board
+ Our Team of 24 Test
Engineers
Ed Asner
Brian King, LCSW
Bennett Leventhal, M.D.
Dan Mayo
Louise Pearson
Keita Suzuki
Hong Zhang, PhD
PROGRAM VOLUNTEERS:
Dov (Dubi) Fishel
Rachelle Jervis
Richard Kolsky
Marc Mar-Yohana
MISSION STATEMENT:
Aspiritech provides a path for high functioning individuals on the autism
spectrum to realize their potential through gainful employment.
427 Sheridan Road, Highwood, IL 60040
312-945-TEST (8478)
312-489-2297 FAX
aspiritech.org