At the Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI) Show Chicago, Jed Seifert, co-founder of Stakes Manufacturing, was announced as the 2024 Counselor Bess Cohn Humanitarian of the Year. The award was presented by Norman Cohn, ASI Chairman, and his wife, Suzanne. The award is named after Bess Cohn, Norman’s mother, who, as Jed recalls, “instilled in him at an early age the belief that no one will remember how much money you make or the professional successes you achieve; what truly matters is the impact you have giving back and the lives you touch.”
Jed’s brother Darren was born with Fragile X syndrome. For almost 25 years, Darren has worked in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s mailroom in Washington, D.C. Jed has called Darren’s career a life-changing opportunity, one he wanted to provide to his employees and others within the print industry.
“Disability employment has always been a real passion of mine, as well as our organization,” says Jed in the DTF Printing Podcast. His first initiative when launching Stakes Manufacturing in 2019 was to be an inclusive business. “That means race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, and age … but what often gets left out in the dark is disabilities because a lot of people have these preconceived notions of what people are capable of,” he says. About 10 percent of Stakes 250 employees have developmental disabilities, as well as 12 high school interns per semester in their school-to-work transition program with the local school system.
“People with disabilities are the largest minority in America and they have the highest unemployment rate by a ridiculous number. A staggering 75 to 80 percent are currently unemployed,” says Jed. In 2023, the unemployment rate for people with a disability was 7.2 percent. “It’s not because they don’t want to work. It’s because people won’t give them the opportunity. So, by opening up the door to the disabled community, it provides a whole other pool of employees, which is extremely important.”
Jed thanks his business partner, Vince Bartozzi and his team at Stakes Manufacturing who support his mission to provide life-changing employment opportunities. “I am also grateful to SEEC who support my brother and have taught me everything I know about disability employment, and to the National Fragile X Foundation for supporting our family and the community.” He shares the award with his wife Niki and his brother Darren.
“It was an incredibly humbling honor to be recognized in an industry with so many extraordinary human beings who selflessly give back,” says Jed. “I had to hold back tears when Norman shared how meaningful this award was to him and his family. He expressed how proud his entire family was of me and mentioned that he had been looking forward to meeting me for months. His words moved me deeply and gave me a genuine sense of pride that I rarely allow myself to feel.”
Listen to Jed’s episode of the DTF Printing Podcast here.
Watch DTF Printing’s recap of the ASI Show Chicago 2024 here.
Read ASI’s coverage of Jed here.
