Nonprofit Spotlight & Community Impact Award Winner: Human Technologies
The Community Impact Award is presented by the Community Foundation to nonprofit organizations that serve Herkimer and/or Oneida counties to celebrate outstanding achievements in the charitable sector. The 2025 recipient is Human Technologies!
The Community Impact Award is presented by the Community Foundation to nonprofit organizations that serve Herkimer and/or Oneida counties to celebrate outstanding achievements in the charitable sector. The 2025 recipient is Human Technologies!
ABOUT HUMAN TECHNOLOGIES
Human Technologies (HT) is a self-sufficient, social enterprise organization founded in 1954 with a mission to create employment for people with differing abilities. HT is not your typical nonprofit organization, says Carl Reistrom, president/CEO. He describes it as a business with a mission.
“It’s special in that, we’re just different. We’re unique. We don’t have clients, we don’t have consumers…we have employees. Our mission is people focused and in order to continue to create these opportunities and support people, we run our organization like a business,” Reistrom shared.
To make their mission a reality, the organization obtains 100% of its revenue through developing, investing in, and managing numerous lines of business, including:
- Environmental Services
- Facilities Management Services
- 3PL/Supply Chain Management Services
- Uniform and Apparel Management Services
- Manufacturing and Packaging Operations
“Our board of directors made a very courageous decision back in the 2000s to become non-reliant on state or federal funding and truly become self-sufficient,” said Reistrom.
The organization is headquartered in Utica at the site of the former ECR International/Utica Boilers building on Dwyer Ave. Though much of their focus is local, they have operations across New York State, as well as in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and northern Virginia.
HT’s commitment to community was one of the driving factors behind the Community Impact Award recognition.
“Human Technologies is a great example of what is possible when you think outside of the box,” said Alicia Dicks, president/CEO of the Community Foundation. “The opportunities they are creating are keeping talent local, attracting investment locally, and are contributing to the revitalization of our region, something we always talk about. We’re honored to present them with the award this year.”
Reistrom says he hopes that the work they are doing at HT can influence other organizations to think a bit differently about how they generate revenue to support their missions.
“It starts with a vision of what’s possible—one bold enough to disrupt old models and re-imagine something better,” he said. “That vision must be backed by the alignment of your board and management team, setting clear direction and goals. From there, the question becomes: How do we achieve it? What do we do best? How do we leverage the resources we currently have? Do we partner with other entities? It’s all about identifying the best path forward and crafting an actionable strategy to bridge the gap between where you are and where you want to be.”
Despite all of HT’s successes, they credit it all to the most vital part of the puzzle—their employees.
“At Human Technologies, we specialize in finding abilities in people and putting them in a position where they’re going to succeed,” said Nate Linck, manager of marketing
and communications. “To see them succeed and gain that confidence in themselves is the cornerstone of what we do.”
Congratulations and keep up the good work, Human Technologies!