Fall 2005

Pat O’Hara, general manager of operations

“I’m delighted to be here,” Pat O’Hara exclaims. “The transition’s been smooth. I’ve had a good time. There are great people throughout the organization. I think that’s shown through the longevity of top management all the way through the entire organization.”

Pat comes to the Lighthouse with twenty-three years of manufacturing experience under his belt. “I’ve always had a knack for dealing with people. From a young age, I was moved to supervisor positions. At twenty-three, I was running a manufacturing shop where I learned a lot about the finance end of things.”

Pat first became acquainted with the Lighthouse through his family’s connection to Fircrest, a residential rehabilitation center for developmentally disabled people. “My wife, my mom, my brother, my sister --- everybody had worked at Fircrest at one point. I thought that was a neat program --- just trying to get people transitioned out of institutions to where they could go to work.” He continues, “The Lighthouse was something I had always heard about because years ago, a lot of the [Group Supported Employees who work for the Lighthouse] had come from Fircrest where my wife worked. So I’d always known about the Lighthouse, but at that time I didn’t know much.”

Pat joined the non-profit business world by accepting a management position with Skills, Inc., an aerospace manufacturing and finishing not-for-profit company employing people with disabilities. “By going to Skills I was aiming to give something back. If I did my job right, we would be enriching the community, not just earning personal income. That means a lot to me.”

At Skills, Inc., Pat became closely acquainted with the Lighthouse for the Blind. “Through the five years I spent at Skills, I got to know the people over at the Lighthouse. We did all the finishing work for the Lighthouse. We were able to help the Lighthouse fulfill their mission while we fulfilled ours,” he says.

In 2005, the Lighthouse added a new general manager of operations position to its executive staff roster in a continuing commitment to improving quality and expanding employment opportunities. “They started talking to me about the position and it really intrigued me because the Lighthouse is better at the whole spectrum of a not-for-profit than any company I’ve seen. By having fundraising that helps support the programs, by having programs that help support the manufacturing and so on --- it’s just a beautiful program, the way everything is set up. It’s a class act and it’s something I wanted to be a part of.”

As general manager of operations, Pat will concentrate on improving processes and securing new contracts for the Lighthouse. “We are streamlining operations,” he explains. “This will make us more effective and it will give us the chance to offer more opportunities to blind people.”

He continues, “Seventy percent of blind folks are unemployed. Well, if we can grow the company to higher revenues and create more opportunities, then that will help drop those numbers down. We won’t be able to give a job to everyone, but for the people we do give jobs to it’s going to make their life better and enhance society at large. Those are things I’m passionate about.”

Pat looks forward to helping the Lighthouse to grow and fulfill its mission in the coming years. He brings with him a commitment to the Lighthouse mission and a management ethic of respect and equality. “You’ve got to treat people with respect. That’s something that’s always been at the top of my list. You can learn something from everyone you meet. That’s something I always think: What am I going to learn today?”

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