Published in the Philadelphia Business Journal, May 29, 2026
Baker Industries president Nic Watson sat down with the Philadelphia Business Journal this month for a long-form Q&A on how Baker’s funding model reframes the conversation between nonprofits and corporate partners.
The central argument: when a company contracts with Baker for packaging, light manufacturing, or fulfillment work, they’re not making a donation. They’re buying a service — and that service funds the mission directly. Same transaction, two outcomes.
That structure is possible because of Baker’s 50/50 funding model: roughly half of Baker’s revenue comes from earned income through its production operations, and half comes from local philanthropic support. Baker takes no federal funding. That independence has shaped how the organization works for the last 46 years.
The three-stage arc of a strong partnership
The Q&A walks through the progression Baker sees in its strongest corporate relationships:
- Contract. A company hires Baker for production work — packaging, fulfillment, light manufacturing.
- Hire. Over months or years of working alongside Baker participants, the company comes to know them as colleagues and starts considering them for direct hire.
- Advocate. The company introduces Baker to peer companies and HR networks, helping the model scale.
Stockwell Elastomerics is one example of how that progression unfolds in practice. Allyson, a Baker graduate, now works at Stockwell — a hire that happened because Stockwell knew Baker’s participants through years of working with them on the production floor.
Why hiring is a business decision
The Q&A also makes the business case for hiring from Baker’s population directly. National data shows that people with stable employment after incarceration have recidivism rates around 16 percent — compared with rates above 50 percent for those without stable work. Companies that hire Baker graduates consistently report retention numbers better than their general workforce.
The community-level impact reaches further than any single hire. When people earn family-supporting wages, neighborhoods get stronger — less recidivism, more stable families, lower crime, more opportunity. The places Baker’s participants come from become better places to live and work, and that benefits every business in them.
What’s next
The piece previews several developments at Baker: a new Montgomery County facility opening this fall; an active expansion of fulfillment and shipping capacity; and the recently established Justin Baker Endowment, which funds expanded educational resources, training, and certifications for Baker participants.
Read the full Q&A
Read the full conversation in the Philadelphia Business Journal →
If your company contracts production, fulfillment, or light manufacturing work in the Philadelphia region, or you’re thinking about workforce development in a different way, we’d welcome the conversation. Visit bakerindustries.org or reach out directly.