Challenge

Robert R. Sprole, Sr., the former president of Therm, founded Challenge in 1968. He formed this vocational rehabilitation center as a not-for-profit corporation that would provide disabled individuals with evaluation, job training and job counseling services. Sprole's goal with Challenge was to find a realistic and appropriate job for everyone in the community who faced barriers to employment. The 1970s paved the way for this new organization to find a proper home. At 402 E. State St., formerly Ithaca Textiles, Inc., we operated such businesses as a mailroom, a print shop, a thrift store, a wood shop and a janitorial service.

Challenge Contract Production grew out of a need of local businesses for additional labor. Challenge already had a history of training people with disabilities and other employment barriers for jobs in our community. We decided to hone our skills to the needs of business and Challenge Contract Production was born. Currently in our 7,000 sq ft fully-licensed facility we package dry goods for a host of companies such as William Sonoma, Tropical Foods, Stonewall Kitchens, Redco Junket, Barefoot Contessa and many more.