Lions Industries For The Blind, Inc.

Lions Industries For The Blind, Inc., a tax-exempt nonprofit AbilityOne organization headquartered in Kinston, North Carolina, manufactures textile identification products—name tapes, service tapes, operational dress uniform tapes, and small arms cleaning swabs—as a prime contractor (100% of awards) in full-and-open federal competition across no set-aside categories. The organization's dual mission combines employment for individuals who are legally blind or have severe disabilities with delivery of mission-critical uniform components and identification materials to defense and civilian federal agencies.

The vendor's customer footprint is heavily concentrated in defense logistics and military personnel outfitting. The Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support Clothing and Textiles dominates activity, accounting for 1,750 awards (79% of total awards) with $32.4 million in combined potential value. The Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime ranks second with 185 awards ($9.6 million), followed by the Air Force Air Education and Training Command with 53 awards ($27.7 million in potential value). The U.S. Coast Guard has placed 49 awards ($1.1 million), and the Department of the Army contributes 37 awards ($357 thousand). Together, these five agencies represent 94% of all awards. When assessed by potential-value concentration, the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation segment surfaces as a high-value customer despite lower award count, with nine awards carrying $34 million in potential value, suggesting a small number of large-dollar contracts that materially influence the overall value picture.

Lions Industries holds four active prime indefinite-delivery vehicles. The $8,062,500 Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support Clothing and Textiles IDC, awarded October 25, 2024, runs through October 2029 and has generated 630 task orders for name and service tapes, tags, and small arms cleaning supplies. The $2,978,039.25 Air Education and Training Command IDC, awarded November 13, 2023, runs through February 28, 2026 and covers cloth and plastic name tapes and tags for Air Force, Air Force Reserve, Air National Guard, and Space Force personnel; this vehicle has issued task orders ranging from $1,301.40 to $850,332.00. A $236,940 Coast Guard single-award indefinite-delivery contract awarded May 19, 2026 through June 2031 covers embroidered recruit tapes. An Air Education and Training Command Blanket Purchase Agreement for $80,000, effective February 1, 2025 through February 19, 2031, procures cloth and plastic name tapes and tags. These vehicles anchor the vendor's work; task orders under the DLA Troop Support and AETC vehicles typically range from $5,000 to $25,000 for routine requirements, though larger production runs have reached $600,000 or more.

Recent activity shows a declining trajectory. Awards per year fell from 72 in 2022 to 12 in 2026 (year-to-date through mid-June). Combined potential value sits at $113.9 million with $58.4 million obligated to date. A single award is scheduled for completion in the next twenty-four months—a $25,000 contract with a modest recompete exposure. The vendor's primary NAICS categories reflect its manufacturing footprint: Jewelry and Silverware Manufacturing (823 awards), Costume Jewelry and Novelty Manufacturing (631 awards), and All Other Miscellaneous Textile Product Mills (179 awards). Product Service Code data confirms the specialization: Badges and Insignia account for 1,827 awards; secondary categories include Guns Through 30mm (221 awards) and Clothing Special Purpose (30 awards).

Lions Industries competes in full-and-open markets without set-aside protections despite its AbilityOne designation, demonstrating competitive standing in baseline federal procurement. The organization serves 21 distinct customer agencies. Its work is concentrated in small-dollar, high-frequency delivery orders under long-standing indefinite-delivery vehicles with established defense logistics partners, particularly the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support and Air Education and Training Command. No subcontract activity appears in the source data; Lions Industries operates exclusively as a prime contractor. The declining award count in recent years, combined with limited recompete exposure in the next twenty-four months, signals stable but not expanding federal revenue streams rooted in recurring military uniform and identification material requirements.