Orion History

Orion was founded in 1957 by a group of parents whose vision was to provide vocational training to their children as they transitioned out of high school special education classes. The original program was named ORI (Occupational Rehabilitation Inc.) and began as a non-profit woodshop and training program in the basement of a church in Renton, WA. Their goal was to create an organization capable of sustaining itself on production revenues rather than on government grants, while preparing people with disabilities for competitive employment.

Over the years, the name was changed to Orion Industries, and the company endeavored with a variety of business enterprises including a commercial laundry and a reforestation program with Weyerhaeuser. Eventually the company transitioned into metal fabrication, developed a machine shop in the South Seattle neighborhood of Georgetown, and developed a relationship with the Boeing Company as part of Boeing’s Community Manufacturing Partnership. Boeing remains a very important manufacturing partner for Orion. Since that time, Orion has developed a state of the art aerospace manufacturing enterprise and supplies precision machined parts and subassemblies from its headquarters in Federal Way, WA, to aerospace customers throughout the world. Orion has achieved ISO 9001 and AS 9100 quality certifications, international aerospace manufacturing quality standards.

Orion is recognized in communities throughout the Puget Sound region for the work we do in preparing people with disabilities for competitive employment. Orion is certified by CARF – the international quality standard for rehabilitation services. Orion now provides a variety of vocational services to people with disabilities and other barriers to employment including vocational assessment, vocational training and job placement services. Orion works with several community partners including Washington State Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, Washington State Department of Services for the Blind, Department of Labor and Industries, Veterans Administration, City of Federal Way, local school districts and regional Workforce Development Councils.

In 2007, Orion opened our Clerical and Customer Service training program. The CCS Program utilizes self-directed and group instruction to teach MS Windows, keyboarding, Microsoft Office, customer service skills, filing, office machines and office etiquette and prepares participants for a variety of positions that require clerical and customer service skills.

In 2009, Orion opened a new Contact Center division. Located in Federal Way, WA. Orion’s Customer Relations Training and Support Center features a state-of-the-art contact center that prepares program participants for careers in the contact center industry.

Over 50 years after our founding, Orion continues to find new and innovative ways to provide career opportunities for our program participants and to fulfill the vision of our founders.