The Lighthouse Sales Team has recently hired two amazingly talented inside sales representatives, Mindy Duran and Michael Evers. Mindy was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa at age 12 and by age 17, she was no longer able to ignore her situation. She chose to live a restrictive life and accepted her perceived reality that she should be content staying at home and taking care of her infant son, Ezekiel, the best she could. As her son grew older, Mindy made the choice to be more of a role model for independence. She was advised to contact the Lighthouse for additional training in technology and independent living skills. In February 2016, Mindy made that phone call. Within a week, she was sitting in keyboarding classes refreshing her computer skills, expanding her knowledge, and building her confidence. She also took advantage of free braille classes. No doubt, Mindy approached her training very seriously as an example to Ezekiel, but others were noticing. When an inside sales position became open at the Lighthouse, she was the perfect fit to fill the role.

Michael, on the other hand, was diagnosed with Congenital Glaucoma and Cataracts at birth. He has endured 13 eye surgeries without any improvement to his sight. Michael has never let his low vision stop him from his pursuit of independence. He is willing to try anything and isn’t sacred to tackle the toughest tasks. He currently holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke and has successfully completed the National Industries for the Blind (NIB) Fellowship for Leadership Development. However, his greatest accomplishment was when he was able to persuade the Governor of Virginia to keep the Virginia Board of Education from closing the Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind at Hampton at the age of 12. As you can see Mike is fearless and plans one day to open Big Mike’s BBQ restaurant.

With these two additions, the Lighthouse Sales Team is shining bright. Mindy is focused on servicing our AbilityOne Distributors as well as making sure all the state agencies know about our copy paper. Mike is helping establish new customers for our Machine Shop and spreading the word of our drug testing capabilities. They both have amazing personalities that make everyone smile. Mindy’s laughter is contagious and you can hear it all over the building. They define exactly what the Lighthouse is all about…Independence.