DOBE Spotlight: Black Box Safety, Inc.

About Blackbox Safety, Inc.

BLACK BOX SAFETY, Inc. is a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Business. They specialize in the prevention of serious injuries in the workplace. They are also authorized by manufacturers to distribute safety equipment, such as eye, face, and head protection, as well as high-visibility garments like vests. The President & Founder, Jackson Dalton is a Board-Certified Safety Professional and holds a master’s degree in public health.

About Jackson Dalton of Blackbox Safety, Inc.

Tell us your story – how/why did you begin your journey as an entrepreneur?

While serving in the Marine Corps, I sustained an occupational injury that left me unable to walk for a year. From this experience, I made it my mission to ensure that others stay safe at work so that they can continue doing the things that they love to do.

As a result of my injury in service, I transitioned from the military into a career in occupational health and safety. I pursued a bachelor’s and master’s degree in public health and spent over 10 years working as a safety engineer. Four years ago, I realized that I wanted to help people in a more meaningful way, so I left my job at 3M, and I started my company, Black Box Safety, Inc.

I decided to become an entrepreneur for two reasons. The first being that as a traditional employee, my scope of work was very narrow and specific.  However, as a business owner, I can wear many different hats each day. I get to help the marketing team create digital marketing campaigns, help the sales team solve problems that our customers have, and work with our bookkeeper and accountant to manage our daily cash flow. Each day is different, and I enjoy solving challenging and unique problems. The second reason I decided to become an entrepreneur was to reconnect to the military and government service. I miss my military service every day, and at Black Box Safety we can provide life-saving products to our government customers that truly are on the frontlines.

What led you to become Disability:IN certified?

In 2018 Black Box Safety, Inc. attended the Veterans in Business annual conference in Los Angeles, where we were introduced to The Disability:IN team.

Are you certified with other organizations?

Yes, we are currently certified with The City of San Diego SLBE, Department of Veterans Affairs SDVOSB, Los Angeles County DVBE, State of California DVBE, State of Minnesota TG/ED/VO, State of New York SDVOSB, and we are SDV-DOBE certified.

If yes, how is the Disability:IN certification different?

The Disability:IN certification is unique from our other certifications because it offers us a platform to connect with similar businesses and a place to build rapport and form relationships with corporate buyers.

How do these certifications help you market your business?

Having these certifications benefits our marketing efforts greatly. Having the Disability:IN certification not only helps our company to stand out against other small businesses but has also helped us enhance our business and networking prospects with large companies looking to buy from a diverse supply system. In addition, our certification has connected us to a community of disabled businesses that face similar challenges.

What makes an organization that is DOBE certified (including SDV- & V-DOBE) a great procurement partner?

Diversity brings about new ideas and innovations. To me, working with a DOBE certified organization means that every decision is made from an individual’s unique experience, which can, in turn, help a company to develop new and strategic solutions to any business proposition.

Disabled business owners are familiar with overcoming adversity, and because of that, resilience is baked into our company culture. Especially when starting a company, diverse businesses tend to come upon challenges that make it difficult to establish themselves. That is why working with a DOBE certified organization makes for a great procurement partner- their aptitude and dexterity to overcome an obstacle not only reflects on their competency as a person but also as a business owner.

Is there anything else you would like to share?

Here is a short YouTube video that discusses the way that my disability has changed the course of my life and career: https://youtu.be/CTBMScIYgvU