Black River Industries Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 391658018
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2015–2025
- Forms available
- Form 990 2025
- Location
- Medford, WI, USA
- Phone
- 7157482950
- Rating
- 82
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Sheltered Employment
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $5,542,333
- Expenses
- $5,166,656
- Assets
- $5,143,119
- Liabilities
- $857,151
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
7 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- John Osen (President)
- Michele Armbrust (Vice President)
People named in this filing
- John Osen (President)
- Michele Armbrust (Vice President)
- Adam Rodman (Secretary/Treasurer)
Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
In partnership with the community, to provide people with disabilities opportunities to achieve the highest level of independence. Catholic Charities Bureau Affiliates are organized to maintain, operate and conduct; directly or indirectly; as well as to assist and coordinate activities and Social Services in accordance with the charitable Works and traditions of the Roman Catholic Church. Works are carried out in accordance with Catholic Social teachings.
What it reported doing in 2025
In 2025, Black River Industries (BRI) served 186 individuals across Taylor, Price, Lincoln, Marathon, and Clark Counties through a variety of programs and support services. Our comprehensive programming includes Vocational Services, Day Services/Community Integration, Residential Services, Supported Employment, Supervised Visits, Parent Education, and Transportation. Transportation services were provided to 108 individuals to support access to employment and community activities. Through our Supported Employment program, 47 individuals received assistance with job development and placement, job coaching, résumé building, and ongoing employment support to promote long-term success in the workforce. BRI's Day Services/Community Integration program served 31 individuals. This program offers meaningful activities designed to enhance quality of life, both at our facility and within the community. The program also includes our Summer Youth Program, serving individuals ages 14-21 during the summer months. Residential services were provided to 105 individuals, focusing on promoting independence, daily living skills, and safe living environments. Additionally, BRI provided supervised visitation services to five individuals to support safe and structured family interactions. In 2025, Black River Industries employed 115 dedicated staff members who support our mission and the individuals we serve.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 96% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.
The verdict
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 82
- Transparency & Controls: 86
- Accountability: 82
- Sustainability: 48
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 90.4%; rating input score 90
- Program expense ratio: 97%; rating input score 97
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 92.3%; rating input score 92; 11th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: Limited
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 4 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 57
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 6.8%; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.17; rating input score 39; 39th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 9% per year; rating input score 100; 57th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 8.6% per year; rating input score 100; 60th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 9.7% per year; rating input score 100; 56th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 90.4% of revenue deployed · 97% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 7 of 7 board members independent · 4 of 7 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $5M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 7 people listed
- Consistency: 27 of 28 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
- Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 11 filing years from 2015 to 2025
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
- Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
- Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
- People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 6 not reported.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 48/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 34/100.
- Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 39/100.