Removing Barriers, Providing Purpose

Masley Enterprises offers the community around them a fresh start, a second chance, and a fulfilling career

BY REGINA DONATO

LIFE IS HARD. BUT LIFE IS ALSO GOOD. This is the mantra that Donna Masley, president of Masley Enterprises, constantly repeats when you visit her factory on Jessup Street in Wilmington.

Founded in the basement of Donna and Frank Masley’s home in 2000, Masley Enterprises is a premier glove designer and manufacturer in the tactical handwear industry, specifically serving the United States military. This is a company that truly understands what it means to be “Made-in-America.”

Frank, who passed away in 2016 after a valiant battle with Melanoma cancer, was a three-time Olympian representing the United States in the sport of luge. With his engineering background, years of experience working for W. L. Gore, and master’s degree in business from Goldey- Beacom College, he identified a need by the U.S. Military for tactical gloves that he could fill. His expertise, combined with Donna’s career as a pediatric ICU RN at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, led the couple to grow Masley Enterprises to where it is today.

Masley is a Berry Compliant company, which means that all materials and labor from the company are of United States origin. In addition to manufacturing technical handwear for branches of the military, Masley also helps to produce gloves that combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Masley’s sewing operator team is responsible for making the glove’s insulation lining component that will eventually be used by medical professionals handling the Pfizer vaccine, which is housed at extremely low temperatures. When sewing operator Velvet Poindexter—who is an artist herself—was hired in 2015, she was thrilled to find a job “that is catered towards sewing and creativity,” but that also “creates a feeling of purpose.”

When you walk into Masley Enterprises, their employees are the epitome of what America stands for—a true melting pot. Despite their differences, the employees have truly come together to form a family.

While Masley is dedicated to helping those who serve our country, the company also strives to help the local Delaware community as well. Masley Enterprises is located in a Historically Under-utilized Business Zone (HUBZone) and their presence helps bring stable jobs to a community that needs them. Many of the individuals employed by Masley are local individuals, some of which are getting a second chance—those who may be on social assistance or come from difficult backgrounds.

“We strive to employ ex-offenders and believe in giving second chances to facilitate the transition back into the workforce. We believe that employment is crucial to successful reintegration into the community and decreases the risk of recidivism,” says Masley. The company’s work for the community has also been recognized on a nationwide level: they have been invited to the White House multiple times to speak on panels about catering to the needs of those re-entering the workforce.

“Ms. Donna is willing to help out people of any race or from troubled backgrounds. Her and Mr. Frank just wanted people to have a second chance,” says Ira Bland, who’s been with Masley for ten years now. When you walk into Masley Enterprises, their employees are the epitome of what America stands for—a true melting pot. Despite their differences, the employees have truly come together to form a family.

Among the staff, the praise for the leadership and positive work environment at Masley is deafening. “When you’re working a regular job, it’s so hard to get the motivation to wake up in the morning. Here, I never even question it,” explains Ashley Jenkins. “It feels like a real team here, there’s such a sense of community. You get emotionally invested and you want to succeed every day.” The sense of pride in each employee’s work is evident when you walk into Masley’s workshop. Each staff member is proud to explain their role in the manufacturing of Masley Enterprise’s gloves and how those contributions serve their country.

Everyone has a story. Mistakes happen. Overcoming obstacles is a part of life. “We survived losing Frank. I didn’t know if I could do that, but our staff all sat down, and we said we could make it work,” emphasized Masley. “And then we survived the pandemic. I’m just so proud of all of us and what we’ve done.”