Spectrum Designs, a custom apparel and promotional products company dedicated to creating meaningful employment for adults on the autism spectrum, announced that Co-Founder and CEO Patrick Bardsley was honored with Long Island University’s inaugural Alumni Excellence Award: 40 Under 40.
The ceremony was held on Friday, Sept. 12, at the Tilles Center for the Performing Arts on LIU’s Post Campus.
The milestone event, part of LIU’s Homecoming Weekend, celebrated the university’s next generation of leaders, recognizing 40 young alumni for professional achievement, academic distinction and meaningful service to others. Honorees and their guests were joined by faculty, students and community leaders for a dinner program featuring keynote remarks and the presentation of the awards.
Founded in 2011 in a backyard barn, Spectrum Designs has grown into a multimillion-dollar enterprise employing more than 80 people across Long Island and Westchester, with nearly 70% of its staff members being on the autism spectrum.
In a country where 85% of adults on the spectrum face unemployment, Spectrum Designs has been at the forefront of changing the narrative about the capabilities of autistic and neurodiverse individuals in the workplace, showing that inclusivity and innovation go hand in hand.
“I’m honored to be among LIU’s first 40 Under 40 honorees. The university provided me many of the tools to turn a vision into what became Spectrum,” Bardsley said. “I share this recognition with my fellow honorees and the entire Spectrum team, who demonstrate every day the incredible possibilities that unfold when we recognize the potential in every individual and embrace what makes us different.”
Under Bardsley’s leadership, Spectrum Designs has generated annual revenues approaching $10 million, created hundreds of jobs for neurodiverse adults, and built partnerships with global brands such as Google, J.Crew, Dell and T.J.Maxx.
The organization has been nationally spotlighted on “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” ranked among the PPAI 100 global promotional product companies, and has earned Sustainable Green Printing certification, one of only two apparel companies in the U.S. to achieve this distinction.
The recognition comes as Spectrum Designs prepares to open its first franchise in Florida.
In addition to his role at Spectrum Designs, Bardsley serves as chairman of the board of New York State Industries for the Disabled and as an ambassador for Delivering Jobs, a nationwide campaign committed to creating pathways to 1 million employment opportunities for individuals with autism and other developmental differences by 2025.
