New Leaf was founded in 1969 by parents who wanted to provide gainful employment for their developmentally disabled adult sons and daughters. They performed a variety of labor related services such as greenhouse gardening, mowing lawns, and even digging graves in cemeteries. New Leaf's good reputation earned in those initial grounds maintenance contracts caught the attention of Naval Air Station - Whidbey Island (NASWI), and in 1973 New Leaf was awarded the first Federal Service Contract initiated under the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act of 1971 (now known as AbilityOne). It was the first time a federal agency contracted to purchase a service from people with disabilities. That pioneering contract with NASWI was for 83 acres and $59, 411, and New Leaf has successfully maintained it to the present day, making New Leaf the holder of the oldest active federal service contract under the AbilityOne program in the United States.

Throughout New Leaf's history, starting as a family-based service consisting of six men with push mowers, New Leaf has remained committed to its values--providing employment and opportunity to adults with disabilities--and its goals: to advocate for adults with disabilities, to provide opportunity through employment, and to serve customers with lower-cost, higher quality services delivered with a can-do attitude. Today that original grounds maintenance contract with Naval Air Station - Whidbey Island is for 1.7 million dollars.

New Leaf employees over 100 people and serves several contracts for over 500 acres of grounds maintenance, janitorial services at nearly 100 NASWI buildings, and restaurant attendant services at the Admiral Nimitz Galley. Additionally, New Leaf contracts with the Defense Commissary Agency at NASWI and at Naval Station Everett for commissary shelf stocking and custodial services. For over 50 years New Leaf has prided itself on serving the community and fulfilling its mission of helping adults with disabilities achieve independence and quality of life through employment.