Greenheck Group engineers help Burns High School students build and race electric vehicles
By Bradley Hanson | Communications Specialist II, Greenheck Group
LAWNDALE, N.C. – About 60 Burns High School students spent the morning of Oct. 14 turning kits of popsicle sticks, coffee stirrers and small DC motors into working electric vehicles, then raced them head-to-head in a bracket-style competition. The event was the first Engineering Tomorrow lab in Cleveland County and delivered with the help of seven engineers from Greenheck Group, which employs about 700 team members at its facilities in Shelby and Kings Mountain.
Students from the school’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs worked in small teams to design and build their vehicles, deciding for themselves how to orient the motor and drive system. Greenheck Group engineers moved from table to table, offering guidance while leaving the problem-solving to the students. A team called The Birds won the final race.
“Once they get to the table and open up those kits, you see the light bulbs go off, and you see students working in groups together,” said Megan Barrett, executive director of Engineering Tomorrow. “That’s what engineering is all about: iterating, working in teams and creating something bigger and better.”
Joe Salazar, a manufacturing engineer at Greenheck Group, said the students quickly exceeded expectations. “It’s only been an hour, and pretty much everyone’s made something, and even some things I didn’t consider were possible,” he said. “It’s really important for us to get out there early and make sure that we’re getting people interested in STEM and seeing where their creativity takes them.”
Brayden Smith, a Burns High School senior, said the engineers’ feedback made a difference.
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“You think this car is perfect, and these engineers say, ‘Hey, look at this, this and this,’” he said. “You test the car, and exactly what they said was true.”
After the competition, Greenheck Group shared why it chose Cleveland County and what a career with the company in North Carolina can look like. The company also provided lunch for students.
Rhonda Benfield, director of Career and Technical Education for Cleveland County Schools, said events like this help students see the opportunities in their own community.
“A lot of students think, ‘I’ve got to leave my community to get a really good job,’ but things like this show them no, you can stay right here at home and have a really good, lucrative future for yourself,” Benfield said.
Barrett said the timing matters. “It’s really important for students to start at least at the high school level to start thinking about careers,” she said. “In Cleveland County, it looks like there will be a lot of jobs available for them.”
About Engineering Tomorrow
Founded in 2014, Engineering Tomorrow is a nonprofit organization that introduces high school students to engineering careers through hands-on labs, live sessions with practicing engineers and mentorship, all at no cost to students, teachers or schools. The organization has reached more than 1 million students nationwide. For more information, visit
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Established in 1947, Greenheck Group is a global leading manufacturer of commercial air movement, control, and conditioning equipment, providing engineered solutions across a range of non-residential applications and industries. The company has grown to 5,500 employees in the United States, Mexico, and India. Greenheck Group produces products under the following brands: Greenheck (the founding flagship brand), Accurex, Airolite, Innovent, Metalaire and Valent. For more information, visit www.greenheckgroup.com.
The Shelby Independent.
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