Find a Contractor Buyer's Guide
MCAA Logo
Member Login JOIN
NEWS
Join Us For The 75th Anniversary Midyear Meeting Sep 7-11 ↗

STIHL Inc. hosts Manufacturing Camp for students

Words: Anita Gambill/Public/News/20110808120500-1.jpg" width="600" height="338" border="0" alt="Rachael Lockwood uses a 3-axis CNC engraving mill at the Manufacturing Technology Summer Camp." />
Rachael Lockwood uses a 3-axis CNC engraving mill at the Manufacturing Technology Summer Camp.
More than 30 high school students from 15 schools in North Carolina and Southeastern Virginia participated in the first annual Manufacturing Technology Summer Camp powered by STIHL at the company’s campus in Virginia Beach this past week. Designed to promote careers in modern manufacturing, the camp activities included tours of STIHL’s Virginia Beach facility and classes on cutting-edge manufacturing technologies like computer-controlled machining and robotics.

“This four-day, hands-on camp is designed to introduce students to modern manufacturing through tours, presentations, small projects, and a competitive manufacturing activity,” said Simon Nance, the director of the camp as well as manager of training and development for STIHL Inc. “We are doing this to show our community the reality of modern manufacturing and the successful careers that are part of this business.”

With federal funding for vocational training and education at risk of being cut by 20 percent, business and education partnership programs like this are becoming increasingly important. “Today, there is a need for skilled labor in order to rebuild and reinforce America’s manufacturing base,” said Peter Mueller, executive vice president of operations at STIHL Inc. “Programs like this help prepare the future generation of manufacturing and give them the tools they need to succeed in the future.”

The camp culminated with a two-hour competition on Saturday, July 16. Students were organized into five teams and collaborated to manufacture clocks. The teams were evaluated based on production efficiency, inventory management, quality standards and innovative thinking. Each school with a winning team member won a First Technical Challenge startup kit from FIRST Robotics, and each student earned a $1,000 Virginia Industry Foundation scholarship for their future education.

The winning team members were:
  • Christopher Benedetto, Kellam High School, Virginia Beach, Va.
  • Brad Holmes, Landstown High School, Virginia Beach, Va.
  • Sinh Ly, Landstown High School, Virginia Beach, Va.
  • Joseph Frandsen, Granby High School, Norfolk, Va.
  • Sharissa Marshall, Grassfield High School, Chesapeake, Va.
The competition was judged by academic, corporate and community leaders including Norfolk councilwoman Angelia Williams and Ron Villanueva, delegate of the 21st district of Virginia. “The STIHL competition is the perfect showcase on how cutting-edge education not only provides a limitless world of opportunity for our children, but keeps great companies like STIHL Inc. invested in our community, creating jobs and prosperity for everyone,” said Villanueva. “After all, this is our highest priority, not just as parents, but as leaders in the community.”

Other judges included Dee Tomczak from Virginia FIRST Robotics, John Calver from Thomas Nelson Community College (TNCC) Workforce Development, Paul Dockery from ECPI University, and Joseph Bouchard from COX Communications.

The sponsors and partners of this event included FESTO, Virginia Manufacturers Association/Dream It Do It Virginia, ECPI University, TNCC Workforce Development, Tooling U, Integrated Business Solutions, Inc. (IBS), ECPI College of Technology and many teachers and parents who volunteered their time to help, as well as STIHL employees.
 0
Using Respirators for Silica Exposure
July 2025

Some in the masonry industry have expressed interest in respirator use as protection from harmful exposure to silica. This topic is of paramount importance due to its impact on our workers and the serious health effects of silica exposure. For those new t

Zach Everett
Read More
From Bikes to Buildings: The Importance of Embracing Rainscreen Wall Designs and the New Building Codes.
July 2025

Have you ever been asked to do a project over the course of your lifetime? For example, when my kids were little, my wife asked me to assemble their bicycles. So, I opened the box, dumped out the contents, and cast aside whatever I thought was unnecessary

Keith Lolley
MAP Partner
Read More
Laying the Foundation for Growth: Concrete Masonry Checkoff Unveils Five-Year Vision for Industry
July 2025

The Concrete Masonry Checkoff (CMC) put the finishing touches on an ambitious five-year vision for the industry, targeting a 20% increase in market share, driven by increased demand for concrete masonry products. “This is about building exquisite, enduri

Industry News
Read More
Five of the Seven Chimneys Have Been Saved: Project Chimney Update
July 2025

In the wake of the devastating January wildfires that swept through Los Angeles's Pacific Palisades, a remarkable preservation effort is underway, spearheaded by Project Chimney, an initiative led by Evan Hall, founding director of the non-profit House Mu

Justin Stengel
Industry News
Read More