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From Home Furnishing Business

Ashley Furniture & Wanek Foundation Team with Whitehall Schools for Tech Lab

August 25, 2024  by Karen Parrish in Business Strategy, Industry   

This newly remodeled 16,000+ sq. ft. facility will serve as a center of excellence for advanced technology instruction, offering students in the region access to cutting-edge education and training opportunities, industry recognized credentials and will open a wide range of future possibilities for high-skilled employment and post-secondary education.

"We are incredibly excited about the opening of the Whitehall Regional Emerging Technology Laboratory," stated Mike Beighley, superintendent of Whitehall School District. "This state-of-the-art facility represents our belief in giving students in our rural region the tools they need to thrive in a technology-driven and global environment.”

“We are grateful for our valued partnership with Ashley and the Ronald and Joyce Wanek Foundation, who have been instrumental in making this project a reality. We would also like to thank our school board and community for supporting this project. We believe that this center will empower our students to become technology-savvy individuals, ready to tackle the challenges of the modern world.”

Whitehall is part of the Trempealeau Valley Cooperative 2.0, comprised of Blair-Taylor, Independence, Arcadia and Whitehall School Districts, which was established in 2017, when the need was recognized for districts to work together to best prepare students for a dramatically changing world where high-tech skills must be part of the education of all students.

This led to the development of the Mobile Skills Laboratory in 2018, donated by Ashley Furniture Industries, which provided a higher learning experience for these students with over 300 competency-based courses and certifications.

In partnership with LAB Midwest and Featherlite, this $3 million investment created a temporary space for these courses to be hosted. Due to the success of the Mobile Skills Lab, a plan was developed by Whitehall to create a permanent solution for the region to not only offer the same educational opportunities and equipment, but to further enhance its offerings to serve the region and provide better possibilities for these students.

With the establishment of the WRETL, the district aims to create a modern and flexible learning environment, focusing on knowledge and skill set development in emerging technologies.

“We are incredibly proud to partner with the Whitehall School District and commend their unwavering commitment to providing a top-notch educational system for students in our area along with the Trempealeau Valley Cooperative,” stated Ron Wanek, founder and chairman, Ashley Furniture Industries.

“With the establishment of the Whitehall Regional Emerging Technology Laboratory, students will have access to state-of-the-art resources and be equipped with the skills needed for technical colleges and universities. It is through initiatives like this that we can foster a generation of talented individuals prepared to thrive in a rapidly evolving technological landscape. We are excited to see the positive impact this facility will have on students in our community.”

The WRETL will feature a highly experienced and qualified staff. Notable members include Mr. Kristoff Ausderau, a mathematics, computer science, and robotics teacher with 13 years of teaching experience, and Mr. Alex Eid, who was most recently the instructor within the Mobile Skills Laboratory for the past four years and has seven years of teaching experience.

Outfitted with cutting-edge technology and a comprehensive curriculum, the WRETL is meticulously designed, along with the expertise of Matt Kirchner from LAB Midwest, to address the educational needs of K-12 students from schools within the Trempealeau Valley Cooperative.

The facility will feature equipment and resources for SolidWorks, STEM Lab, Introduction to Emerging Technologies, Industry 4.0 courses, Computer Science Principles, and Robotics, as well as opportunities for students to obtain SACA (Smart Automation Certification Alliance) certifications. Through a partnership with Western Technical College, these certifications and credits can be transferred to technical colleges.

The curriculum's modular structure offers flexibility, enabling students to select modules based on their existing knowledge and experience and to access desired content at their convenience.

“The opening of the Whitehall Regional Emerging Technology Laboratory showcases the momentum our area schools are gaining on providing cutting edge technology to these students,” stated Todd Wanek, president and CEO of Ashley Furniture Industries.

“Industry is evolving rapidly with newer technologies, and it is paramount that our schools adapt to provide students with the education they’ll need to be successful in the workforce. Ashley is proud to offer our expertise in training and development, equipment and technology to better connect industry and education together for the common goal of providing the best educational offering to our future generations. In order to compete on a global scale, we need partnerships such as this to prepare ourselves for the evolution of the industry.”

The WRETL will start courses starting in the 2024-2025 school year.