This summer Jerry Pedley and the employees at Mertek Solutions welcomed not just one, but two Kenan Fellows, to explore all aspects of the company specializing in manufacturing engineering and industrial equipment design. I am a Career and Technical Education teacher (technology) from a high school in another county and know my time with the employees at Mertek has enhanced my performance in the classroom. Jerry Pedley’s belief in the students of North Carolina and their studies providing them with the opportunity to be “future-ready” has prompted him to host NC State University’s Manufacturing Day in the Lee County area on more than one occasion. Jerry is continuously promoting growth for North Carolina and its students in areas of math, science and technology to provide our state with a strong business and industry based economy (advanced manufacturing).
As a Kenan Program mentor, Jerry visited my classroom in Cumberland County with videos, props and excitement to present to each of my classes his own version of support for manufacturing in North Carolina and how it relates to their studies in math, science and technology. His excitement was well received and has prompted conversations with my students weeks after his visit. Jerry invited me to attend an Advisory Board Meeting at the Central Carolina Community College’s Innovation Center as his guest. He encourages all other businesses and industries in the area to support the schools, teachers and students.
Jerry opens his business and provides technical support, space and resources to a local high school’s First Robotics team. At this time, a robot arm and lathe from my classroom/lab are at Mertek for rebuild or repair. As an educator in North Carolina, I have kept a pre-engineering lab running for several years with small repairs and patches. Jerry Pedley’s generosity providing assistance for my students with repairs to items that will enhance their experiences in our engineering academy are laudable, especially in this era of tight funding. Jerry has recently invested more of his time by joining the advisory board at the Integrated Systems Technology Academy of Engineering at Jack Britt High School.
As a teacher of a program impacted by Jerry’s generosity and support, I can let you know what a positive difference Jerry Pedley and the people of Mertek’s efforts have made in my students’ lives.