The Exterior Company donates to Granby Robotics Team

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The Exterior Company recently presented the Granby Memorial High School robotics team with a monetary donation. The Exterior Company (TEC) is headquartered in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and has been restoring a number of homes in Granby and Hartland damaged by the May 15,  hailstorm.

After a storm, there are many questions homeowners face. Most people are unaware of the damage caused by a hailstorm and once it is brought to their attention, they are unaware of how to proceed. The TEC staff pride themselves in educating Granby customers and protecting them from a multitude of problems.

The team is certified to identify hail damage, and ensures homes are properly identified. Its partnerships with both manufacturers and distributors ensure the new roof will be warrantied regardless if it is a manufacturer or craftsmanship defect. TEC partners with insurance companies to evaluate the scope of work and ensure properties are restored to their pre-storm condition.

“Our services will hopefully provide community members peace of mind knowing their home is being restored with the utmost respect,” said Jon Nalewak, project manager for TEC.

TEC, although based out of Pennsylvania, maintains a satellite office in New England. The location of that office occasionally shifts based on storm activity. 

After the storm, Nalewak worked with Granby residents Don and Sarah Rethke. Don, also known as “Dr. Flush”, helps out with the Granby Memorial High School Robotics Team. Rethke and Nalewak struck up a friendship and Dr. Flush was eager to educate Nalewak on the program.

“We are proud to give back to the youth of the community,” Nalewak said. “Our team is comprised of a variety of individuals with different talents and interests so it is always an honor to help the development of our next generation.”

“I organized this donation because in my time spent interacting with Don, I was able to see just how beneficial the robot program is to Granby youth who are involved and the mentors and advisors who oversee it. As you can imagine, robot parts and supplies can run up quite a tab, not to mention the resources needed to feed and transport the team to events,” Nalewak said. “I don’t believe the program is funded in any way by the school, so donations are very important to them.”

On Jan. 5, Nalewak met Dr. Flush and the Granby Grunts Robotics team #3146 at Granby Memorial High School. On this day, the “game” was revealed to high schools across the nation. High school robotic teams will construct a robot to play this game. Each team has six weeks to complete the robot and then compete against other robots in hopes to be the best.

“It’s really amazing how the robotic program is laid out,” Nalewak said. “The students run everything, gain a wealth of knowledge and hands-on experience with robotics and teamwork.”

The kicker is that the students are also in charge of all administrative duties of running and maintaining the program. The kids are learning more than just how to put robots together. Since Rethke is so very passionate about what this program does for the students and how unselfishly he donates so much of his time to the kids, Nalewak wanted to do something for him.

TEC presented the Granby Robotics Team with a $3,000 donation. The kids were excited and Dr. Flush was surprised and thankful. The staff at TEC are hopeful this will not only assist the robotic team with its financial needs this season, but also possibly spark-up donations from  the community once the word got out.

To contact Dr. Flush, call 860-549-6687 to get more information about this program. To donate to the GMHS Robotics Team, write checks payable to “GMHS Robotics” and mail to Granby Memorial High School at 315 Salmon Brook Street, Granby, CT  06035.