VALDOSTA — Innovation and education convened Thursday morning as the Valdosta-Lowndes County Development Authority hosted the inaugural Build the Future: Innovators Event at Wiregrass Georgia Technical College. 

The event celebrated student ingenuity, workforce development, and regional advancements, with representatives from Valdosta Middle School, Lowndes Middle School, Wiregrass Tech, and Valdosta State University presenting their work.

Held at Cox Hall on Wiregrass’ campus, the morning program kicked off with remarks from Niki Ogletree, president and CEO of the Development Authority. Ogletree emphasized the importance of collaboration and innovation in building a brighter future for Valdosta-Lowndes County.

Student presentations began with Valdosta State University’s Rode Peters, who shared his journey from wakeboarding enthusiast to engineering innovator. Peters’ journey has led him to many impressive engineering feats, such as creating an automated following camera to capture lectures, and his current role in helping to develop a cutting-edge device used in chemical analysis.

Lowndes Middle School siblings Pooja and Dulaj Dayaratna represented their school’s robotics team, which has earned accolades at regional and national competitions, including an invitation to the prestigious VEX Robotics World Championship.

Wiregrass Tech student Kaitlin Neel presented a hands-on simulation tool designed to help dental students develop dexterity and precision. The tool costs less than a dollar to produce and can save the college thousands by replacing traditional training expenses.

Students from Valdosta Middle School’s STEM Academy were the last to present, showcasing two different projects that the young innovators had worked on. The first team presented the work and mindset that was used in a “Mars Rover” project, in which the team had to create a rover out of household objects to accomplish tasks. The second team showcased a rollercoaster project that blended engineering and creativity in a multimedia presentation.

The program also featured two key presentations highlighting local economic and workforce growth. Michael Fleming of Wiregrass Tech demonstrated how virtual reality is transforming workforce training at the AIM (Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing) facility. Through immersive, game-like VR environments, students and employees alike are learning essential industry skills in a more engaging and effective way.

Josh Nichols of the Dennis Group offered an inside look at the upcoming Walmart dairy processing facility. The $350 million project is expected to bring 300 to 400 new jobs to the area and serve over 750 Walmart and Sam’s Club locations across the Southeast. While the project is still not completed, Nichols stated that they will be able to start running product out of it by September of this year.

Following the event, Ogletree reflected on its overall purpose, impact, and future.

“The purpose is to show our local industries that we have a pipeline for workforce here in Lowndes County,” stated Ogletree. “We have very talented students who know a great deal about engineering and processing, and so we really just wanted to facilitate an environment to connect those two worlds, so that we could grow that relationship.”