Fastenal Challenge Sparks Innovation at MN State College Southeast

WINONA, MN – Thursday, May 15, 2025 – A successful 48-hour Make48 challenge recently wrapped up at Minnesota State College Southeast, fueled by strong collaboration between our team, the college's exceptional faculty, and dedicated industry mentors. Sponsored by Fastenal, the competition focused on "Safety in Manufacturing," challenging seven teams to develop prototypes addressing critical workplace hazards like repetitive stress, slips, and machine-related injuries.

2025 Make48-Winona Competition

Mentored by Fastenal colleagues, Josh Hansen and Matthew Fitting, the teams showcased impressive ingenuity, exploring wearable safety tech, hazard prevention systems, smart safety solutions, and improved material handling equipment. 

The event was made possible thanks to the invaluable support of Southeast Tool Techs (Scott Herold, Casey Mann, Tyler Litscher, Rick Hengel, Mitchell Sanchez, Chase Wehner, Chris Rothering, Dan Kreidermacher, Gibson Darr, and Logan Henningson) and local companies (Richard Lieske of Riverside Integrated Solutions, and Shawn Hagedorn), as well as volunteers Mark Zocher and Stephanie Orr (Riverside Integrated Solutions). 

Tool Techs | The Magic Sauce at Make48

The Make48 magic wouldn't happen without our talented Tool Techs – Adam Kittrell, Tyler Isaacs, Christina Santa Lucia, Luis Rodriguez, Ryan Patterson, Miles Davis, and patent attorney Chris DeBacker – who expertly guided the student teams in bringing their safety innovations to fruition. 

Congratulations to the winning teams: We Fail Fast Too (Saint Thomas Academy), the Pirates (Cochrane-Fountain City High School), and D.I.Y or DIE (Cotter High School)! Their focus on real-world manufacturing safety challenges impressed the judges from Fastenal (Brent Roeder and Haley Schadt) and Winona Creators Collective (Mark Zocher). 

We extend our sincere gratitude to our incredible partners at Fastenal, the City of Winona, and the dedicated faculty at Southeast for their crucial support in making this challenge a resounding success. We also deeply appreciate the commitment of Miller Ingenuity, RTP Company, Watlow, Behrens, Schwab Construction/Biesanz Stone, Riverside Integrated Solutions, Celanese, Xcel Energy, Merchants Bank, the Slaggie Family, and Visit Winona for believing in these talented students and the power of hands-on learning through Make48. Be sure to catch the upcoming episodes on Roku's This Old House Makers Channel!