Gentex employees did not disappoint when it came time for the Pumpkin-Carving Contest this year. A tradition that started in 2020, employees participate in Halloween festivities by carving pumpkins at their homes and snapping pictures of their pumpkins for a prize. Twenty-five employees submitted pictures of their masterpieces this year with pumpkins ranging from spooky to charming right on their doorsteps.
One group in particular stood out due to the size of their pumpkin and the story behind it. Four employees from the Embedded Software group came together, determined to carve the most impressive jack-o'-lantern. They didn’t just settle for any size—they chose to carve a 290-pound pumpkin!
From left to right: Kole Augustine, Anika Tabassum, Georgia Hill, Sam Alward.
This group regularly competes in trivia games at work and decided to bring their competitive skills and team cohesion to a different setting.
“I knew this would be too big of a task for a single person, and the trivia squad is always down for a good time,” Augustine said.
The team found their perfect pumpkin at Kole Augustine’s friend’s garden in Breckenridge, Mich., where three giant pumpkins grew this year. This crew chose a 290-pound pumpkin, a small one compared to the 360- and 570-pound options.
“I could have probably convinced my friend to let us have a bigger one,” Augustine said, “but I’m glad we picked the smaller one because getting it out of my truck was a task on its own.”
Hauling the almost 300-pound pumpkin into the truck was not easy for this team. While carrying the pumpkin with their hands would be a feasible idea for a normal-sized pumpkin, this crew had to recruit a tractor. They used a tractor to load the pumpkin into their truck, and after a successful load they headed back to carve their gigantic pumpkin following a two-hour drive. When they arrived at Augustine’s house, they made scaffolding and used winches to unload the pumpkin into his garage.
Any casual pumpkin-carving night takes about an hour or two for the average family. This team tackled this pumpkin for five hours, using as many carving tools one can imagine.
The hardest part of carving the pumpkin was the thick walls for the trivia squad. They struggled shining the light through, so they had to scrape off an impressive amount off the innermost layer.
“We resorted to using a drill with a hand mixer beater on it!” Augustine said, “Every couple of pounds worth we would stop, put a couple LED lights in it, and see which parts needed more taken off. By the end of it, we had over 60lbs worth of pumpkin taken out of the inside.”
Augustine and Hill’s job was overseeing the setup of the pumpkin, while Tabassum and Alward’s job was the theme and coordination of how to carve the pumpkin. Each of the crew took a part in sketching and carving, with supplies of a drywall knife, spoons, butter knives, scalpels, and a drill!
“We thought it was only fitting to go with the classic film ‘It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown’ for our theme,” Augustine said.
The team is extremely proud of their strong efforts and perseverance, resulting in winning Gentex’s Pumpkin-carving Contest this year. They are one of three winners, as the others are Bobby Rogers from Sales and Marketing, and Adwity Borna in Operations.
All winners received West Coast Cash certificates where they can spend their prize money on food, clothes, and more!
This contest, along with the annual costume contest, once again highlighted the creativity, collaboration, and enthusiasm of Gentex employees. Events like these not only bring out everyone’s artistic side but also strengthen the sense of community that makes Gentex such a fun and inspiring place to work.
