Gentex hosted a middle school robotics showcase at their North Riley Campus building that featured 5 local student robotics teams putting their engineering skills to the test in an on-campus tournament. The event celebrated the successes of West Michigan FIRST robotics teams and the Gentex volunteers who mentor them.
Students brought their robots and skills to Gentex for the showcase, participating in several rounds of robotics competition in front of an audience of Gentex employees that included several Vice Presidents and President and CEO Steve Downing. The roster included:
Each of the robotics teams at the showcase are mentored by Gentex employee volunteers who take time to help students build and program the robots, while developing engineering and problem-solving skills.
The teams in attendance have had significant achievements in student robotics. Most recently, OverClucked Bots from Cityside Middle School in Zeeland came in first place as part of a winning alliance at the 2026 FIRST Tech Challenge World Championship in Houston. Team 10255 – RoboDux from Creekside Middle School also qualified for and competed at the FIRST World Championship.
It is rare for middle school students to participate, let alone place, at the World Championship–most of the teams are made up of high school students.
Aside from displaying their skills, the teams at the showcase also toured Gentex manufacturing facilities, and took the opportunity during the visit to express their gratitude for the help they’ve received from employees at Gentex and from the Company itself.
“Gentex has supported these teams for several years, and thanks to the Company’s support, our team had a shot at attending and winning the World Championship this year,” said Systems Engineer Bryce Walbridge, a mentor for the Cityside Middle School team.
For several Gentex employees, the connection to the teams is personal: they participated in robotics programs as students themselves before building their careers in engineering and robotics at the company.
“All of the mentors on the Cityside Middle School team went through the FIRST Robotics program in high school, including Gentex R&D Engineer Mike Dornbush, who originally launched the program in 2016,” said Walbridge.
For all those who attended, the showcase was a unique experience that highlighted West Michigan’s up-and-coming STEM talent, as well as the results of Gentex support of local educational organizations.
