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If you walk by Patterson Hall, you’ll see it. The “Intimidator.” The red and black tractor, in all its “hands-in-the-dirt” glory, sits just inside the doors of the four-story brick building.

Garey Fox, dean of N.C. State’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, insisted that “Intimidator” be moved near his office.

This is no ordinary Dale Earnhardt-inspired tractor. It’s an international champion.

Thanks to “Intimidator,” the Pack Pullers — an engineering group at N.C. State — were named overall champions in the 2024 International Quarter-Scale Tractor Student Design Competition in Peoria, Illinois.

The competition, held annually in late May and early June, gives students real-world engineering experience by challenging them to design, build and test small-scale tractors. The Pack Pullers are one of the few teams from the Southeast competing against 20 or more schools, many of which are from the Midwest.

The Pack Pullers have participated for roughly 20 years and never finished higher than third.

But this year, something different was in the air.

“We’ve been hearing, ‘Why not us?’ for six months, right?” Grant Ellington, Pack Pullers team adviser, joked, referring to the double success of the Wolfpack’s men’s and women’s basketball teams. “Same thing.”

The competition is a comprehensive test of each team’s tractor design. Participants endure early mornings and late nights in Peoria, where they must justify their design choices and demonstrate their tractor’s superiority in operational efficiency, durability and effectiveness.

The competition begins at the check-in barn, where judges inspect the tractors for hours to ensure compliance with a 25-page rule book. The whole process is very strict and “somewhat ridiculous,” said Ellington.

There are ground clearance requirements. Low-carbon steel components must be a different thickness than aluminum. The clutch can’t have an air gap — at all.

“A (judge) will get down there with a piece of metal that’s paper-thin and try to shove it into every crease,” said Max Hooks, a graduate student adviser for the team. “And if it goes through, it’ll fail.”

And arguably the biggest hurdle: The tractor can weigh no more than 900 pounds.

“The tractor’s gotta go on a diet,” Ellington said.

There’s a 24-hour window in which teams can make last-minute changes, but the Pack Pullers are rarely pressed for time. They pride themselves on their preparation. If anything, the Pullers might make a shielding adjustment, or bolt on another piece of metal, and then they’re ready to go.

“It’s always easier to do it here in Raleigh than it is in Illinois,” Ellington said.

Construction takes place in the Biological and Agricultural Engineering Department, where the Pack Pullers fabricate their tractor entirely in-house with support from the BAE Research Shop.

Preparing for the ASABE Quarter-Scale Tractor Competition is a significant undertaking for the Pack Pullers. The team dedicates 15-20 hours weekly to the project throughout the year — whether it’s in the classroom looking at designs or in the shop fabricating parts.

In the month before competition, that workload can increase to around 10 hours a day.

“Me and (team member Thomas Bartholomew) have both spent over 24 hours straight working on it,” Hooks said. “It takes constant commitment — working on it two, three times a week (and) staying after hours — it’s not something that just gets done by itself.”

“Part of what drives me,” Hooks continued, “is I’m a competitive person.”

Having placed third with their previous machine, “Ole Red,” the team was determined to improve. This year, under Ellington’s guidance, the Pack Pullers focused on improving their soft skills, which account for 55% of the scoring.

Soft skills are assessed through team presentations and interviews with industry professionals, where participants must field unexpected questions on everything from gear ratios to financial strategy.

“One really specific question that we hadn’t really thought about was, ‘Are you worried about the cannibalization of your market?’” Bartholomew said. “So are we going to take away our market from our other two models?”

At the closing banquet, the Pack Pullers — decked out in team polos and khakis — awaited their scores. They weren’t hopeful. The tractor’s belt snapped during the durability event. Bartholomew estimated the team would finish outside the top five. Tommy Stephenson, club adviser, sat with his face in his hands.

“And then we got called first,” Bartholomew said, “so everybody just kind of erupted and exploded.”

The group’s focus on soft skills paid off, with the Pack Pullers also taking home first place for best team presentation. There was no Memorial Belltower lighting. No crowd of students to welcome the Pullers home. Just Dean Fox, who was there on campus to greet the team after its 14-hour drive back to Raleigh.

Nonetheless, the Pack Pullers feel a part of the magic on N.C. State’s campus.

“There’s a lot of anticipation and a lot of excitement going on here,” Bartholomew said. “So definitely we’re looking forward to bringing home some more hardware.”

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August 21, 2024 11:02 AM

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RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — A display of fireworks lit up the sky near N.C. State University’s Belltower Saturday night while students, faculty, families and alumni embraced the red glowing tower that welcomed students to a new academic year.

“We have a connection, and the excitement. It’s a lot of fun, everybody puts forth an effort, and everyone is excited,” said Kathy Warwick, an N.C. State alumna.

Warwick and her husband Duncan joined more than 80,0000 people who gathered on Hillsborough Street on Saturday for the university’s Packapalooza celebration.

The cherished event wrapped up N.C. State’s Wolfpack Welcome Week and featured live music, performances, and about 300 vendors.

“You build lasting relationships. We have,” said Kathy Warwick.

The Warwicks said they haven’t missed the celebration since Packapalooza started 12 years ago. The couple said the university became a piece of their story together including 50 years of marriage.

“We lived in N.C. State’s married student housing,” said Kathy.

“I graduated in ’77, but I was an older guy who had been through the service and went to school on the G.I. Bill,” said Duncan Warwick.

The Warwicks cherish their moments on the campus and the everlasting Wolfpack spirit. However, many said the celebration also marked new beginnings.

“It’s kind of bittersweet, it’s hard to see him go,” said Andrew Gunderson, standing beside his son Jacob Gunderson of Jacksonville. Gunderson said his son, a freshman, plans to major in electrical engineering.

“I remember when I started college, too, it was a very exciting time. It was your first time away from home without the safety net, so it was a little bit scary but in a good way,” said the father.

Jacob shared his excitement for what’s to come including making new friends and memories.

“It’s just nice seeing everyone from all grades for the opening of the year!” he said.

Jeff Murison, executive director of Live It Up! Hillsborough Street, said they work with the university to bring the event together in Raleigh. Through the event, he said they also highlight Hillsborough Street.

Murison said the street has become part of the identity of the campus.

“Packapalooza anchors the idea that Hillsborough Street is the center of Wolfpack pride for incoming, first-year students on their first weekend,” said Murison. “That carries through, not just the four or five years that they’re here, but a lifetime with Hillsborough Street and Raleigh.”

With the support of nearly 50 sponsors, Murison said they strive to make the celebration bigger and better.

“It’s the beginning of the semester, it’s fantastic to see all of N.C. State out on Hillsborough Street celebrating, returning back for another year, and everything that is Wolfpack energy.”

Almost 200 units will be built on Creech Road in Garner.

GARNER, N.C. (WTVD) -- Wake County is breaking ground on more affordable housing Friday morning.

176 units will be built at Tryon Station on Creech Road in Garner. These units are for working families who live in Garner and the surrounding areas.

It's a project that nearly didn't happen without the help of Wake County and the town of Garner stepping in to provide gap financing after developers said construction costs and interest rates almost forced them to shelve the project.

The county is investing $6.6 million alongside Garner with an additional $750,000. The project is expected to take 18 months to complete.

"This is our first opportunity to actually partner with the town of Garner in financing a development," Mark Perlman said. "There's a need for affordable housing county-wide, especially this close to the Raleigh border where there's a lot of growth happening."

Perlman is the division director of equitable housing and community development with Wake County.

This growth is welcomed by neighbors like Booker Pullium. His home is sandwiched between two new developments.

His only concern is the increased traffic that could come with new developments.

"The apartments in Raleigh, Garner are very expensive," he said. "To provide affordable housing -- it's a wonderful idea. I just hope that everything is balanced, such that when you bring in progress, you also help to minimize the impact that it has on existing communities.

The project is one of many surrounding Pullium's home just off Creech.

A slight inconvenience for what others say is needed now more than ever. County leaders said a report found there is a deficit of 65,000 affordable housing units in Wake County.

"We have 176 units. It's a lot," Perlman said. "It's making progress, but I think the takeaway is that every single unit that we can create or preserve counts towards meeting, reaching that goal."

The project is part of the $11 million affordable housing plan signed off by Wake County commissioners in April. 461 units are expected to be built for seniors and families across Raleigh, Cary, Garner and Zebulon.

"This creates places for working people in Wake County to live, it creates housing opportunities that the market has not been able to create on its own," Perlman said.

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Target is expanding its footprint in the Triangle, opening its first store in Johnston County.

The retailer will join the Eastfield development in Selma.

But don’t expect to shop there soon: Construction on the store isn’t expected to begin until spring 2025, Michele Kisthardt, a marketing director for developer AdVenture Development, told The News & Observer in an email.

That puts the store’s opening sometime in the first quarter of 2026, Selma Mayor Byron McAllister told The N&O.

“When we conducted surveys, Target was the retailer that people wanted most in their community,” AdVenture Development president Kevin Dougherty said in a January 2024 news release. “With our diverse mix of retailers in Eastfield, residents can now look forward to having their favorite shops close to home and work.”

Target has stores in Wake, Wayne and Wilson counties, but the closest locations are more than 20 miles away from Selma — a town known for its ties to the railroad.

“It’s huge for Selma, North Carolina,” McAllister said. “It’s huge for Johnston County.”

Here’s what we know about the new, 130,000-square-foot store that, McAllister said, will bring about 225 jobs to the community.

The Minnesota-based retailer’s Johnston County store will be at 551 Saint Mark Ave. in Selma. The road will be located along Highway 70A.

It is part of the Eastfield development, accessible via exits 97 and 98 on I-95.

Situated on about 400 acres, Eastfield is a mixed-use development with a business park, retail, medical, coworking, hospitality, entertainment, and senior and residential housing. The developer, AdVenture, is also behind the nearby Old North State Food Hall, which opened in 2022 in an old JRs Cigar warehouse, The N&O previously reported.

The first group of stores, together comprising about 200,000 square feet of retail space, is set to open this fall.

Academy Sports + Outdoors, Hobby Lobby, Old Navy, Ulta Beauty, Marshalls, Ross, Burlington and Five Below are leading the way, with the first store opening expected around Oct. 1. Specific opening dates for each retailer will be announced later, Kisthardt said.

“We’re excited to create an environment where the folks that live in Selma don’t have to leave Selma to get anything they need,” McAllister said.

In addition to the forthcoming Selma store, Target is opening a new location in Fuquay-Varina. The store at 2901 Wallace Adcock Blvd. is expected to open in 2026 at the Gold Leaf Crossing Shopping Center, The N&O previously reported.

At 148,000 square feet, the Fuquay-Varina location will be larger than the Selma one.

Outside of the Triangle, Target has announced new stores for Myrtle Grove and Southern Pines.

Have a question about your community you’d like answered? Or maybe a tip or story idea you’d like to share? The service journalism teams at The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer want to hear from you.

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August 22, 2024 10:20 AM