Tool donation equips Hersey students for the future

Northern Tool + Equipment, a retailer and manufacturer of tools and equipment, recently donated products worth $5,000 to the manufacturing and engineering program at John Hersey High School in Arlington Heights.

On March 3, Northern Tool CEO Suresh Krishna and Mount Prospect store manager Pete Bruno were on hand to check out the donations in use when they visited Hersey's Computer-Integrated Manufacturing class.

Students demonstrated how they use the equipment in the manufacturing lab, including how they create robots and high mileage vehicles.

Expressing his appreciation for the donation, District 214 Associate Superintendent Lazaro Lopez said, "We are so grateful to our partners like Northern Tool + Equipment. They are the reason we can give real-world experiences to our students."

Northern Tool donated several items to the Hersey program, including a reciprocating saw, a metal cutting band saw and a floor drill press. At the March 3 event, the company also provided Northern Tool gift cards to students.

The donation was made as part of the Burnsville, Minnesota-based company's 40th anniversary celebration. The company's Mount Prospect retail location is in the Hersey High School neighborhood.

"Trades instructors need quality tools to help lead their classes to prepare the future skilled trades workers, and we hope our company's donations will help to improve the in-class experience and give the students hands-on experience working with professional-grade equipment," said Krishna.

Northern Tool's ongoing Tools for the Trades program is a community outreach initiative that celebrates students and teachers working in manufacturing and engineering classrooms. The program is aimed at supporting the future of the skilled trades workforce by encouraging students to pursue careers in trade professions.