Rendering of the new lab, expected to be completed in the fall of 2025. Students and officials participate in the groundbreaking ceremony for the school’s new E-Mobility building on September 16. Above, from left, are Pierson McMillin, construction electricity; Courtney Sutter, computer-aided design; Andrew Frankforther Jr., robotics and automation; Dalton Archambeau, automotive technology; Zavier Materni, information technologies academy; Lawrena Djapi, information technologies academy; Edward Ewers, superintendent of Penta Career Center; Lt. Governor Jon Husted; Violet Lowe, culinary arts; Michael Harrigan, treasurer of Penta; Dominic DeWitt, construction masonry and Judith Sander, president of the Penta Career Center Board of Education.
Penta Career Center held a groundbreaking ceremony on September 16 at the construction site of its future E-Mobility lab, 9301 Buck Road, Perrysburg Township. The event featured remarks from Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted who leads the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation.
The building will be located near the automotive wing. The 15,135 square-foot space will be created with flexible options for instruction related to the electrical, mobility and technology fields. Training in the EMobility labs will focus on career areas such as the installation and maintenance of electrical infrastructure; emerging skills for automotive technicians; drone technology, and advanced air mobility.
Penta has worked with business partners at AAA, Turner Electric, Toledo Electrical JATC, Dewesoft, Lake Erie Electric and others to better understand their needs and to assist in developing curriculum for the programs. The space also will allow opportunities for cross-training with existing students in other programs—like firefighters, who will encounter residential and commercial environments with E-Mobility technologies.
In 2023, Penta received a $2.4 million grant from the State of Ohio through the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation to partially fund the construction of the building. The estimated cost is $8.6 million and the remaining amount will be funded through Penta’s Permanent Improvement fund. The building is designed by Kleinfelder Architecture, Inc. and the construction manager is Rudolph Libbe Inc.
