November 6, 2024
THE COALITION OF LEGACY CHRISTIAN ACADEMY AND BECKER HIGH SCHOOL TAKES THE WIN IN THE 2024 PACK CHALLENGE COMPETITION AT PACK EXPO INTERNATIONAL
In an exciting conclusion to the second annual PACK Challenge competition, sponsored by PepsiCo and held at PACK EXPO International (November 3–6, 2024; McCormick Place, Chicago), our Legacy Christian Academy and Becker High School coalition emerged as champions, taking home the $9,000 top prize for its innovative packaging solution and hailed Overall Best in Show. Awards were presented on Tuesday, November 5, at the PACK Challenge Booth in the West Lobby.
The competition, produced by show organizer PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, brought together five finalist high school teams from Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin in an end-to-end packaging competition for a challenging showcase of creativity, innovation, and ingenuity.
Each team was provided with the components necessary to design and build a functional denesting and orientating cup machine in a mock production line. Legacy/Becker qualified for the PACK Challenge over a year ago with their winning CAD design concept. Having won the 2023 qualifying rounds, Legacy/Becker earned their chance to bring their inventions to life in the ultimate competition on the show floor at PACK EXPO International in Chicago, which attracts thousands of industry leaders, educators, and attendees worldwide.
The two high schools have collaborated on this challenge since June 2023. The team had to not only build a machine, but also had to create a fictitious company and brand with a robust back story that also included mission statement, core values, company motto, website, etc. The company had to have a full suite of marketing including branding standards, logos, print and digital media, and other real world applications.
After the design was selected, Legacy/Becker got to work prototyping the design. During the process, senior Gabe Horrisberger ‘25 realized that the initial design needed improvement to better denest the cups. “It’s a different design that I actually came up with,” he says. During his Design Engineering class final project, Gabe tackled prototyping the pinwheel to improve functionality. “I thought the initial design didn’t handle the cups well. It had a loose grip. So I better redesigned the pinwheel to cup the cups while it rotated.” Gabe designed the pinwheel on CAD and students at Becker worked on 3D printing his design.
The winning machine stood out to the PACK Challenge judges because of its innovative use of material handling solutions and its ability to meet the demands of today’s packaging industry. The team demonstrated outstanding teamwork, problem-solving, and technical skills, impressing the judges and attendees alike.
But it wasn’t just the design that ‘wowed’ the judges. The PACK Challenge required teams to develop an entire mock company, including a marketing plan.
Jenni Bjorn ‘27 was a part of the team that handled the marketing presentation. She had the opportunity to ask and field questions from judges after her Becker teammates presented the marketing plan for their fictitious company. She says, “My favorite part was talking to people and building that communication skill. It made me see how the industry works in the real world, have real life experience, and see how we can make changes to be better as a company.”
“We are incredibly proud of the work these students have put into this competition,” says Kate Fiorianti, director of workforce development, PMMI. “The PACK Challenge embodies the future of our industry by connecting young talent with the opportunities and technologies that will shape the future of packaging and processing. The passion and creativity on display this year have been truly inspiring.”
The PACK Challenge promotes real-world industry engagement and provides students with hands-on packaging technology experience, helping bridge the gap between classroom learning and real-world industry application. Each team worked under the mentorship and collaboration of industry professionals. The competition showcased PMMI’s dedication to promoting workforce development and inspiring the next generation of engineers, designers, and packaging professionals.
Maverick Werth ‘27 shares the value of learning industry standards alongside professionals in the field. “I had dipped my toes in electrical work because of Legacy Robotics, but I learned a lot with this machine. We had professionals from Delta ModTech come in and help me with the electrical work. They helped me understand industry practices and apply those to our machine, which was really cool.”
Yet when looking forward to his future and a career in packing after the PACK Challenge Expo, Maverick can’t help but smile. “I honestly really like the machine and talking to people even though it pushed me out of my comfort zone. Going into the PACK Expo, I didn’t have any experience like that, selling our machine or being a salesperson, but in Chicago, I had to really put myself out there, asking questions like, How’s it going? Can I explain our machine to you? Do you have any questions?—I actually really enjoyed that. I didn’t think that I would like that, but I did.” For Maverick, the PACK Challenge opened up a new option for his future: technical sales.
Through initiatives like the PACK Challenge, PMMI continues to champion programs that prepare students for careers in this dynamic industry.
Congratulations to all the winners:
Overall Best in Show – Team with the highest combined point total from all areas.
- 1st Place ($9,000) – Coalition of Legacy Christian Academy and Becker High School
- 2nd Place ($4,500) – Elk Grove High School
- 3rd Place ($2,500) – Waterford Union High School
Marketing/Sales Competition – Awarded to the team who best marketed and pitched their machine to the customer.
- Winner ($1,000): Rich Township High School
Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) – Awarded to the team whose machine best performed throughout the competition according to FAT and Operator Training standards.
- Winner ($1,500): Coalition of Legacy Christian Academy and Becker High School
Judge’s Award – Recognized the team that showed exceptional teamwork, school spirit and unique qualities, going above and beyond competition’s standards.
- Winner ($1,500): Rich Township High School
Winning the Best in Show qualifies the Legacy/Becker team to showcase their machine and company at the PMMI PACK Expo in Las Vegas September 29 – October 1, 2025.
Since this started in the summer of 2023 there have been a host of students that started the project and then handed it over to the current students to complete.
Becker High School:
Emilia Hansen ‘24
John Nielsen ‘24
Isaac Wentland ‘24
Eli Bring ‘25
Makayla Hoefs ‘25
Landon Jurek ‘25
Cameron Northenscold ‘25
Charlee Northenscold ‘26
Kiersten Thompson ‘26
Ian Wentland ‘26
Legacy Christian Academy
Colton Rettke ‘24
Erin Storhaug ‘24
Gabe Horrisberger ‘25
Jacob Logid ‘25
Johnathon Blanchard ‘25
Sam Bisko ‘27
Jenni Bjorn ‘27
Maverick Werth ‘27
Coaches
Todd Kruse Legacy Christian Academy, Delta ModTech
Alex Jurek, BHS
Corey Applegate, Automation Minnesota
Kris Fischbach, Medtronic
Brendan Dahl, Delta ModTech
Ben McGowan, Legacy Christian Academy
A reception is planned for the team on Thursday, November 14 at 6:00-8:00 pm at Legacy Christian Academy. All are welcome to attend.
To learn more or get involved with future PACK Challenge competitions, contact Kate Fiorianti, director, workforce development, PMMI at [email protected]. Or read more about the experience here.