This greenhouse stands as the first of its kind in the United States for tropical foliage. The founders of The Plant Company, Jason VanWingerden and Frank Paul, initiated the company with the aim of introducing “European Style” growing to the United States. This style is distinguished by its emphasis on high quality, uniformity, and heavy utilization of technology.

Frank Paul extensively immersed himself in European practices upon the decision to pursue this venture, collaborating with growers and vendors to assimilate the growing practices and facility designs that yield uniform and high-quality plants, providing the best value for consumers. Unlike most tropical foliage grown in the United States, which prioritizes cost over consumer satisfaction, this facility and its design are centered around consumer success. At The Plant Company, we hold the belief that more people possess green thumbs than they realize; they simply haven’t encountered plants grown with them in mind. This philosophy begins with our facility and its location.

The Plant Company »

The revolutionary patent pending Dega-Tech® merges decades of fumigation experience and the latest technological marvels. The unit is designed to be placed in a fumigated environment to remotely send phosphine fumigant concentrations to an IoT platform for record keeping and nearly real time fumigation performance monitoring. Phosphine is the most widely used fumigant protecting the world’s agricultural commodities from damage and devaluation. Proper fumigant concentrations are critical in the control of all life stages of stored product pests and the Dega-Tech® monitor plays an increasingly important role.

Detia Degesch Group »

Juice Works 3D was conceived by founder Andrei Dacko after winning a Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams STEM product-design grant with a group of his former high school students in 2009. This ignited Andrei’s desire to make design-based learning, through 3D digital making, accessible to kids everywhere and, in so doing, unleash their creative and inventive capacity (aka “Juice”) in ways that they, and the communities they live in, never dreamed of.

Juice Works 3D »

Funded by a $25,000 Grant awarded by Northern Virginia’s Commonwealth Cybersecurity Initiative (CCI) Node, BRCC employees and students integrated the Art, Technology, and Diversity programs at BRCC to create an Artificial intelligence (AI) Technology Art Show called “Fractured Reflections: Navigating AI, Cybersecurity, and the Shifting Self.” One interactive art/technology display was named “Steal Your Face – Image Recognition of People Captured and Sold Without Their Knowledge.” It is a compelling and eye-opening art exhibit that puts the controversial subject of image recognition and its ethical implications into the spotlight.

BRCC Fractured Reflections Exhibit »

JMU Autonomous Vehicles offers undergraduate students the opportunity to work in multidisciplinary teams to build a self-driving vehicle. The project is designed to bring the autonomous concept out of simulation and into the real world with hands-on experience at the intersection of design, engineering, systems, software, controls, and project management. Students design and implement a variety of systems and sensors to have multiple, fully functional, self-driving applications in place at the conclusion of the course.

JACart Research Group »

Lorena’s journey is one of courage and resilience. Fleeing her homeland of Colombia with her young daughter, Natalia, due to violence and injustice, she sought peace and safety elsewhere. Despite facing numerous challenges, Lorena has demonstrated exceptional leadership qualities and commitment to personal and professional growth.

With a robust background in technology, including a BS in Systems Engineering and over twenty years of experience in the tech industry, Lorena has made significant contributions to her field. Her expertise in supporting integrations and reporting for multiple warehouse management systems has earned her respect among her peers, and she is always willing to help fellow team members.

Peirce is a servant leader. His entire career has been in public service. He always goes the extra mile to help individuals and businesses. His passion for Harrisonburg and the Shenandoah Valley is apparent in every project he undertakes.

Peirce is dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship in the area, tirelessly working to attract businesses and support underrepresented communities. His commitment to people of color and underserved groups is not only inspiring but effective. He established Harrisonburg’s B-Cubed to empower Black and Brown start-ups.