Richard Petty Supports Alma Mater With Massive Donation

The King is helping the next generation learn some valuable skills. Seven-time Cup Series champion Richard Petty has partnered with Northern Tool and Equipment for a massive donation.

Petty and Northern Tool and Equipment made the donation on December 8. They headed to Petty’s alma mater, Randleman High School, with thousands of dollars worth of tools. Lincoln Electric and Ingersoll Rand also provided key support as they set out to help students learn more about skilled trades.

“When I came to school, they didn’t have these opportunities for these kids to be able to learn a trade,” Petty told Heavy after making the donation. “And working with these guys now, Northern Tool, and the different people that they work with, we’ve been able to bring in a bunch of new equipment for these boys and girls to be able to work with.

“And as time progresses, we’re going to need people that can build stuff. The machinery out there works good, but somebody’s got to design it. Somebody’s got to build it. So we need craftsmen. And this is just a good start for these high school kids.

“They can sit down, figure this deal out. Do they want to go to college and be a lawyer or a doctor? Or do they want to work with their hands and go home at night and say, ‘Look what I did today?'”

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There Were Multiple Important Tools Donated

The donation was made possible through the partnership with Northern Tool and Equipment, and it continued a trend. The company has invested a significant amount of money in the form of tool donations to high schools through its Tools for the Trades program.

Randleman High School, in particular, received a wide variety of tools that will help the students learn some critical skills. There were pliers, screwdrivers, inverters, air hoses, a Lincoln Electric welder, and an Ingersoll Rand compressor among many other important items.

“So we launched our Tools for Trades program last year with the intention of working with high schools, particularly the trade programs and shop programs that they have, and most importantly, with the teachers,” said Northern Tool and Equipment CEO Suresh Krishna.

“And then we spoke to them, and we realized that there wasn’t enough funding for those schools to get the latest equipment. Most of them were working with old, 25-30-year-old equipment and their funding was getting cut.

“So our tools for Trade Program was essentially built to support… In our retail trade areas, we’ve got 130 retail stores in and around those schools that are there to provide them with equipment so that their students can get access to the best and latest equipment that can then allow them to get exposed to what these careers are all about.”

The reason why this donation is so important is that there is a noticeable gap. According to Krishna, roughly 25% of the workforce in manufacturing companies is 55 or older. This means that there will be a significant lack of skilled workers in the next decade.

Donating these tools provides an opportunity to bridge the gap and set up the next generation. As Krishna explained, the goal isn’t to say that there is anything wrong with going the traditional college route; Northern Tool and Equipment just wants to show that there is another viable career path.

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Petty Celebrated the Chance To Give Back

It has been a long time since the NASCAR champion attended Randleman High School. However, he still remembers that he didn’t have some of the tools that he needed to learn skills that he would take with him through his adult life.

The partnership with Northern Tool and Equipment and the donation to the school provided Petty with an opportunity to give back while focusing on three main skill groups — metalworking, construction, and automotive repair. He was also able to spend some time showing off his welding skills as part of a live demonstration.

“For me to be able to work in the community and bring stuff to my community, I guess,” Petty said. “I grew up here. I’m still here. And anything we can do to contribute to the local economy, our local people, teaching them trades and stuff that they can use here in the county or go somewhere else. And as things progress, everything needs to be fixed. And this gives everybody a starting chance.”

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