Innovation in Motion: Where Steel Valley Heritage Meets Tomorrow's Technology
By Justin Powers
Featuring Richards Wilcox, Inc. - Presenting Sponsor of the Halftime Robotics Demonstration at the Jen + Tonic Polo Event
As we prepare for another Jen + Tonic fundraiser and reflect on the companies stepping forward to support our mission, I find myself particularly inspired by our presenting sponsor, Richards Wilcox, Inc. Their commitment to our Halftime Robotics Demonstration represents more than corporate generosity, it embodies the very transformation our Steel Valley region needs to embrace if we're going to build a technological future worthy of our industrial past.
The story of Richards Wilcox offers a compelling glimpse into how the lessons of our regional history can guide us toward a more innovative tomorrow. It's a story that connects directly to the broader vision for a Steel Valley Renaissance, where the same communities that once powered America's industrial might could soon power America's technological revolution.
A Leader Shaped by Steel Valley Legacy
Bob McMurtry brings a unique perspective to industrial innovation, one shaped by both personal experience and family legacy. As a fellow polo player who has served on the board of directors of the United States Polo Association, including chairing the Polo Development Initiative Committee, Bob understands the delicate balance between honoring tradition and embracing necessary change. But it's his family connection to our region's industrial heritage that makes his leadership philosophy particularly relevant to our Steel Valley Renaissance vision.
Bob's uncle, Duncan C. McCune, was a legendary figure in the steel industry throughout our region. For over 31 years, Duncan worked with companies like Babcock and Wilcox, Jones & Laughlin, and LTV Steel, becoming a pioneer in statistical process control and quality management. Duncan established his own consulting firm, Quality Statistics, in 1985, and his innovations in industrial statistics earned him recognition as a Fellow of the American Society for Quality Control and the prestigious Harold F. Dodge Award in 1995.
Mr. McCune has an eternal connection with our memorial fund's namesake, Jenifer R. Powers Fruit, through their shared experience at the College of Wooster, attending this institution alongside his sister [Bob's mother]. Wooster holds a particularly dear place in the Powers family heart, making this connection between Duncan's legacy of innovation and Jen's commitment to educational excellence feel like more than mere coincidence.
Here's what strikes me most about Duncan McCune's career: he recognized the need for data-driven innovation in steel production decades before the industry was ready to listen. He understood that statistical process control and quality management weren't just academic concepts—they were survival tools for American manufacturing. Unfortunately, as we all know too well, the steel industry's reluctance to adopt such innovations contributed significantly to the transformation of our Valley into what the world came to know as the Rust Belt.
Bob McMurtry, a self-described lifelong learner, seems to have internalized the lessons of his uncle's career. At Richards Wilcox, he's positioned this 145-year-old company not just to survive change, but to lead it. The question that fascinates me is this: What would our region look like today if more industrial leaders had embraced Duncan McCune's vision of data-driven innovation fifty years ago?
From Steel Mills to Smart Factories: The Richards Wilcox Evolution
The beauty of Richards Wilcox's current transformation lies in how it demonstrates that industrial companies can honor their heritage while completely reimagining their future. Under Bob's leadership, this company has become a perfect example of how our Steel Valley region can move from the Rust Belt to what I envision as the Data Valley.
Consider their approach to robotics integration. "If you're like us, you've been dreaming about robots since you were a kid," their recent blog post begins, capturing that sense of childhood wonder that drives real innovation. But Richards Wilcox Conveyor knows that dreams become reality through smart engineering. Their "robot-ready" smart conveyors represent precisely the kind of forward-thinking technology that will be showcased in our Halftime Robotics Demonstration.
These aren't just conveyor systems, they're the foundation for the automated factories of tomorrow. From painting and coating to quality assurance, their robotic solutions deliver the precision and speed that modern manufacturers demand while preparing facilities for innovations we haven't even imagined yet. It's the kind of systems thinking that could have transformed our steel industry if more leaders had embraced it decades ago.
The AI Revolution Starts Here
Perhaps most exciting is Richards Wilcox's ambitious artificial intelligence roadmap. The company is leveraging AI to strengthen competitive positioning and drive innovation across its three business units: Richards Wilcox Conveyor, Richards Wilcox Hardware, and Aurora Storage Products.
Their AI initiative focuses on three core areas that perfectly illustrate the future for our entire region: AI-enhanced sales and marketing with predictive lead scoring, AI-driven manufacturing with robotic process automation and predictive maintenance, and AI-augmented decision-making through advanced forecasting and ERP integration. The goal is to build a more data-driven, efficient, and customer-responsive organization that can adapt and thrive in our rapidly changing industrial landscape.
STEM Education as Regional Transformation
This brings me back to why Richards Wilcox's sponsorship of our Halftime Robotics Demonstration matters so much. The STEM education and robotics programs we support through the Jenifer R. Powers Fruit Memorial Fund aren't just preparing individual students for future careers—they're laying the groundwork for our entire region's economic rebirth.
Every child who learns advanced robotics concepts in one of our supported programs, every student who discovers a passion for AI and machine learning, every young person who sees technology as a tool for solving real-world problems, they represent our region's chance to lead the next industrial revolution instead of being left behind by it.
The relationship between education and economic prosperity is symbiotic. Without financial stability in our communities, it becomes increasingly challenging to support innovative technology education in our public schools. Yet, without strong STEM education preparing our future workforce, our communities struggle to attract and retain the technology companies that could provide economic revitalization.
Companies like Richards Wilcox prove that transformation is possible. They show us that a 145-year-old industrial company can become a leader in robotics, AI, and sustainable manufacturing. But they also remind us that such transformation requires the kind of lifelong learning mindset that we must instill in our children.
The Choice Before Us
The story of Duncan McCune and the steel industry serves as both inspiration and warning. His innovations in statistical process control and quality management were exactly what our region needed, but they came at a time when too many industry leaders were resistant to change. The result was an industrial decline that transformed the Steel Valley into the Rust Belt.
Today, we face a similar choice. The AI revolution is already here, not as a distant possibility but as a present reality. The regions that accept this truth and build educational systems and infrastructure to support it will lead the way. Those who cling to outdated approaches will be left behind.
Companies like Richards Wilcox, that understand both heritage and innovation, show us what's possible when we choose to embrace change rather than resist it. Their commitment to robotics, AI, and sustainable manufacturing proves that our industrial legacy can be a foundation for technological leadership, not an anchor that holds us back.
Bringing It All Together
Our fundraising events, such as Jen + Tonic, aren't just social gatherings or simple charity drives. They're investments in our vision of a technologically vibrant, economically prosperous Steel Valley where our children can build extraordinary futures without leaving the communities that shaped them.
When Richards Wilcox sponsors our Halftime Robotics Demonstration, they're not just supporting our fund, they're demonstrating the kind of public-private partnership that will be essential to our region's transformation. They're showing students, parents, and community leaders what the future of manufacturing looks like, and they're proving that innovation and tradition can work together to create something better than either could achieve alone.
The Steel Valley Renaissance is within our reach. With continued support from innovative companies like Richards Wilcox and ongoing investment in programs that prepare our children for tomorrow's economy, I believe our region can lead America's next industrial revolution.
Duncan McCune saw the future of data-driven manufacturing decades before his time. Richards Wilcox is helping to build that future today. Our children, educated and inspired by programs like those we support, will lead that future tomorrow.
The choice is ours. Let's choose innovation. Let's choose our children. Let's choose the Steel Valley Renaissance.
For more information about the Jen and Tonic Polo event and how you can support STEM education initiatives in our community, visit www.steelvalleyinnovate.org.