Now that Carnival is just on the horizon, it’s time to let you guys in on what we’ve been cooking up for you. In this first installment, we introduce to you our first three panelists who will be on stage Friday after the races at 2pm. They will be asked questions by our moderator and then also open for questions from you in the audience. So if you’ve ever wanted to ask a question of someone you see here, be sure to show up!
Below we hear from our more experienced panelists as they tell us a bit about themselves. Some of these names you might recognize from other events and even right here on cmubuggy.
Mark Estes – SigmaNu ’87
I live in CA and work as the Chief Product Architect for Asante Solutions, a medical device company. You can see what I do for a living at Snappump.com. I was an undergrad in the 80s. Started in 81, Graduated in 87. BSME. I was a buggy chicken for Sigma Nu and became Zoo buggy chair in 86 and 87. We had been all about buggy for over a decade when I got there so I inherited a lot of knowledge, misinformation and zeal from the brothers who came before me. We often did well at design and won the race in 82 and again in 85 against stiff competition from PKA, CIA, and Beta.
Back before CMU-TV, the only video was shot from the lead truck. I ran that camera a few times. It was the best seat in the house. I have been a fan ever since and have been a commentator on CMU-TV a few times over the recent years. I, like many people, have fought buggy addiction ever since my first taste. I was almost ‘clean’ in the early 2000s but got sucked into a similar drug: ultimate speed racing at the all american soap box derby. Until this year, the ultimate speed race was similar to buggy in many ways; fairly open rules, few wheel restrictions (until this year) , and plenty of fun.
Matt Wagner – Spirit ’87
Together with Robert Bowie, I founded Spirit Buggy. I was also the author of our three year plan: first – show up, second – be competitive, third – win. And the last buggy that has my DNA incorporated in it (yes, literally) was QL, the record holder for 20 years. I have been coming back for the last few years giving my “Everything I leaned about Innovation I learned from Buggy” talk, sharing stories from my time with Spirit and what I took with me beyond buggy.
Graduated in ’87 with a BS in Chem E and EPP. Since the Mellon, I got a PhD in Chem E and worked in industry primarily doing R&D and new product development, Right now i’m a Senior Principal Scientist for Pall Corporation focused on contamination control in semiconductor manufacturing processes.
Tom Felmley – Spirit ’88
I am Thomas Felmley. I own a very small design and manufacturing company called Group 66 Designs. I design, make and retail jewelry, and am a subcontractor for my engineering and logistic services. In addition, I am an international disaster assessment team leader. From the ‘Mellon I have a triple undergraduate major (Chem, IM, German) and a Masters of Engineering in Material Science. But my real major has almost always been Buggy.
I almost pushed for SDC on Race Day my freshman year, but fifteen minutes before the race the chair subbed his buddy for me on Hill 5, B team. That was SDC’s loss, twice, as the buddy missed the pushbar, and I became part of Spirit my junior year, joining the team during the second year of its three year plan to become a dominant force in buggy. That we did, producing a series of records, winning teams and buggies. I have been a mentor to the team for all of these years, never having left the ‘Burgh. No team can stay on top forever, but I have always believed in the Sport of Buggy as an awesome learning tool, not just for engineering, but in leadership and teamwork.