Gonzaga University & Kimball Office Post Falls make a great team!
Posted: 02.23.10
By Kimball Office Social Media Team

Congrats to Gonzaga University and Kimball Office, Post Falls! Through a grant from the Kern Family Foundation, the students of Gonzaga University partnered up with Kimball Office, Post Falls to connect academics with business and industry. The Foundation provides grants to support private universities that encourage entrepreneurial activities. Their KEEN (Kern Entrepreneurship Education Network) program promotes leadership, educational excellence, and high quality, innovative engineering talent.

As a project sponsor, Kimball Office builds working relationships with the GU students by mentoring them and working together on new and creative concepts. This is the third year that the partnership has fostered fresh ideas and sharpened problem solving skills for the students as well as the employees. This year, the second in a row, the Gonzaga University and Kimball Office combo has been selected to represent the university to the KEEN foundation. Gonzaga University presents their senior projects to demonstrate how the Gonzaga Engineering Program applies academics to real-life industry issues. The GU/KO project was selected by Gonzaga due to the team’s excellent track record for successful projects, excellent program support, high quality mentoring, and overall high level of involvement.

This program is truly a win-win situation, as Kimball Office and Gonzaga University find creative solutions to existing, actual work issues. Each year, from this working partnership, Kimball Office has gained a useful machine that improves quality, safety, and productivity. Thank you Gonzaga University!

	2008 –Tower Weld Fixture This weld fixture reduces operator fatigue and improves quality and productivity. The fixture rotates to reduce operator back strain. Parts are located accurately and clamped with pneumatic cylinders built into the fixture.
	2009 –Top Cap Blaster This machine blasts the aluminum top cap to remove scratches and imperfections prior to powder coating. It replaces a manual sanding operation which generates dust, causes operator fatigue, and is labor intensive.
	2010 – Aluminum Tube Router This router will replace the strenuous and messy manual routing operation with new CNC technology. Gonzaga University and Kimball Office Post Falls are currently working on this project.