The origins of Team Sunergy begin with Dan Blakeley, a student veteran who was inspired to seek fulfilling experiences both inside and outside the classroom. A fall 2013 class project to build a solar-powered golf cart would evolve into App State’s solar vehicle team, for which Blakeley and other students worked to organize funding as well as academic and institutional support.

“The learning curve for most of the skills and education required to build a solar car is steep,” Blakeley explained. “We learned really early that we needed to either attract people who were obsessive over the team and willing to put in all the free time they had, or we had to work with university staff and faculty to leverage programs and classwork to develop the necessary components for the car. We did both.”

The team worked with an App State communication class to develop a website and brand, and Team Sunergy was born — a combination of sun, energy and synergy. The team began entering competitions in 2015 and has achieved podium finishes nearly every year since.

Blakeley, a two-time App State graduate, completed his Bachelor of Science in technology in 2015 and his dual Master of Science in engineering physics and appropriate technology in 2018.

In 2018, he landed a job as a site manager with RoviSys Building Technologies, a Raleigh-based controls and automation company, and was promoted to project engineer. In 2020, he founded his own company, United Valor, which connects civilian and veteran communities through storytelling and organizational engagement to help veterans find a renewed sense of purpose. In 2021, he co-authored the book “The Twenty-Year War,” a coffee table photo book that tells the stories of 71 veterans from the Global War on Terror.

The same year, Blakeley accepted a position with Amazon Web Services as a senior business operations manager, supporting the talent acquisition team and North American business leaders in aligning goals, objectives and deliverables. He continues to work in Raleigh.

“Building the foundation of and leading Team Sunergy gave me a great deal of confidence,” Blakeley said. “I have been able to start my own business and write a book, all while having a demanding job. Team Sunergy proved to me that I can accomplish anything (for which) I am willing to put in the time and effort.”

Blakeley continues to follow the progress of Team Sunergy, which won the American Solar Challenge in 2021 and just competed in its seventh Formula Sun Grand Prix earlier this month.

“There were countless times the team could have failed or been shut down, but it was those who stepped up and supported Team Sunergy throughout the years that make what the team has accomplished truly magical,” Blakeley said. “It just goes to show you that you don’t need to have the highest budget, the best engineering programs or the fastest car. You need dedicated students with the support structure around them, geared to help them succeed.”

Duvey Rudow just happened to be walking through App State’s Sanford Mall, where Team Sunergy was showing off its solar-powered golf cart. Next came an interest meeting at Katherine Harper Hall, during which he became hooked on the concept and joined the team.

“I knew that no one joining the team had made a solar car before, so we would all be learning how,” said Rudow, who served as the team’s assistant project director and as a driver. “That meant making a lot of mistakes and learning a lot of new skills.”

“One of the biggest team challenges — because the team was so new — was there weren’t many standard operating procedures,” continued Rudow. “That meant a lot of time and energy had to be put into figuring out how to do something instead of just doing it. I was surprised how quickly the team grew. We went from working out of Katherine Harper Hall to our own warehouse in less than two years. That growth wouldn’t have happened without the support of Chancellor Everts and the campus community.”

After Rudow graduated from App State in 2018 with a dual Master of Science in technology and engineering physics, he moved to Austin, Texas. His early career included roles as a lighting installer and video game tester, and in 2020, he and a couple of friends began designing board games. They became the escape room design team for Hasbro’s Clue: Escape and Solve series and founded the company Just Playing Games outside of Portland, Oregon.

“My time with Team Sunergy helped me understand the value of project management,” Rudow said. “Knowing how to break a project down into smaller components, set short-term goals and when to push through to get something done is definitely what helps me the most in my role today.”

For Rudow, curiosity is key: “The work becomes easier when you are curious about something.”

When Pedro Franco ’16 came to App State as an international student from Brazil, he was intrigued by a flier about App State’s solar vehicle team. He was surprised to learn that the team was just beginning, but after meeting the team’s founder, Dan Blakeley, Franco became Team Sunergy’s electrical director.

“I was surprised by how little the team knew about solar vehicles — compared to today’s team,” Franco said. “And how far we went as a team.”

Franco graduated from App State in 2016 with a Master of Science in technology. He then returned to Brazil and in 2020 began working with the solar energy company Sunew, a third-generation organic photovoltaics producer, as its engineering and implementation coordinator. Along with his education from App State, Franco said his time with Team Sunergy developed his skills in leadership and planning.

“Being part of this team is exactly the same as being part of a company,” Franco said. “You have to know how to work by yourself and as a team, especially the second one. As an international student, I always had the cultural and language barriers to overcome. I learned how to better express myself and be more empathetic to other people. These are some of the most important qualities people should develop and apply as a professional and as a human being. Never forget honesty and integrity, of course.”

“I could not be more proud of Team Sunergy than I am right now regarding the outstanding efforts and accomplishments that I have seen on social media,” Franco continued. “It reinforces the idea that hard work and persistence can take you anywhere you want. It also helps inspire people along the way.”

Lindsay Rudisill, who earned her Bachelor of Science in music industry studies, was part of the first team to place at the Formula Sun Grand Prix in 2016. Rudisill had experience racing with the Sports Car Club of America throughout high school.

“Team Sunergy was the best next step I never expected,” Rudisill said. “I am so lucky that I happened to be going to App State at the same time this was starting up.”

After graduating from App State, Rudisill navigated through several job positions, including a brief stint as a driving instructor with the Porsche Experience Center in Atlanta, but she met a number of obstacles along the way, including one employer that filed for bankruptcy and laid off staff after a sale. She found work doing statistical analysis, technical writing and data visualization for blockchain, fintech (financial technology) and crypto reports, but “I wasn't thriving in cubicle life,” she said.

After passing the Aviation Selection Test Battery exam for the United States Navy, Rudisill was preparing for possible military service — then COVID-19 happened.

“I reconsidered my life, priorities and passions. Opportunities started opening up for me that were more aligned with my diverse interests,” she said. Rudisill was recruited by Infosys to work as an IT consultant, allowing her to work with clients in the energy and utilities industries. She also works as a Toyota pro driver for an automotive consulting firm, and she achieved a private pilot certificate with a goal of becoming a corporate or regional airline pilot.

On top of that, Rudisill’s passion for racing continues. She is a crew lead for a team in Porsche Club of America, has crewed as a data engineer with Honda in the Michelin Pilot Challenge and has assisted as a mechanic and data analyst with Porsche in the Porsche Carrera Cup. Through those experiences, she interacts with teams in the professional International Motor Sports Association, which recently switched to hybrid vehicles in its prototype series.

Rudisill credits her time with Team Sunergy — including 100-hour work weeks and racing through high temperatures and soaking rains — for developing her grit and tenacity in the face of adversity.

“Still to this day, I look back on my experience and can attest that it has been the most rewarding of my life to date,” she said. “It was completely entrepreneurial. We harnessed mechanics, technology, dexterity and business to build a well-run operating machine.

“Being on the team forced us all to really work with various personalities to achieve a common goal,” she continued. “That is exactly what companies are looking for in candidates — how one can adapt in changing environments, when things fail, when expectations aren’t met, and how to stay humble when expectations are exceeded. Team Sunergy is the talking point from my resume.”

Patrick Laney, who graduated from App State in May with a Bachelor of Science in sustainable technology, spent four years as the mechanical team lead for Team Sunergy.

“Visiting my sister at App State, during high school, was when I first learned about Team Sunergy,” said Laney. “As someone who was interested in engineering and solar power, and who always loved cars, it was the perfect fit.”

Laney was surprised how helpful everyone was in getting him up to speed once he joined the team.

“I felt like I was somewhat in over my head at first, especially with all the engineering and the scale at which Team Sunergy operates. There were so many moving pieces!” he recalled.

Laney learned not only from his advisers and teammates, but also from Team Sunergy’s sponsors. Working closely with one sponsor, VX Aerospace Corp., an advanced composites manufacturing and design company, resulted in a job opportunity for Laney. In May, the Monday after graduating, Laney began work as a VX Aerospace project team leader.

“VX Aerospace has always been an incredible resource for Team Sunergy,” Laney said. “I have had a great deal of interest in composites, and anytime we had questions — simple or complex — VX was always happy to help. The expertise they brought to the table was a game changer for us and ROSE.”

“Working at VX has felt like the busy few weeks of summer race prep before the American Solar Challenge — only all the time,” Laney added. “Every project has a deadline, and every project has hundreds of moving parts similar to Team Sunergy, but it has been amazing to see things come together.”