Customer story
A safer shop at the school where it all started.
In 1996, a shop accident at Champaign Central High School set three students on a path that would eventually lead them to build GRIT Automation. In 2026, they came back — and donated a $41,000 workshop safety system.
Watch
Central High improves workshop safety.
Watch on the GRIT video page · Read the original WAND News coverage →
The story
It started at Central.
In 1996, GRIT founder Joel Danowitz watched a classmate get seriously hurt in shop class at Champaign Central High School. The memory stuck.
Years later, in his own shop, his young son powered on a tool with his hand near the blade. The boy was unhurt — but the scare was the catalyst. There was no good way to make sure only trained, authorized people could turn a dangerous tool on. So Joel set out to build one.
GRIT Automation was founded in 2018 by three Champaign Central graduates — Joel Danowitz, Marco Nieto, and Jaclyn Aldridge. Today the platform runs in shops across the United States, Canada, and Australia.
In 2026, the founders brought it full circle: a $41,000 workshop safety system, donated to the school where the story began. The Champaign-Urbana Schools Foundation named GRIT its 2026 Local Business Community Impact Award recipient.
At Central
What the system does.
The same platform GRIT installs everywhere — now protecting students in the shop at Central.
Trained students only
RFID badges limit each machine to students who have been trained on it. If a student isn’t certified for a tool, it doesn’t power on.
Automatic dust collection
Dust collection turns on the moment a machine runs — no student has to remember, and the air stays cleaner without anyone thinking about it.
Air quality monitoring
Sensors track air quality across the shop all day, giving staff a real record of conditions instead of a guess.
Maintenance scheduling
Built-in reminders keep machines on a maintenance schedule, so equipment stays safe and serviced through the school year.
Explore the systems used at Central: RFiD machine Access Control, automated dust collection for school shops, and workshop Environmental Monitoring.
Hear from Central
The view from the shop.
This is cutting edge — frankly things I haven’t seen before. I didn’t even know were possible.
Watch on the GRIT video page · View the official CU Schools Foundation honoree page →
For media
Press kit & contact.
The facts
- GRIT Automation donated a $41,000 workshop safety system to Champaign Central High School, June 2026.
- System includes RFID tool-access control, automatic dust collection, air quality monitoring, and maintenance scheduling.
- Three founders — Joel Danowitz, Marco Nieto, and Jaclyn Aldridge — are all Champaign Central graduates. Danowitz witnessed a serious shop accident at the school in 1996.
- Named 2026 Local Business Community Impact Award recipient by the Champaign-Urbana Schools Foundation. Covered by WAND News, June 2, 2026.
Available assets
- Broadcast-ready b-roll and interview footage (WAND News segment)
- CUSF testimonial video featuring Abraham Haile and Joel Danowitz
- Hi-res photography of the Central installation
FAQ
About the Central donation.
Curious how equipment authorization actually works? How Equipment Authorization Works
Bring this to your school
Same system. Your shop.
Whether you run a high school CTE program, a university lab, or a makerspace, we’ll help you build the same kind of system — trained-only access, automatic dust collection, and air monitoring.
Customer story
A safer shop at the school where it all started.
In 1996, a shop accident at Champaign Central High School set three students on a path that would eventually lead them to build GRIT Automation. In 2026, they came back — and donated a $41,000 workshop safety system.
Watch
Central High improves workshop safety.
Watch on the GRIT video page · Read the original WAND News coverage →
The story
It started at Central.
In 1996, GRIT founder Joel Danowitz watched a classmate get seriously hurt in shop class at Champaign Central High School. The memory stuck.
Years later, in his own shop, his young son powered on a tool with his hand near the blade. The boy was unhurt — but the scare was the catalyst. There was no good way to make sure only trained, authorized people could turn a dangerous tool on. So Joel set out to build one.
GRIT Automation was founded in 2018 by three Champaign Central graduates — Joel Danowitz, Marco Nieto, and Jaclyn Aldridge. Today the platform runs in shops across the United States, Canada, and Australia.
In 2026, the founders brought it full circle: a $41,000 workshop safety system, donated to the school where the story began. The Champaign-Urbana Schools Foundation named GRIT its 2026 Local Business Community Impact Award recipient.
At Central
What the system does.
The same platform GRIT installs everywhere — now protecting students in the shop at Central.
Trained students only
RFID badges limit each machine to students who have been trained on it. If a student isn’t certified for a tool, it doesn’t power on.
Automatic dust collection
Dust collection turns on the moment a machine runs — no student has to remember, and the air stays cleaner without anyone thinking about it.
Air quality monitoring
Sensors track air quality across the shop all day, giving staff a real record of conditions instead of a guess.
Maintenance scheduling
Built-in reminders keep machines on a maintenance schedule, so equipment stays safe and serviced through the school year.
Explore the systems used at Central: RFiD machine Access Control, automated dust collection for school shops, and workshop Environmental Monitoring.
Hear from Central
The view from the shop.
This is cutting edge — frankly things I haven’t seen before. I didn’t even know were possible.
Watch on the GRIT video page · View the official CU Schools Foundation honoree page →
For media
Press kit & contact.
The facts
- GRIT Automation donated a $41,000 workshop safety system to Champaign Central High School, June 2026.
- System includes RFID tool-access control, automatic dust collection, air quality monitoring, and maintenance scheduling.
- Three founders — Joel Danowitz, Marco Nieto, and Jaclyn Aldridge — are all Champaign Central graduates. Danowitz witnessed a serious shop accident at the school in 1996.
- Named 2026 Local Business Community Impact Award recipient by the Champaign-Urbana Schools Foundation. Covered by WAND News, June 2, 2026.
Available assets
- Broadcast-ready b-roll and interview footage (WAND News segment)
- CUSF testimonial video featuring Abraham Haile and Joel Danowitz
- Hi-res photography of the Central installation
FAQ
About the Central donation.
Curious how equipment authorization actually works? How Equipment Authorization Works
Bring this to your school
Same system. Your shop.
Whether you run a high school CTE program, a university lab, or a makerspace, we’ll help you build the same kind of system — trained-only access, automatic dust collection, and air monitoring.