Vantage, 7 by 24 Exchange award inaugural 'Powering the Future' scholarships to Lincoln County seniors

Vantage and the 7 by 24 Exchange presented the inaugural "Powering the Future" scholarship to graduating seniors in Lincoln County, naming a roster of student recipients and identifying workforce development as the program’s main goal. A presenter identified the scholarship as newly established to support students pursuing career-technology pathways and said the scholarship fund is $15,000 for the inaugural year.

"I believe it's $15,000 in scholarship," the presenter said. Ms. Grimaldi, who represented Vantage, said the company is investing in the scholarships because "1 of the biggest problems that we're facing now is workforce development," and the company wants local students to pursue trades such as electrical work. "I work for a company called Vantage, a mission critical developer," she added.

The presenters named the recipients, including Riley Goodman, Aiden Greenlee, Maximus Mitchell, Vincent Murchison, Dominic Ortman, Elias Beck, Miguel Collins, Braden Dunn, Landon Myers, Bridal Wheeler, Eric Morell, Adrian Melfi and Braden Yoder. Board members thanked Vantage and partner CTEC for working with students and families to develop career-technical opportunities.

The scholarships were presented as part of a short recognition segment; presenters and board members characterized the awards as an initial, company-funded effort to develop a local pipeline of trained workers for critical infrastructure projects. No formal vote or budget action was recorded in the transcript.