La Porte McDonald’s Owners Donate Gift of $273,000 to College of Engineering and Sciences on 2017 PNW Day of Giving

La Porte McDonald’s Owners Donate Gift of $273,000 to College of Engineering and Sciences on 2017 PNW Day of Giving

La Porte McDonald’s restaurant owner/operators Glenn and Sam Lubeznik have donated $273,000 worth of cogeneration energy equipment to the Purdue University Northwest College of Engineering and Sciences. The donation was made as part of the Purdue Northwest Day of Giving Wednesday (4/26).

This energy generation system helped reduce energy costs, provide reliable energy-back-up of critical business functions and substantially lower the carbon footprint at the McDonald’s restaurant in La Porte. Engineering students at Purdue Northwest will gain practical experience working with a state-of-the-art combined heat and power system that will be re-installed on the Purdue Northwest campus.

“The PNW School of Engineering is genuinely excited and grateful for this generous donation from Glenn and Sam Lubeznik. Having direct ‘hands on’ access to this level of commercial equipment is incredibly valuable for our students,” said Chris Holford, dean of the College of Engineering and Sciences at Purdue Northwest. “PNW students will directly benefit from the exposure in courses such as Alternative Energy and Thermofluids.”

Experience with this level of equipment will give PNW students a competitive advantage in a job market that is increasingly sensitive to the importance of energy, Holford added.

“I believe strongly in this technology and its potential to change the way our entire country addresses our energy needs,” Sam Lubeznik said. “I would love to see this equipment inspire the next generation of engineering students from Purdue Northwest to make those changes. I hope that together we can make that happen.”