#BRIGHT
Conner Hazelrigg
July 18, 2017
DEFINITION: Full of hope and promise; intelligent.
Every night before you go to bed, you plug your phone in to charge it. In some parts of the world, that’s a luxury they can’t afford. With a little help from Sunshine Electronic Display of St. Joseph, Conner Hazelrigg’s brilliant idea is making those parts of the world a little more connected.
This daily ritual is commonplace in many remote Haitian villages. But on the day that Conner Hazelrigg arrived in one such village, the hardships and struggles of daily life were temporarily forgotten as she produced a small magic box capable of capturing images.
Conner describes her first interaction with the locals as an eye-opening experience for both parties.
“We were the first white people they had ever seen. And we all had our iPhones, which also blew their minds. They were completely in love with the idea of selfies.”
The reason for Conner’s trip goes well beyond expanding horizons. She traveled to deliver her Sunshine Box, a product made possible through her internship at Sunshine Electronic Display in St. Joseph, Missouri.
“I took him my idea of what the Sunshine Box could be. Kendall asked me to come up with the schematics. He immediately had me set up with different people in the manufacturing process… acquiring parts, welding, bending the metal, making sure the computer aided design of it was in place.”
So what exactly is this Sunshine Box and what does it do? Harnessing the solar energy of the sun, the Sunshine Box is able to charge 10 cell phones simultaneously. It sure supersedes the alternative charging methods many Haitians are accustomed to, which includes hooking phones up to car batteries, illegal tap offs, and various other sketchy techniques.
Conner says her ambition coupled with her love of physics is a bi-product of being pushed by two very special people – her dad and one of her teachers at St. Joseph’s Bishop LeBlond High School, Lisa Alkier.
“She just kept pushing me to keep doing more outside of class.”
What started off as a meager three boxes has grown into 20 units that are now in 11 countries spanning four continents, with the most recent Sunshine Boxes going to Thailand, Peru, and Uganda.
Conner hopes to see her boxes in half the countries of the world in the next 10 years. Focused on her goal, she is currently pursuing her MBA in order to better administrate the business side of Sunshine Boxes.
Conner’s drive and problem-solving initiative are true testaments to what can grow from planting the seeds of curiosity and adding a little sunshine.
#INDUSTRIOUS
Joe Gray, founder of Gray Manufacturing, began the company with his inventor father, J.H. Gray.
#TIMELESS
Walking into Café Belle Epoque takes you back in time. The copper tin ceiling, marble table tops, hardwood floors, wood-burning stove and jazz music seem to transport you to a period of economic glamour in historic St. Joseph.
#APPETIZING
There’s a lot of history, hard work and tradition packed into the Barbosa’s restaurant legacy in St. Joseph.
#GENEROUS
There are countless uncommon places in St. Joseph that help make this city uniquely awesome. Key word, “help.” Creative, quirky, historic and just plain fun parks, buildings, businesses and restaurants are great, but it’s the people that make the difference. It’s the people that come up with the ideas. It’s the people that run these businesses. It’s the people that take the lead and build something worth bragging about.
#Exuberant
It’s not paintball. It’s not even a water balloon fight. It’s foam warfare, and there’s a good chance you’ll want to join the fun.