Manpower to Horsepower

Sue Roberson has a special place in her heart for veterans, which is why she opened “Manpower to Horsepower,” a rehabilitation site in Mooresville for wounded or injured soldiers.

Roberson started the nonprofit to allow veterans with any form of disability to enter the world of racing.

“My grandfather was a World War II veteran and my uncle was in Vietnam, so soldiers have a special place in my heart,” she said. “As an organization, we offer classes taught by professors from Rowan-Cabarrus Community College that allow veterans to learn motorsports management, welding, how to put together a chassis, fabrication and much more.

“Through the school, they learn step-by-step processes each semester to gain skills they never knew they could acquire.”

Roberson’s program, begun in 2009, is accredited by the VA and through the community college, allowing vets to go from building the race car to taking it to the track.

“Some of the guys come to us with skills already under their belt with their military background and the others catch on quickly,” Roberson said. “The program takes about two years to complete and we’re rehabilitating them to reintegrate into the work force.

“Most of the guys that come here are severely injured and believe there isn’t a place for them, anywhere. They quickly find out that if they have the heart, they can do anything they set their mind to.”

The veterans don’t live on-site, but Manpower to Horsepower helps them obtain low-cost housing if they’re not from this area.

The class size at Manpower to Horsepower varies since some of the veterans are still in the service and could be re-deployed at any time, but usually there are five to 15 participants at any given time.

“We have guys with varying disabilities, from heavy brain damage to amputees to burn victims,” she said. “They determine their career path and what they can do, not us. They all come to us with an expectation to fail, and they all find there is something they are good at that they never imagined they could do.

“We have one guy who is a quadriplegic who uses a blow tube to design car wraps. These guys can do anything they set their mind to and just have to find their niche.”

With the smaller class sizes, professors are able to work one-on-one with the soldiers to find out their skill set and what might be the best fit for them.

“We’ve paired up with Chrome TV and the guys will soon be able to start working on Harleys, in addition to the cars,” said Roberson. “We’re also going to expand our offerings and start a construction program in the spring. We want to fulfill all the needs of our guys.”

In order to spread the word about the program, Roberson goes to military bases and works with the USO.

“We work hard to let veterans know what their opportunities are and take the cars everywhere,” she said. “We’ve touched a lot of lives. I’ll roll up in the USA 1 car that the veterans built and the soldiers will already know who I am and what the program is.”

The USA1 car is so popular that the guys have nicknamed it “Agnes.”

To raise even more awareness, Manpower to Horsepower is holding a rally and poker run on Sept. 17.

“The ride is sponsored by Chrome TV and Boneyard Tavern in Monroe,” Roberson said. “It will start here in Mooresville, traveling to Lancaster’s, SBB in Concord, the Charlotte Harley Davidson store and ending at Boneyard Tavern with a concert. I can’t believe it’s already grown to 500 riders, most of whom are veterans.”

All of the money raised from the poker run will go to the Manpower to Horsepower program.

“We’re still accepting riders at the moment, and anyone who is interested can contact the chapter president, Tim ‘Batman’ Couto,” Roberson said.

Manpower to Horsepower is located on Performance Road, near the Iredell-Rowan county line. For more information, visit www.manpowertohorsepower.org or call 704-664-1674. For details of the poker run, call 704-214-1198.