Innovation doesn’t stop at the end of the workday. Our team is made up of passionate, creative problem-solvers who don’t just push boundaries at work—they do it in their spare time too. With access to many of our shop tools, Motivans can take on personal passion projects that stretch their skills and keep their curiosity alive. These projects may not be Motivo client projects, but they showcase the ingenuity and drive that makes our team exceptional.
Today, we’re spotlighting one of our engineers, Will Gorecki, whose personal project is the stuff of sci-fi dreams: building an actual, working jetpack.
Yes, Actual Jetpacks

Meet Will Gorecki
Will has been an electrical engineer at Motivo for two years, specializing in high-voltage power distribution for electric vehicles. His daily work involves designing circuit boards, wire harnesses, programming controllers, and working with high-voltage DC systems. But outside of work, he’s previously taken on an engineering challenge that’s both ambitious and exhilarating—creating a jet suit that allows him to fly like Iron Man.
From Dream to Reality

So what inspires someone to take on a project as audacious as building a jetpack? For Will, it was simple: he always wanted one.
“Honestly, I’ve always found jetpacks inspiring. I mean, who didn’t want a jetpack as a kid? Coming out of college, I had this crazy idea—what if I could actually build one? I didn’t have all the skills yet, but I understood the fundamentals. I was confident that I could learn along the way, so after about a month of designing it in my head every night before falling asleep, I decided to go for it.”
The result? A jet suit equipped with five small jet engines strapped to his body, generating a combined 350 pounds of thrust—enough to defy gravity.
The Learning Curve

The process of building a jetpack was as much about self-education as it was about engineering. Over two years, Will taught himself how to design circuit boards, write embedded firmware, CAD mechanical systems, and control jet engines. Every challenge was an opportunity to expand his skillset.
But beyond the technical skills, the most valuable lesson he learned was about mindset:
“When I started the project, I knew I didn’t have all the knowledge I needed. But I also knew that if I stayed focused and worked hard, I could figure out any problem that came up. The biggest lesson I took away was to not be afraid of diving into a challenge, even when I don’t have all the answers yet.”
This philosophy—learning by doing, failing fast, and course-correcting—has shaped not only his personal projects but also his work at Motivo.
How Passion Projects Fuel Innovation at Motivo
Engineering is a discipline that rewards curiosity, and the skills Will has gained from his personal projects directly translated to his work here. Designing high-voltage systems, troubleshooting complex electrical issues, and optimizing power distribution are all challenges that benefit from the problem-solving techniques he honed while building his jetpack.
“All of my personal projects are engineering-based, so pretty much everything I work on in my free time has ended up being useful at work at some point. I choose projects that challenge my skills, and every time I learn something new, it comes in handy at some point on the job.”
Dreaming of the Future
So what’s next for Will? If given the chance, he’d love to apply his knowledge to a Motivo project involving personal flight.
“If I could work on anything, I’d love to help develop a small-scale, single-person eVTOL (electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing) aircraft. It would be the perfect blend of my expertise in high-voltage power distribution, avionics, and personal flight. That would be a dream project.”

Whether it’s designing high-voltage EV systems or building jetpacks in his free time, Will approaches every challenge with the same mindset—stay curious, take risks, and never stop learning. While his personal projects might be more chaotic (since he only has to answer to himself), at Motivo, teamwork and organization help channel that same innovative energy into real-world solutions.
We thrive on cross-pollination—where one person’s passion project could spark the next big idea in a completely different industry. We’re proud to have talented individuals like Will pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, both at work and after hours.
Curious about what other cool projects Motivans are up to outside of work? Check out our spotlight on the Railtronic Kaleidoscope at the North Carolina Arboretum.