Adam Zemke

Zemke was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan. His parents, Debra Lehto and Frederick Zemke, divorced when he was a toddler. He spent much of his childhood in Michigan, attending Haisley Elementary, Forsythe Middle and Pioneer High schools in the Ann Arbor Public Schools[1] district. He also attended Princeton High school while his then-stepfather, Dr. Trevor Wooley, worked at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Princeton, NJ. Adam has one brother, Cameron Wooley, and a sister, Michelle Zemke—both younger.

Following high school, Zemke enrolled and attended Michigan State University. He studied Mechanical Engineering and obtained undergraduate and master's degrees in this field.[2] In spring 2005, Zemke served as the commencement speaker for his graduating class of the College of Engineering.

Zemke's family has deep roots in Washtenaw County. His father's family first emigrated to Ann Arbor and settled on Spring street in the early 1890s. They are of German ancestry. While in Ann Arbor, Zemke's great grandfather owned and operated The Orient, a well-known "townie" pool hall and barber shop on the corner of North Main and Ann streets.

The Orient

In 1935, his grandfather Frederick "Fritz" Zemke left the University of Michigan to start a business out of his parents' Spring Street garage, operating vending machines and jukeboxes in local establishments. This business, called Zemke Operated Machines, is run by Zemke's father and has remained in continuous operation to this day.

Zemke Operated Machines

MSU FSAE Car 41 at the 2006 University of Toronto Shootout

While in college, Zemke was a member of the Formula SAE team, something that he frequently discusses as being impactful to his educational experience. He participated in this program and was involved in the design, build, test and racing of the 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 vehicles. He served as project manager for the 2006 and 2008 vehicles, the latter of which placed 4th at the Formula SAE West competition in Fontana, CA.

2007 MSU FSAE Team at Jay Leno's garage

At the 2006 Fontana competition, Zemke made a connection with Jay Leno than led to Mr. Leno inviting the MSU Formula SAE Team to his Big Dog Garage in Burbank, CA for an exposé on the Formula SAE competition.[3] Zemke remains a strong supporter of Formula SAE, serving as Presentation Event Captain and a member of the organizing committee for the competition held annually in Michigan.[4] He also serves on the board of trustees for the SAE Foundation,[5] helping to encourage STEAM educational experiences for pre-K through high school students in classrooms all over the country.

MSU FSAE Team preparing Car 51 for Coach Tom Izzo before Midnight Madness

Following the completion of his master's degree, Zemke joined Demmer Corporation as a project lead engineer in their machining division. He worked on projects predominantly in the defense and commercial aerospace industries. A year after joining the company, Zemke was promoted to Program Manager, where he was one of two engineers tasked with helping to grow Demmer Corporation's presence in the private plane and commercial aerospace markets.

During a company trip to Wichita, Kansas, Zemke and his colleague visited a factory where production had slowed significantly during the recession. Upon asking what contributing factors were to the production decline, workers discussed that following the media converge of the automotive hearings in the United States Senate where CEOs who flew on private planes were chastised by Senators, many corporations cancelled their private plane orders.[6]