The Towbes Group is sponsoring the Octobots, a year-round STEM program for high school students in Goleta and Santa Barbara County, by providing the team with a “practice field” at 5677 Calle Real, Goleta.

The 5,087-square-foot space in the Calle Real Shopping Center is the former home of Coast Supply. Octobots will use the space free of charge through May while The Towbes Group markets the property for lease.

Octobots will host a free Open House & Retirement Party, 6-8 p.m. Monday, Nov. 9 at the Calle Real location. The party is a send-off for Octane, the team’s 2026 robot.

Guests can watch Octane run one last time, meet the students and mentors, and get a look at the team’s work.

“The partnership continues a Towbes Group tradition of opening vacant commercial spaces to local nonprofits, turning what would otherwise sit empty into a place where community organizations can grow and do good work,” Towbes Group said.

“It reflects the company’s mission of Creating Communities Where People Thrive and its commitment to the idea of living life local,” the company said.

“Live.Life.Local means investing in the community around us,” said Peter Goodell, director of commercial properties at The Towbes Group.

“Opening our doors to the Octobots is a simple way to put our resources to work to support the next generation of engineers and leaders, and we can’t wait to cheer them on this upcoming season,” he said.

Octobots gives high school students hands-on experience in mechanical design and CAD, fabrication and machining, electrical systems, and teamwork.

Through competitions and mentorship, students build technical and leadership skills that prepare them for college, careers, and lives of curiosity and service.

Since starting up in 2023, Octobots has built an impressive track record, most recently, a second-place finish at the 2026 SoCal State Championship. The team is getting ready for a new competition season beginning in January.