Growing up in Northern Colorado, Chris Martin always knew he wanted to attend Colorado State University, and he decided to major in Construction Management when he applied.
“My dad worked in residential and multifamily construction in Northern Colorado when I was growing up. I remember helping him when he would visit job sites by going to the truck to grab a tool, missing part, or holding the flashlight while he worked. I was always interested in construction from an early age,” explained Martin. “After the first week in CON101, I knew I had made the correct choice and developed a real interest in construction.”
Hands-on experience
After attending the CM Career Fair as a freshman with very little construction work experience, Martin was offered a laborer position at Golden Triangle Construction. “I had a blast working with the GTC team that summer,” shared Martin.
He continued with GTC the following summer for additional work experience, again a third summer as a project engineer intern, and was excited to receive a full-time offer as a project engineer following graduation.
“GTC has invested a lot into my professional development and I am beyond excited to begin my career with them,” said Martin. He looks forward to his a career at GTC and helping build the Northern Colorado community.
ABC student chapter and competition team
During his time as a student Martin was heavily involved with the Associated Builders and Contractors student chapter and competition team. “These experiences truly challenged me to step out of my comfort zone and helped to develop my technical skills and soft skills more than any other experience I have had yet,” said Martin.
Martin served as the student chapter treasurer and later the president. “The ABC Student Chapter has had an invaluable impact on my learning at CSU,” he said.
Martin was also a part of the ABC National Student Competition Team for two years as a team member and this past year as the team captain. “Although we were not able to compete in the ABC competition in 2020 due to COVID-19, being the team captain was a great experience and I enjoyed working on the competition in phase one,” he shared.
As he prepares to graduate, Martin advises students in the program is to get as involved as you can with student clubs and competition teams, as well as for students to get to know their instructors outside of seeing them in the classroom as they have a wealth of knowledge and are more than willing to share.
One last piece of advice offered by Martin, “You will inevitably work with or around your peers after you graduate. Developing those relationships now will help your career tenfold down the road.”
The Department of Construction Management is part of CSU’s College of Health and Human Sciences.
