It was another year of success as students from Colorado State University’s Department of Construction Management participated in national and regional competitions early in the spring semester.
Students gained practical experience and new connections in industry at the Associated Schools of Construction Regions 6 and 7 competition, the Roofing Alliance Student Competition at the National Roofing Contractors Association’s Convention and International Roofing Expo, and the Associated Builders and Contractors student competition.
Three teams place in regional ASC competition
Seven teams represented CSU-CM at the 37th annual regions 6 and 7 February 7-10. The CSU teams were comprised of 60 students and faculty coaches who joined over 1,600 students on 230 teams representing 55 different universities. Students showcased their knowledge, creativity, and presentation skills with teams in seven categories: commercial, concrete solutions, design-build, heavy civil, integrated project, preconstruction, and sustainable building. Each team was tasked with responding to the various requirements and were judged as a cohesive unit as they submitted the deliverables and presented in a formal review before a panel of industry professionals.
Led by co-captains Makenzie Adams-McDaniel and Trystan Scheer, the commercial team earned first-place honors. The team impressed the industry judges with their teamwork and methodical process of finding a solution to their problem. The team used nearly every second of their allotted 12 hours, racing downstairs as a team to turn in their deliverable with just moments to spare.
“Hearing Colorado State get called for first place was exhilarating,” said Adams-McDaniel. “It was so fun being a part of this team and watching all our hard work pay off!”
“The hard work and dedication of the students make them successful,” added coach and faculty member Brett Brown. “As coaches, we can only do so much. The students have to want to learn and that is what is so awesome about CSU-CM – the students really want to learn.”
The commercial team was not the only CSU-CM team to stand atop the podium, as the design-build team also took home the top prize in their category. Co-captains Senti Werden and Connor Salem led the team through the competition and impressed the judges with their strong problem-solving skills. Faculty member and coach Mohammed Mehany credits the industry partners for their guidance, while acknowledging the students’ efforts.
“The industry plays a significant role by offering them real-life problems and critiquing their work,” said Mehany. “But it is all about the students. They are motivated, disciplined, and possess a great work ethic.”
Rounding out this year’s podium finishers at the ASC competition were the preconstruction team, led by faculty member and coach Sherona Simpson. The team earned an impressive third-place finish in the competitive category.
Another key to the team’s success in 2024 can be attributed to teamwork and how close each member of the team was to each other.
“Our team this year was very close,” Team Captain Evan Prestwich said. “Just a few weeks after finalizing our team, it was clear we would be able to work well together. That is what gave us an advantage and helped us have some fun while we were at it.”
The Rams routinely find success at ASC competitions, and Simpson attributes that to three things: well-rounded students, diverse faculty concentrations, and industry partner support.
“The students work really hard to prepare for the competitions: doing the research, building templates, doing the mocks, asking the questions, reaching out to the industry, and challenging themselves,” added Simpson. “They go above and beyond to do well.”
After many long hours of practice and preparation, earning a podium spot is all the sweeter.
“We love bringing some hardware back to CSU’s CM department,” Prestwich added.
Roofing team stands tall in Las Vegas
While the ASC teams were enjoying their success in Reno, the CSU roofing team was at the other end of the state in Las Vegas for the Roofing Alliance Student Competition at the National Roofing Contractors Association International Roofing Expo.
With mentorship from faculty member and coach Nick Rubino, the team locked up second place in the national competition and brought yet another piece of hardware back to Fort Collins.
This event introduces students to the roofing industry as a potential career path, offering a valuable chance to build connections with peers, faculty, and members of the Roofing Alliance.
Teams were challenged to submit comprehensive bid packages for the Formula 1 Paddock Building in Las Vegas. Finalist teams delivered their oral presentations in person and the scores from the oral presentations and written proposals were combined to select the winning team.
ABC team earns high marks in Kissimmee
The Associated Builders and Contractors competition may have taken up some of the students’ Spring Break this year, but they were still able to enjoy sunny Florida March 13-15 and even came back with awards as souvenirs – not a bad trade-off.
Coached by CM’s Heavy Construction Management Chair Chris Harper, the team showed expert-level skill in safety and quality control, earning first-place honors in those disciplines, while on the way to an overall placing of third and a spot on the podium.
ABC’s flagship event, the Construction Management Competition, serves as a cornerstone in advocating for careers in construction management. With the backing of ABC members, this competition engages teams of college and university students, challenging their abilities in project management, estimating, safety protocols, quality control, and presentation techniques.
The ABC Construction Management Competition offers participating teams a chance to engage with real-world projects featuring distinct characteristics and challenges. Drawing teams from the ABC National Student Chapter Network, each team forms a general contracting firm representing their respective institution. The competition centers around the selection of a general contractor for a project, evaluating both the pricing and technical aspects of proposals.
Bigger picture
While winning awards is always fun, these competitions serve a larger purpose than simply padding the stats of students and institutions. The experiences gained by students at these competitions can have large impacts in other ways. In addition to competing, these students actively network with industry partners and even their peers from different institutions. These competitions also expose students to the variety of industry concentrations and can have life-changing impacts on a student’s career path. Mentorship, internships, and job offers often result.
“I would highly recommend that students get involved in the competitions because it is the best simulator of what the industry has to offer in a short timeframe,” concluded Simpson.
The Department of Construction Management is part of CSU’s College of Health and Human Sciences.
