By Dani
Sheehan, RoofersCoffeeShop®.
Celebrating
their tenth anniversary, the Roofing Alliance once again hosted its Construction
Management Student Competition during the International Roofing Expo® (IRE) this year in Las Vegas, Nevada. Teams
are comprised of undergraduate students who create their own roofing company
and assume various roles. They submitted written proposals in November 2023 for
the judges to review and score. Five finalist teams were then invited to Las
Vegas for the oral presentation.
A competing team
since 2020, Texas A&M University was once again among the finalists to be
invited to the IRE. In both their written proposals and oral presentations, the
team proved their comprehensive understanding of this year’s project, the Formula
1™ Paddock Building in Las Vegas, and demonstrated their skills in project
management, estimating and safety knowledge. After the presentation, the team
appeared on the RoofersCoffeeShop® live sound stage
for an interview to share their experience in the competition.
Team captain
John Falavolito won the best individual presenter award for his contributions
this year. When asked how the presentation went and what they’ve learned about
roofing, John shared, “All of us
have learned quite a bit. Good takeaways, really learning more about the
industry. Our program doesn’t really focus on roofing. It’s more the general
contracting side of things but hearing from subcontractors and specifically
those in the industry has been good.”
An important goal of this competition
is to expose students to roofing as a career choice and provide them an
opportunity to network and connect with fellow students, Roofing Alliance
members and other roofing professionals. After walking through the exhibit
floor, they were asked what they were looking for in future employers. John
answered, “I think the biggest thing is growth opportunity. Having the ability
to move up in a company and make an impact in a meaningful way.”
Team member Julian Hood shared,
“Community service. Being able to give back to the people that foster the
growth of your community and your business.” Kolten Heine and Yahir Santiago
agreed, expressing the desire for a company to provide mentors in their
personal and professional growth to achieve their career goals.
The finalists also attended the Roofing
Alliance’s Welcome Reception and the NRCA Industry Awards Ceremony and Cocktail
Reception where the winning teams were recognized onstage.
Registration
for the 2024-25 Construction Management Student Competition will be available
this summer. Watch Texas A&M University’s full interview below and find the YouTube videos from the other 2024 competing teams here.
