The Roofing
Alliance celebrated their 10th anniversary Construction
Management Student Competition this year at the International Roofing
Expo® (IRE) in Las Vegas, Nevada. Each year, Roofing Alliance leaders
select a roofing project in the city where the IRE is held for teams to
research, submit a bid package proposal and illustrate their roofing, project
management, estimating and safety knowledge.
This year’s project was the Formula 1™ Paddock Building in
Las Vegas. Teams work with a roofing contractor mentor to craft a written
proposal and the top five teams are invited to attend the IRE to present their
proposals to the judges. The finalists are also invited to attend the Roofing
Alliance’s Welcome Reception and the NRCA Industry Awards Ceremony and Cocktail
Reception.
University of Florida was among the finalist teams this
year. Team captain Nick Hanson won best individual presenter and the team
received first place for their combined written and oral proposal. Nick and his
teammates appeared on RoofersCoffeeShop®
live sound stage for an interview after their presentation to talk about
the competition and their plans for choosing roofing as a career choice after
graduation.
When asked how presenting to the judges went, Nick shared,
“It was great. I think we put a project together that we’re proud of as a team
and I think we peaked at the right time and did our best work this morning, so
I’m proud of what we accomplished.”
There were several challenges the team had to anticipate for
the Formula 1™ Paddock Building roof, like the unique roof assembly and working
with single ply. Nick explained, “That was something none of us really had a
whole lot of experience with. The second thing would be how we were going to
labor load the job and address the schedule. It was a very quick turnaround to
get it ready in time for the F1 race.”
Attending the International Roofing Expo® provided a
valuable opportunity for these students to network and connect with roofing
professionals, Roofing Alliance members and fellow students and faculty. When
asked what they were looking for in a prospective employer, team member Grayson
Johnston shared, “I think what I’m looking for in an employer is somebody who’s
willing to cross train me and reward my eagerness to learn. There’s a lot of
hyper-specialization in the construction industry today and while that’s good
that we have people who are good at what they do, it limits what people are
capable of.”
Registration for the 2024-25 Construction Management
Student Competition will be available this summer. Watch the University of
Florida’s full interview below and find the YouTube videos from the other 2024 competing
teams here.
