The Roofing Alliance hosted its fifth Construction Management Student Competition.
Eleven teams competed in our 2018-19 Construction Management Student Competition—six of which are new schools. The schools participating this year were:
Auburn University, The McWhorter School of Building Science, Auburn, Ala.
Bradley University, Peoria, Ill.—new
Colorado State University, Department of Construction, Fort Collins, Colo.
Kent State University, Kent, Ohio—new
Louisiana State University, Department of Construction, Baton Rouge, La.
Minnesota State University — Mankato, Department of Construction, Mankato, Minn.—new
Mississippi State University, Building Construction Science, Mississippi State, Miss.—new
Oregon State University, School of Civil and Construction Engineering, Corvallis, Ore.—new
University of Cincinnati, College of Engineering and Applied Science, Construction Management, Cincinnati, Ohio
University of Florida, M.E. Rinker, Sr. School of Building Construction, Gainesville, Fla.
University of Louisiana at Monroe, School of Construction Management, Monroe, La.—new
Team members (front, left to right): Luke Dyson (alternate), Jordan Edwards (team captain), Gettys Moore (back, left to right): Nathan Sloan and Jacob Oswalt Faculty advisor: Lauren Redden
Team members (left to right): Tyler Thompson, Jacob Settles, Lillian Lawrin (team captain), David Montengro and Caden Lansford (alternate) Faculty advisor: Dr. Souhall Elhouar
Team members (left to right): Brenden Phelan, Dan Schouten, Code Ade and Mahoney Bajwa (team captain) Faculty advisor: Nick Rubino
Team members (left to right): Zach Williams (alternate), Jake Bouley (team captain), T'Aundre Perkins, Travis Gordon and Jake Myers Faculty advisor: Anthony Mirando
Team members (left to right): Will Dugan (alternate), Drew Bennett (team captain), Taylor Sperry and Caleb Burks (Not pictured — Bradley Brumfield) Faculty advisor: Robert Benton
Team members (left to right): Chase Olson (team captain), Hunter Morsching, Hunter Campbell, Jon Harrington and Shola George (alternate) Faculty advisor: Brian Wasserman
Team members (left to right): Steve Dragoo, Tori Thompson (team captain), Blake Guthrie and Jonathan Burton (Not pictured — Jalyn Wallin, alternate) Faculty advisor: Saeed Rokooei
Team members (left to right): Antonio Ortiz, Tristan Mitchell, Miguel Leon, Ryan Linder (team captain) Faculty advisor: Catarina Pestana
Team members (left to right): Garrett Doherty, Mitchell Rice, Austin Horne and Chase Muhlbaier (team captain) (Not pictured — Emily Shauen, alternate) Faculty advisor: Amanda Albrecht
Team members (left to right): Rob Rogers, Sam Mitchell (team captain), Alex Idriss, Camille Rimmer and Tony Cento (Not pictured - Palmer Collins, alternate) Faculty advisor: Jim Sullivan
Team members (left to right): Dalton Gray, Jacob Hay, Donovan Stewart (team captain) and Chandler Neal Faculty advisor: Nick Hardy
The following Roofing Alliance and NRCA members served as team mentors:
Auburn University — Kyle Thomas, Thomas Roofing, Mobile, Ala.
Bradley University — Laurie Moore, Kreiling Roofing Co., Peoria, Ill.
Colorado State University — Kent Nelson, Front Range Roofing Systems LLC, Greeley, Colo.
Kent State University — Matt Gross, Centimark Corp., Stow, Ohio
Louisiana State University — Tupac de la Cruz, Roofing Solutions, Prairieville, La.
Minnesota State — Kevin Palmer, Schwickert's Tecta America of Mankato LLC, Mankato, Minn.
Mississippi State — Christee Holbrook, Graham Roofing Inc., West Point, Miss.
Oregon State — Lisa Sprick, Sprick Roofing Co. Inc., Corvallis, Ore.
Tuskegee — Bruce McCrory, Nations Roof, Mobile, Ala.
University of Cincinnati — Matt Hudak, Kalkreuth Roofing and Sheet Metal, Lewis Center, Ohio
University of Florida — Rob Springer, Springer-Peterson Roofing + Sheet Metal Inc., Eaton Park, Fla.
University of Louisiana at Monroe — Trey Nelson, Harness Roofing Inc., West Monroe, La.
We thank Curtis Sutton and Chris Baxter with Rackley Roofing Company, Inc. in Carthage, Tenn. for providing the project for this year's competition. The teams had to bid on a new roof system on the Hilton Franklin Cool Springs Hotel, Franklin, Tenn. This was a design build project with very fluid design documents and a fast-paced schedule. Each team was to provide evidence that they understand this process and could keep up with potential design changes on the fly, without sacrificing the quality of the final product. Each team had to find a competitive edge in their estimate to beat their competition while still maintaining a reasonable margin.
The teams gave oral presentations before a panel of judges (acting as the owner, general contractor and design team selecting a roofing company for the project.) This year’s panel of judges included Chris Baxter, Vice President and senior estimator for Rackley Roofing co., Inc., Carthage, Tenn.; John Geary, Chief Marketing Officer for Nations Roof, St. Charles, Ill.; Helene Hardy-Pierce, Vice President of Technical Services, Codes and Industry Relations, GAF, Parsippany, N.J.; Scott Kawulok, Vice President, B & M Roofing, Frederick, Colo.; Bob Pringle, Vice President, Evans Roofing Company Inc., Elmira, N.Y.; James Williams, Project Manager with Crain Construction, Inc., Nashville, Tenn. and Scott Wilson, Manufacturer Representative for Carlisle with Apex Group, Nashville, Tenn.
The teams were judged on the overall quality of their written proposals, project management and organization; feasibility of construction and program schedules; accuracy/feasibility of conceptual costs; quality of safety and quality control/quality-assurance plans; supplemental materials; overall quality of their oral presentations; feasibility of project management, organization and schedule; accuracy and completeness of project costs; and answers to questions.
The first-place team (with the highest cumulative score) was Minnesota State University — Mankato, Department of Construction, Mankato, Minn. for their presentation as Maverick Roofing Companies. The team with the second highest cumulative score was Colorado State University for its presentation as Rocky Mountain Roofers Inc. Team members were: Cody Ade, Mahoney Bajwa (team captain), Brenden Phelan and Dan Schouten. And, Tony Centro with the University of Florida received the Best Individual Presenter Award.
A few elements that set Minnesota’s team apart from its competitors included a thorough understanding of the project; a well-prepared, articulate and concise presentation; and well-presented safety and quality control/quality assurance plans. The team was prepared and able to answer specific questions posed by the judges. It had a thorough understanding of site logistics and schedule, as well as a strong safety plan, which included planning, training and execution.
Meet the Minnesota State team:
Hunter Campbell – Chief Estimator/Assistant Project Manager – Hunter will graduate the Fall of 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management degree. Hunter work experience prior to school included serving as Combat Engineer, Team Leader/SGT-E5 in the U.S. Army-Wisconsin National Guard, Corp of Engineers.
Shola George – CEO – Shola graduated December 2018 with a Bachelor of Science Degree – majoring in construction management, minoring in business administration. His work experience while in school included commercial roofing while working at Schwickert’s Tecta America, Mankato.
Jon Harrington – Superintendent – Jon will graduate December, 2019 with a Bachelor of Science, Construction Management. In addition to relevant class experience, Jon has a certification as a SWPPP Construction Installer.
Chase Olson (team captain) – Senior Project Manager – Chase graduated May, 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management. Chase has been involved in the construction and roofing industries since 2014 working as an apprentice and an intern.
Hunter Morsching – Site Safety/Quality Assurance Manager – Hunter graduated May, 2019 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Construction Management. In addition to his courses, Hunter tutored Intro to Statics and Mechanics of Materials and served on the Construction Management Association and the College of Science, Engineering and Technology Student Advisory Group.
Minnesota State received a $5,000 Roofing Alliance/L.B. Conway Scholarship; Colorado State University received a $2,500 scholarship. Both teams received team trophies for their schools, individual team awards and recognition in industry press releases.
2019 Roofing Alliance Construction Management Student Competition First-Place Winning Team: Minnesota State University — Mankato, Department of Construction, Mankato, Minn.
Left to right: Brian Wasserman, faculty coach; Eric Dorsch, team mentor; Hunter Morsching; Jon Harrington; Shola George, Chase Olson; Hunter Campbell; Kyle Thomas.
Plans are already underway for the Roofing Alliance’s 2020 competition. The oral presentations will take place Feb. 5, 2020 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas. Details for the Roofing Alliance’s sixth Construction Management Student Competition will be available early September 2019.
Questions can be directed to:
The Roofing Alliance
10255 W. Higgins Rd., Suite 600
Rosemont, IL 60018
Bennett Judson (847) 299-9070, ext. 7513; bjudson@roofingalliance.net
Jessica Priske (847) 299-9070, ext. 7517; jpriske@roofingalliance.net
