Construction management team earns success at national event

Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Construction Management Association was a top finisher in the Associated Builders and Contractors annual Construction Management Competition, held Feb. 23-27 in Las Vegas as part of the organization’s annual convention.

The six-student team represented the college in a field of 34 colleges and universities, most of them much larger, and earned first place in three of four categories: estimating, project management and safety. The Penn College team finished third overall, following Clemson University and University of Central Florida.

This year’s Construction Management Competition began in December, when teams were sent a request for proposal, a document that outlined a construction project and asked teams to submit their bids and approach to the work. The project – a recent real-world construction project – was a health and wellness hub at MiraCosta College in Oceanside, Calif., that consisted of construction of a nursing and allied health classroom building, a full gymnasium and a Kinesiology, Health and Nutrition Building.

The students attacked the challenge, starting during fall final exams and sacrificing two weeks of their winter break to stay on campus.

The team, comprising seniors Morgan H. Littlefield, of Columbia Crossroads (team captain), Chris A. Fisher, of Middleburg, and Noah H. Jumper, of Shippensburg, and juniors James C. Fretz, of Collegeville, Aaron A. Almony, of Bel Air, Maryland (alternate), and Jason Wiedl, of West Pittston (alternate), formed a general contracting firm, naming it Casino Construction Inc. to honor a 20-year tradition of Penn College teams bearing the CCI initials.

To complete the first phase of the competition, the team devoted 40 to 50 hours outside of class each week.

Tasks included a full quantity takeoff and estimates, site utilization and project management planning, construction and preconstruction planning and scheduling, quality control process, and a site-specific safety plan.

“These tasks were broken down amongst the team, but it always comes back to the whole team understanding and coordinating all of the pieces,” Littlefield said. “We spent a lot of time ensuring we were all on the same page, even getting heated occasionally as we challenged each other. That is one of the unique aspects of opportunities like the competition: It becomes very real.”

The students turned in their proposal documents for Step 1 on Feb. 23 and continued to prep – as best they could – for Step 2: “addendum day” in Las Vegas.

“It’s a five-hour challenge where they throw changes at us, and we have to revise what we submitted,” Fisher explained. “They really test us on how well we know all of the details.”

The addendums included challenges created by the judges, plus some that the real-world construction management firm had to tackle: the addition of a 600-stall parking lot and developing an alternate plan – to be implemented in four days – for students to get across campus when a pedestrian bridge near the building project was struck by a vehicle.

After submitting round two proposals, the judges reviewed teams’ Step 1 and Step 2 submissions to “short-list” 10 teams to move on to Step 3 the next day. This entailed a 10-minute presentation of their proposal in front of the competition’s 30 industry judges – some who were part of the MiraCosta College project – as well as a hundred or more spectators, followed by 15 minutes answering project-specific questions.

“We had prepared our presentation in advance, but that night we were up until 2 a.m. changing, practicing and nitpicking the details,” Jumper said. “We did a good presentation. It was an amazing learning experience.”

After Step 3, teams participated in the convention, had a debrief with the judges and enjoyed Las Vegas until the ABC Careers in Construction Awards ceremony.

“One of the things I like about ABC is its passion for the future workforce. We were welcomed and treated well the entire event, and I was very impressed with the conference,” Wiedl said. “The awards ceremony was so energetic – I enjoyed being a part of the celebration.”

As category awards and overall awards were announced, teams went on-stage to accept.

“Each time Penn College was called – and it was many times – our Pennsylvania delegation would erupt in cheers,” said David Sload, CEO of ABC Keystone, the Penn College Construction Management Association’s sponsoring chapter. “We are very proud of our Penn College student chapter and are excited for the future of our industry.”

“Some colleges that participate do this as part of a class,” Jumper explained. “But our team is all voluntary. We do it for the pride.”

“Many of us have friends who have graduated and competed in past years,” Fisher explained. “There is a network of alumni going back years who understand the commitment it takes to compete and finish well. We want to represent them and our program.”

Many of those alumni continue to support the team through encouragement, donations, and advice and feedback during Step 1. At the ABC Convention, the team interacted with Penn College construction management alumni and past competitors James P. Craft (Class of 2009), of James Craft & Son Inc., and Brian J. Fish (2002), of Hensel Phelps, who both serve on the college’s Construction Management Advisory Committee.

“None of this would have been possible without the incredible support of our ABC Keystone Chapter, our industry supporters and our excellent alumni,” says Wayne Sheppard, department head and assistant professor of construction management. “I would also like to thank all of those at Penn College who helped in hundreds of ways to support the team and make this a success.”

The group was also named ABC's Student Chapter of the Year.

In addition to the competition, the group participated in the convention’s opening session with artist and motivational speaker Erik Wahl and its closing ceremony on the field of Allegiant Stadium (home of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders), and watched the National Craft Championships, featuring professionals from every phase of construction.

Before and following the event, they expanded their horizons with visits (via recreational vehicle) to the Hoover Dam, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, a shooting range and the south rim of the Grand Canyon.

To learn more about Penn College’s bachelor’s degree in construction management, call 570-327-4520.

For information about Penn College, a national leader in applied technology education, email the Admissions Office or call toll-free 800-367-9222.