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Construction Management students at Central Connecticut State University participated in the recent Associated Schools of Construction student competition and brought back first-place honors to Central.
“Their names are now firmly etched into the legend of Central. I am very proud of our team this year,” said faculty coach Dr. Namhun Lee.
Central’s team traveled to Albany, N.Y., to compete in the annual competition, held this year from Nov. 9 to 11.
The student competition challenges students to create a construction project proposal within a two-day timeframe. Team can choose from four categories of projects: Commercial, Design-Build, Pre-Construction, and Heavy Civil. This year, Central’s team participated in the Commercial and Pre-Construction categories.
On day one, teams receive documents from a real construction project previously completed by sponsoring companies. From that point on, the teams work on their proposals without any assistance from faculty advisors or friends. The proposals must include a construction timeline, management plans, and cost estimates, among other deliverables.
“Our full project proposal was due by 10 p.m. on Friday,” student Mikayla Durant explains. “As we submitted it, we all felt a sense of relief that the proposal was finished and pride in the work we completed. I could feel the excitement in the room as one of our teammates crossed the last submission off our checklist.”
Judges also considered each team’s oral presentation, with points given for communication skills; ethical, creative, and innovative solutions; knowledge of the contract documents; quality control; and adherence to safety, budgeting, and scheduling.
Team Central was ready.
“For preparation, our team visited KBE Building Corporation and conducted a presentation,” says student Delia McGuire. “I think the presentation was a memorable moment because it gave me a feel of what the competition itself would be like and made us better prepared.”
Tony Mancini, vice president of operations at KBE, is a proud alumnus of the Construction Management program.
“This is a true testament to Central’s program and how it continues to prepare our students for the next chapter of their lives,” Mancini says.
All the hard work paid off when Central’s commercial team won first place, surpassing renowned colleges and universities such as Alfred State College, Drexel University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Roger Williams University, SUNY ESF, UMass Amherst, University of Delaware, and Wentworth Institute of Technology.
Despite the intensity of the contest, the students drew valuable lessons from the competition.
Ryan Albergo says, “Being able to participate in a mock-bid phase, collaborating with my teammates, and working together to meet strict deadlines are all tools that I will be able to use as I enter the field. And the fact that we did all of that and won has provided me with a great deal of confidence in my professional abilities.”
Team Central cited teamwork as the defining component of their success.
“Throughout the competition, we felt many different emotions, such as being nervous and stressed, but what stood out the most in those moments was our ability to work as a team and encourage each other to keep going,” says student Patryk Kochanowicz.
Team member Brady Beausoleil added, “The competition allowed our team to collaborate and use all the information we’ve learned throughout our program and apply it without outside communication, showing how capable we really are to prepare a quality proposal. I would certainly encourage all students in our program to attend this competition, as it truly gives you a rewarding and overall fun experience.”