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BOISE STATE STUDENTS TAKE TWO FIRSTS, ONE THIRD IN REGIONAL COMPETITION Student teams from Boise State University’s department of construction management (CM) captured two firsts and a third in three separate academic divisions at the 14th annual Region VI and VII Professional Construction Management Competition and Conference earlier this month. The Boise State teams took first in the Heavy Civil Engineering and Design/Build divisions and third in the Commercial Division at the four-day event, which is sponsored by the Associated Schools of Construction (ASC). The teams were comprised of junior and senior CM students and a civil engineering student from the Boise State College of Engineering. Boise State, competing in the eight-state Region VI Rocky Mountain division, finished ahead of teams from schools such as Arizona State, Northern Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado State, Brigham Young and Montana State in the Heavy Civil and Design/Build divisions. The two regional championship teams qualified for the national competition, which will be held at the national convention of the ASC and the Associated General Contractors of America next month in Nashville, Tenn. The five Heavy Civil championship team members are Dan Feldman and Brian Klemme, juniors from Boise; Rob Cunningham, a senior from Seattle; Jayme Newman, a junior from Sweet; and Phil Vanderwall, a senior from Grand Rapids, Mich. The six Design/Build winners are Liz Adams a senior civil engineering major from Pocatello; Mike Arrington, a junior from Twin Falls; John Edwards, a senior from North Powder, Ore.; Brent Wilson, a junior from Bend, Ore.; Dustin Smith, a senior from Hermiston, Ore.; and Calvin Goodale, a senior from Concord, Calif. The third-place Commercial team members are Trey Crookston and Jeff Tonkin, juniors from Boise; Robbie Miller, a senior from Fairfield; Phil Goldman, a senior from Idaho Falls; Curt Osborne, a junior from Hagerman; and Brian Donahue, a junior from Mountain Home. All told, 22 Boise State students competed in the event. “Just participating in Reno can be vital to the education and career choices our students make,” said Charles Gains, a Boise State construction management professor and one of the event’s organizers. “At the competition, these students are exposed to some 30 [construction] firms in 12 western states.” The competition problems are written and judged by industry professionals that the ASC has selected. The problems are technical in nature involving questions about business, engineering, planning and the methods that would be used to complete a project. The Heavy Civil competition featured the plans for a major highway reconstruction project. The Design/Build competition featured a theoretical project that involved the design and construction of a four-story parking garage and attached office building with ancillary designs such as sky bridges, courtyard and landscaping. The Commercial competition featured the renovation of a five-star hotel in a resort area. The students are given two days to prepare and present both a written and oral component of the problem. Then, the judges compile the results and announce the winners at the conference’s awards luncheon. “It’s like winning the Rose Bowl of construction management, and this year Boise State students won twice,” said Gains. “Boise State’s win can be attributed in part to our additional focus on team selection,” said construction management professor Paul Kuhlmeier, who coached the Design/Build team. “In addition to the benefits of team building and experiencing the ASC competition, competing to win was one of the students’ goals this year.” Boise State student teams began preparing for the competition in November by solving mock problems, working on the team prequalification statement and making presentations to local industry professionals. Boise State Engineering Dean Lynn Russell, who attended the conference, said, “This demonstrates our ability to educate students that can compete with top CM programs in the country. It demonstrates our commitment to excellence here at Boise State.” Contact: Media Contact:
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