An interdisciplinary team of Cal Poly students earned second place at the 2018 National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB) Residential Construction Management Competition held Jan. 8-10 in Orlando, Florida.
The Cal Poly students, all members of the university’s NAHB student chapter, competed against 33 other university teams, including first-place winner Penn State University, Brigham Young University (third place), and the University of Denver (fourth place).
The NAHB Student Competition, a highlight of the International Builders’ Show, charges students with completing a management project/proposal. This provides them the opportunity to apply skills learned in the classroom to a real construction company. Proposals are submitted to a group of construction company executives serving as judges. Students defend their proposals to the judges in front of an audience.
This year, teams were asked to prepare a proposal to acquire (or decline to acquire) a 72-arce parcel in Okemus, Michigan. The proposal included a market analysis; product design and selection, site design; cost estimate and schedule; site management and logistics; sales and marketing strategy; financial analysis; risk analysis; and sustainability.
The Cal Poly team was led by construction management seniors and team captains Jeremy Suryadi of Fresno, California, and Jeffrey Hammond of Paso Robles, California. They were joined by architecture students Alexander Gama, of San Diego, California, and Tyler Hall, of Denver, Colorado; business finance students Tyler Ingel, of Carlsbad, California, and Carter Jones, of Encinitas, California; city and regional planning student Eric Martinez, of Rialto, California; and construction management students Abraham Ahmed, of Oakland, California, Sarah De Los Reyes, of Long Beach, California, Thomas Fuentez, of Arroyo Grande, California, Trevor Nally, of Valencia, California, and Jeffrey Phunmongkol, of Orinda, California.
The team was advised by construction management faculty members Scott Kelting and Stacy Kolegraff.
“I’m extremely proud of the proposal and presentation our team created over the course of the competition,” Suryadi said. “The competition is no easy task and truly exemplifies Cal Poly’s Learn by Doing motto. The competition will be remembered as a valuable experience in our education as we move forward with our careers.”
Cal Poly’s interdisciplinary team has consistently placed in the top three spots in the annual competition. The team was awarded third place in 2017, second place in 2016 and second place in 2015.
Photo Information: NAHB Team.jpg — Cal Poly team members (left to right): Stacy Kolegraff (faculty adviser), Eric Martinez, Jeffrey Hammond, Tyler Hall, Alexander Gama, Trevor Nally, Sarah De Los Reyes, Thomas Fuentez, Jeremy Suryadi, Tyler Ingel, Jeffrey Phunmongkol, Carter Jones, Abraham Ahmed and Scott Kelting (faculty adviser).
Cal Poly Interdisciplinary Team Ranks High at Construction Management Competition
The student chapter of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) at Cal Poly was awarded third place in the four-year college category of the NAHB Residential Construction Management Competition on Jan. 11.
Sixty teams representing universities, community colleges, high schools and career technical schools across the U.S. participated in the annual competition at the 2017 NAHB International Builders’ Show in Orlando, Florida. It challenged students to solve a real-life construction management problem — to develop a 32-acre parcel of land by determining costs, scheduling, marketing, the design of the homes, and a feasibility analysis for the project. In front of an audience of peers, this solution was presented to an investment committee, which judged the student proposals.
The Cal Poly team was led by construction management senior and team captain Eric Bet (Woodside); with teammates agricultural business student Bercut Smith (Pasadena); architecture students Billy Blaha (Alpharetta, Georgia) and Joe Lynch (Petaluma); business students Tiffany Chen (Fremont) and Sam Godfrey (Poway); and construction management students Keenan Brekke (Oakland), Zak Faber (Santa Rosa), Kyle Haggard (Danville), Jeffrey Hammond (Paso Robles), Peter Lee (Broomfield), Jimmy Materne (Fresno), and Jeremy Suryadi (Fresno). The team was advised by construction management faculty members Scott Kelting and Stacy Kolegraff.
“I’m proud of the professional proposal our team put together over the past several months,” Bet said. “This experience truly exemplifies Cal Poly’s motto of Learn by Doing and will be remembered as one of our most valuable experiences in our education as we embark on our careers.”
Kelting added: “This competition is invaluable for the students, as it immerses them in all management aspects of the home building industry from land acquisition and development to applying their skills in construction operations, finance, purchasing, marketing and sales. The students were able to practice what they learned in school and use feedback from industry professionals and alumni to solve a real-world problem.”
Cal Poly teams are no stranger to the podium at NAHB student competitions. This year’s third-place award marks the 12th time since 2001 that Cal Poly has finished in the top five at the competition. Cal Poly placed first in 2005, 2006 and 2011.
More than 100,000 builders, remodelers, students, faculty members and suppliers packed the aisles at the 2017 International Builders’ Show, part of Design and Construction Week. Students learned about new products, many of which focused on home technology and increased energy efficiency.
For more information on the competition, go to http://www.nahb.org/en/industry-professionals/student-chapters/residential-construction-management-competition.aspx.
Photo: Members of Cal Poly’s interdisciplinary NAHB Student Chapter, which took third place in the four-year college category of the National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB) Residential Construction Management Competition, are pictured left to right: Joe Lynch, Sam Godfrey, Zak Faber, Jimmy Materne, Chris Bet, Tiffany Chen, Kenan Brekke, Jeremy Suryadi, Scott Kelting (faculty adviser), Jeffrey Hammond, Stacey Kolegraff (faculty adviser), Kyle Haggard, Bercut Smith, Billy Blaha and Peter Lee. Sixty teams participated in the competition held in January at the 2017 NAHB International Builders’ Show in Orlando, Florida.
Cal Poly Students Rank High at Construction Management Competition
An interdisciplinary team of Cal Poly students captured second place in the four-year college category at the recent 2015 National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Residential Construction Management Competition.
The competition has become a highlight of the annual International Builders’ Show. At this year’s Las Vegas event, 54 teams participated, representing NAHB student chapters at universities, community colleges and high schools from across the country.
The competition gives students the opportunity to apply skills learned in the classroom to a real construction management problem by completing a land acquisition proposal. During the convention, students present their proposals and defend their projects in front of a panel of industry experts.
Cal Poly’s proposal included market research and sales strategy, product and site design, green building initiatives, land development, estimates, schedules and a financial analysis.
“Congratulations to the NAHB student chapter at Cal Poly,” said Jerry Howard, CEO of NAHB. “They and their competitors showed a great deal of talent along with a depth of understanding of building industry management, from land development to marketing to scheduling to estimating.”
Cal Poly team members included construction management students Josh Gleason and Eric Sanchez, architecture student Derik DeLonzor, business students Chris Bet and Anna Costa, and city and regional planning student Darya Oreizi. Business student Scott Heath and construction management student Nick Gibson also assisted with preparing the proposal.
Bet acted as team captain and was also recognized as an outstanding student during the awards ceremony. This distinction was given based on Bet’s grade point average, involvement in the local student chapter club, and interest in pursuing a career in the housing industry.
“I think this is a big step for both the Orfalea College of Business and the College of Architecture & Environmental Design,” Bet said. “In the past, teams from just one discipline competed. This accomplishment shows how strong we can be when we come together.”
Cal Poly Construction Management Professor Scott Kelting served as faculty advisor to the students. Finance Professor Pratish Patel also worked with the team as they prepared for the finance and business portions of the project.
Cal Poly has participated in the competition since 2001, finishing in the top five during 10 of the last 15 competitions. Cal Poly placed first in 2005, 2006 and 2011.
Pictured (left to right): Steve Nellis (Waypoint Homes), Scott Kelting, Scott Heath, Nick Gibson, Derik DeLonzor, Anna Costa, Josh Gleason, Eric Sanchez, Chris Bet, Jeff Spector (Calculated Industries). Not pictured: Darya Oreizi.