UNI construction management students build big reputation at national competition
UNI construction management students build big reputation at national competition
When facing off against top construction management programs from across the country, University of Northern Iowa students will always stand out. This was the case at the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Construction Management Competition in Las Vegas. Out of 35 teams, UNI construction management students earned a third place finish in the estimating category and 11th place overall, beating out numerous much larger schools.
“It really puts everything you've learned, not only in class but in all of your internships, to the test,” said Megan May, a senior construction management and technology management major at UNI. “We might be one of the smaller construction management programs, but that does not mean we are anything less than some of these massive schools that are very established with very big programs. We are still competing at or above their level.”
The competition starts months before the February trip to Vegas. In December, each team received project details for a $70 million community college health and wellness center in California. The challenge? Develop a full proposal, including an estimate, schedule, safety plan, quality plan and project management strategy for three buildings: a student health center, a gymnasium and a kinesiology building. Each team formed fictional companies for the project, which included establishing core values for their organization.
The proposal from the UNI team, who called themselves Oasis Builders, was 178 pages long! Dalton Motley, a senior construction management major, estimates he spent 20 to 40 hours on the project each week, totaling hundreds of hours overall.
“It's really realistic and very beneficial,” he said. “I would advise any student that has the opportunity in construction management to participate.”
In addition to Motley and May, six other students represented UNI in the competition in Las Vegas: Jake Dougherty, Carter Miller, Makenna Chidester, Payton Olson, Sam Goodrich and Dylan Kiesey. They are all part of the Construction Management Club.
Once at the competition in Las Vegas, the judges — a group of 30 construction professionals from around the country — provided the competing teams with a bid addendum, adding scope and issues to the project. This meant everyone had to make changes to their initial proposals, adjusting the cost and schedule. Each team had to work through the changes in just a few hours.
“The judges understand it's not nearly enough time to successfully include these situations in your documents, but they want to see what you can submit and put together in that short amount of time,” said Motley. “It's really a challenge, and it causes you to think on your feet and work together as a team to make sure you put it together well.”
Through conversations with opposing teams, May became nervous that the UNI construction management team had not accounted for all the necessary expenses in its proposal.
“My confidence significantly dropped because a lot of the other teams had estimates that were $10 million to $15 million higher than what ours was,” she said. “I kept wondering what I missed.”
Ultimately, Oasis Builders proved more successful in this area than most of the other teams, walking away with third place in estimating.
“To find out we were correct was awesome,” said May. “It felt like a fever dream because all of us worked so hard on the estimate and then we realized we actually did it!”
The whole team walked away with pride knowing the hundreds of hours they had poured into this project was worth their high finish. Throughout the process, they also grew, improving in soft skills like teamwork as well as real-world skills that will help them in their future careers.
“Overall, it is a very rewarding experience,” said Motley. “I'm sure anybody you would talk to that has participated and is now out in their professional career would tell you the same thing. There are a lot of students who are succeeding because of the opportunities they took in college to participate in extracurriculars.”
Students say the Construction Management Club is a source of deep friendship and professional development. Through weekly meetings, they are able to hear from numerous guest speakers who work in the construction industry. The club also has a career fair each year, featuring 70+ companies where students can seek internships and employment.
UNI’s construction management program has consistently held a 100% job placement rate in the last eight years. Motley and May are a testament to the opportunities majoring in construction management at UNI provides. They both have jobs lined up before graduation, with May headed to Colorado and Motley remaining in Iowa.
They both believe the professional connections they’ve gained as well as the close relationships they’ve formed with professors have contributed to their success.
“You’re not going to find another group of faculty and staff that cares about you to the point that the faculty does here in construction management,” said May. “If you want a strong culture, UNI is definitely the place.”
