John Courson, president and CEO of HBI, gathered with other building industry leaders to announce the winners of 2013 NAHB Residential Construction Management Competition (RCMC) during an awards ceremony at the 2013 NAHB International Builders' Show (IBS) in Las Vegas.
More than 50 teams representing universities, community colleges, high schools and career technical schools across the U.S. participated in the annual competition at the 2013 IBS. During the competition, students solve real-life construction management problems and present their solutions to a judging panel of residential construction industry experts.
"Congratulations to the winners and everyone who participated in the competition," Courson said. "The 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." HBI administers the NAHB Student Chapters program for the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).
The NAHB Student Advisory Board is proud that the RCMC has evolved into a prestigious event for the participants, their schools and the building industry, said Steve Nellis, principal of Nellis & Associate, Inc. of Irving, Texas, and chairman of the Four-Year Competition Committee for the NAHB Student Chapters Advisory Board.
"Students will remember the competition for the rest of their lives. The judges were impressed with this year's group, and we expect once again that the participants will be at the top of the heap when it comes to job offers," Nellis said.
Awards were given in three main categories: Four-Year College, Two-Year College and Secondary School Programs. The winners are:
Four-Year College Programs:
1st Place: Michigan State University (Mich.) 2nd Place: California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo (Calif.) 3rd Place: Brigham Young University (Utah) 4th Place: Western Carolina University (N.C.) 5th Place: Texas A&M University (Texas) Rookie Award: Texas State University (Texas)
Two-Year College Programs:
1st Place: North Dakota State College of Science (N.D.) 2nd Place: Utah Valley University (Utah) 3rd Place: Montgomery College (Md.) Rookie Award: Honolulu Community College (Hawaii)
Secondary School Programs:
1st Place: York County School of Technology (Pa.) 2nd Place: Camden County High School (Ga.) 3rd Place: Shelby County High School (Ky.)
The students, faculty and judges who participate devote many hours to prepare for and compete in the RCMC, but all that hard work pays off, explains Bill Faulk, Assistant Professor of Building Construction Technology at Santa Fe College in Gainesville, Fla., and Two-Year RCMC Committee Chairman.
"Students learn so much through the months of preparation they often remark that they would do it again in a heartbeat. We feel confident that the team members are prepared to move on to a four-year education or a direct hire with a home building company or supplier," Faulk said.
A full list of award winners, including faculty and student awards, can be found online at nahb.org/studentchapters.