COLUMBUS, OHIO – The Ohio State University’s Student Construction Management Team recently returned from the ABC National Competition in Birmingham, Alabama where they earned an Overall First Place National Championship while competing amongst 13 (thirteen) of the top CM programs in the country. The Student Construction Management Team was led by six pre-selected CSM students – Derek Goettemoeller (Team Captain), Trevor Bunevich (Co-Captain), Shane Mouser, Todd Heitkamp, Jeremy Severs and Andrew Gest. Accompanying the Team at the competition, and severing as Team Advisors for their fourth consecutive year, was W. Mac Ware (CSM Instructor – The Ohio State University) and Alex Belkofer (P|C|S – Project and Construction Services, Inc.).
The 13th Annual ABC National Student Chapter Construction Management Competition, which ran from April 29th-May 3rd, featured (14) fourteen of the top construction management schools from around the country and required student teams to act as a Construction Manager/General Contractor submitting a technical price proposal for a real construction project. The competition is staged over five days, with Student Teams receiving an initial RFP (Request for Proposal) from ABC National back in February of this year. During the five day competition, teams bring their prepared technical proposal and compete head-to-head in areas of project management/scheduling, cost estimating, and safety. A “short-list” of the top (8) eight teams is comprised after two rounds of judging and formal interview presentations are conducted by the ABC National judging panel. This year, The Ohio State University placed 1st in the Overall Category, while also placing 1st in the Project Management & Scheduling category and 2nd overall in the Estimating category.
The OSU Student Construction Management Team began their student team selection process and pre-competition this past January, well before the competition project RFP was released. The Team is organized by one Faculty Advisor and one Industry Advisor from the local construction industry to support the education process and provide oversight for the student team as they take on the competition project. Other industry professionals are brought in periodically to advise the team with specific project challenges, including a Mock Interview night before the team departs for the national competition. Students are responsible for generating the funding necessary for travel and team expenses through fundraising efforts and sponsorships from local industry companies. This year, they had over 25 local and regional companies contribute to the fundraising efforts for the Student Competition Team.
“We are very proud of our young students, as they have sacrificed many nights and weekends to put forth a tremendous effort in achieving an unforgettable experience and a national championship victory”, commented Mac Ware (Team Advisor) upon returning from the trip to Birmingham. Alex Belkofer (Team Advisor) echoed Mac Ware’s comments and added that “as a past Alumnus of the program, it is rewarding to be able to give back to the students and continue to develop our program towards national recognition.”
The Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering; the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences; and The Ohio State University congratulate these talented students on their outstanding accomplishments at this year’s national competition.