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CSM Competition Team Wins First Place!

OSU Student Construction Management Team Takes Overall First Place at 2013 ABC National Competition

By Alex R. Belkofer, P|C|S – Project and Construction Services, Inc.

Ohio State Team Places for First ABC National Championship since its inception in 2009

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. 

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Competition Schedule:

  • Sunday, April 28 - travel and arrive in Alabama.
  • Monday, April 29 -  complete our registration and complete remaining items to our Proposal.
  • Tuesday, April 30 - Competition “Bid Day” consisting of a spontaneous exercise and submission of the proposal followed by a presentation by ABC President Mike Bellaman.
  • Wednesday, May 1 - take part in the Competition Career Fair, and the short list of the top eight teams will be announced.
  • Thursday, May 2 - short - list presentation/interviews to determine the top teams.
  • Friday, May 3 -  Awards ceremony
Daily Updates:
 
Day 1 of Competition is now complete, as the OSU Student Team submitted their Step 2 Binder yesterday (4/30) at 2:58pm Central Time - 2 minutes before the deadline!
The Team will now await a hopeful short listing and subsequent interview, as the short-listed teams are announced today at 2:30pm Central Time.

The Teams were thrown some interesting "curve balls" during the bid day exercise, ranging from the following items: the site utilization plan had to be phased per instructions by the Owner, the precast panels were changed to brick veneer, a LEED scorecard was incorporated and had to be filled out, and numerous bids from subcontractors flew in to the teams for incorporation in their revised estimate pricing. A very active bid day scenario indeed, as most teams submitted their Step 2 binders within the last 10 minutes of competition.

The Team feels very confident after the first day of competition, and is hopeful to advance to Step 3 today.
 
Day 2 Complete

The OSU Student CM Team successfully made the short-list interview stage yesterday afternoon (5/3), as one of eight teams selected for the final round of competition!

The Team presented 4th today out of 8 time slots, and prepared a very well done and well -rehearsed presentation for the ABC Competition Judging Panel. Mac Ware, Team Advisor, and The Team feel very confident in the student proposal and presentation to the judging panel, and are hopeful to land a spot among the top 5 teams this year. They received their Step 1 and Step 2 binder submissions back in the afternoon at the Student Debriefing, and received many great feedback comments from the judges this year (a huge plus!).

The ABC Awards Ceremony is tomorrow morning (5/3) at 9:00am Central Time, and they’ll find out the results and let you know ASAP!

We’re all keeping our fingers crossed tonight as they have dinner with the ABC Central Ohio Chapter representatives who are in Birmingham with them.

Day 3 OSU CM Team: ABC Student Chapter Construction Management Competition - Awards Ceremony

The Ohio State Student CM Team took Overall First Place at the ABC National Student Construction Management Competition in Birmingham, AL!

Overall Top 5 Category:
1). The Ohio State University
2). Florida International University
3). Pennsylvania College of Technology
4). Texas A&M University - College Station
5). California State University - Long Beach

The OSU Team also took 1st Place in the Project Management and Scheduling Category, and 2nd Place in the Estimating Category.