NEWS Spring 2017
Volume 11, Issue 2
A publication of the Department of Construction Management at Colorado State University.
In This Issue: CM Cares......................................... 1 CM Cares Wall Unveiled...................2 Department Builds Strong Relationship with MCAA...............................3 PADB Spotlight:............................. 4 The Punch List................................5 CM Faculty and Graduate Students Attend ASC Convention ...................6 USGBC Student Club Explores the Future of Green Building.................7 Graduating Student Spotlight: Grant Frevert................................. 8 CM Class of 2017 Photo...................9 Upcoming Events............................9
Advancing the knowledge and practice of construction management for the betterment of society through teaching, applied research, and service to local, national, and global communities.
CM Cares completes spring projects
Dawoud family with student project leaders
The end of the Spring semester marks the completion of this year’s CM Cares projects. To celebrate the occasion, this year’s families joined the student project leaders, volunteers, industry donors, faculty, and staff in the Preconstruction Center for project presentations and celebration. This year featured three projects for two families. The Dawoud Family project involved home modifications for a family with an autistic son, Levi. Levi is a precocious 8 year old with a knack for taking things apart. While a skill that can certainly be appreciated in the construction industry, as student project leader Zane Weist noted, it can be dangerous. The goal of the team was to make the Dawoud home a safe environment for Levi and his family. They made
numerous modifications in order to make the home safer and more tamper resistant. This included installing tamper-proof door knobs, electrical outlets, switches, ceiling fans, and light fixtures. They also replaced 1000 square feet of flooring. As is commonly the case, the overall scope of the project grew to encompass other upgrades when it was discovered that some of the plumbing and electric was not to code. The team admitted that the start of the project was difficult. They lacked a good system of communication and were not familiar with the techniques required to tackle some of the work. Realizing this, they took a class period to regroup and talk about their processes. After this, things proceeded more smoothly Continued on page 2
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CM Cares wraps up spring projects (continued from page 1) and everyone was happy with the outcome. Marci, Levi’s mother, expressed the family’s thanks to the team and CM Cares for the work that was done. The Salem’s are a family of 11. Six of the children are adopted and have special needs. The Salem’s applied to CM Cares hoping to get their unsound deck rebuilt, allowing easier and safer use by the family. After visiting with the Salem’s, the CM Cares Committee offered to remodel their bathroom as well, providing the family a larger bathroom to help with mobility and access issues. As a result, the Salem Family encompassed an interior project and an exterior project. The interior involved joining two small bathrooms into a single unit. The exterior included removing and rebuilding a deck along with completing some unfinished siding work where the garage had been converted in to additional living space.
Salem Family
the student team. “We loved being there, being around their family,” he said. The other students expressed similar sentiments. “It’s pretty amazing to go through this,” said Jeanna Richards. Following the student’s project presentations, Anthony Salem read a poem that he had written as a way to articulate what the project had meant to them. Titled Before You Came, it told the before and after story of the project. “People just showed up and helped and gave and it meant so much to us,” he said.
As much as the families were touched by the work, the students involved were impacted just as strongly. Describing the experience, Salem Deck project student team leader Grant Frevert Numerous students, volunteers, noted how the generosity and and donors contributed to the humility of the Salems had affected success of the projects. Whether
Jared Hoeflich, with Swinerton Builders, and Salem Bathroom student leader Jeanna Richards
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Dawoud Family team and volunteers
it was faculty adviser Nick Rubino coming to the rescue when one team couldn’t stop a water leak in the bathroom, to the industry donors who gave freely of their time, expertise, materials and funds, CM Cares is a testament to the difference that can be made in the lives of others when people come together for a common cause. Department Head Mostafa Khattab noted the questions he faced when trying to start CM Cares. Now seven years and 22 projects later, CM Cares continues to grow in importance and impact. Khattab thanked the families for their contribution, “We are honored that you have allowed us to serve your family and welcomed us into your homes to learn.”
Department Head Mostafa Khattab and Anthony Salem at CM Cares presentation
Salem Family team and volunteers on new deck
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The Department of Construction Management Builds Strong Relationship with MCAA The CM Department believes in preparing students for a broad palette of employment oppertunities in the construction industry and has long promoted a focus on the mechanical industry. It offers mechanical specific classes, such as CON 371 Mechanical and Plumbing Systems and CON 471 Project Management for Mechanical Systems. These courses provide an intensive exposure to the nuances of the mechanical trades, ensuring graduates come to the workplace equipped to contribute to their employer’s success. The department has developed a strong relationship with the Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA). MCAA represents the heating, air conditioning, refrigeration, plumbing, piping, and mechanical service industries and has been an important partner for the Department of Construction Management.
advisor who demonstrates excellence in mentoring, project planning and support, interacting with the chapter’s local association sponsor, promoting professional interactions and relationships between the students and association members, membership recruitment and assisting chapter members with securing internships and full-time positions. The award is normally given to a single individual, but the CSU Student Chapter lobbied the organization to recognize them both. “They are perfect complements,” said MCAA Student Club operations manager Kennedi White, “Many schools have a great faculty advisor...here at CSU we are blessed to have two!” MCAA also awarded CSU junior Ryan Schneider the $5000 William A. Bianco, Jr. Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship honors the memory of Bianco’s impact on the mechanical industry.
There is an active MCAA student club which works to expose students to career possibilities in the mechanical field. Events have included several speakers, including a presentation by former MCAA president and COO of West Chester Mecahnical Contractors, Mark Rogers, as well as social events like an MCAA vs. Electrical Club bowling competition. The student chapter works closely with Dave Davia, the Executive Vice President and CEO of the MCA Colorado Chapter, and faculty advisors Mostafa Khattab and Dennis Pettitt, to plan and host events. The department also fields a strong mechanical competition team. Over the last several years the team has competed at both MCAA events and the ASC Mechanical competition. It has consistently been a top contender, finishing 1st Place in the ASC – Mechanical competition and 4th Place in the MCAA Mechanical Competition in 2017. In 2016 they won 2nd Place in both competitions. MCAA has recognized the work of the CM Department. At this year’s convention in San Diego, the organization honored CM faculty Dennis Pettitt and Mostafa Khattab as MCAA Educators of the Year. The award recognizes the MCAA Student Chapter faculty NEWS
Dennis Pettitt and Mostafa Khattab receiving MCAA Educator of the Year Awards
Ryan Schneider receiving the William A. Bianco, Jr. Memorial Scholarship
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Spring 2017
The Punch List
CMAA host Jim Zack as part of Spring Speaker Series
Mostafa Khattab, Dennis Conway, Shannon Mossness and Kim Winger at NRCA Roofing Expo
ESSC vs MCAA Student Club bowling competition NEWS
CM SLX chapter awarded silver recognition plaque
CM Cares Pillar Partner Donor Wall unveiled
CM BOD Golf Tournament participants try to keep warm on chilly spring day
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CM Faculty and Graduate Students Attend Associated Schools of Construction Convention ASC is a professional association dedicated to the development and advancement of construction education. Its annual convention is an opportunity for attendees to learn from, and present their research to, their peers. It also provides a forum to learn about new trends and ideas in the construction and construction education fields. The convention was held April 5-8 in Seattle, Washington and a number of CM faculty and graduate students attended. While valuable for everyone, it was particularly useful for the graduate students. The event gave them the opportunity to present their research and forced them to answer questions and critiques by their peers. “I had a few audience [members] who were critical about the research and had specific questions about the topic and the methodology of the research. This gave me an opportunity to reflect back on my poster and research and inspired me to find answers to some difficult and intriguing questions,” said graduate student Pradnyesh Rokde. The convention also helped attendees learn about different geographic trends and practices in the industry.
CM graduate student Pradnyesh Rokde
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Assistant Professor Jon Elliott, graduate student Manikandan Natesan, and Associate Professor Svetlana Olbina with their ASC Best Paper Award plaques
Faculty members Dr. Jon Elliott, Dr. Svetlana Olbina, and graduate student Manikandan Natesan won the best paper award for their presentation on research they conducted comparing the realized benefits of BIM implementation in commercial building and parking garage projects. Dr. Mehmet Ozbek and doctoral student Duygu Akalp presented their research identify-
CM graduate student Akanksha Sinha
ing and weighting key bidding factors in making bid/no bid determinations. Akalp expressed similar sentiments to Rokde, “It was very exciting to share ideas with other Ph.D. students and professionals and learn about the research that is conducted across the United States and around the world.”
Doctoral student Duygu Akalp
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USGBC Student Club explores the future of green building The USGBC student club hosted a pair of workshops for students to give them hands-on experience with innovative green building technologies. Construction is an industry characterized by manual labor and this is unlikely to change anytime soon. But new technology is opening doors to greener, more efficient construction techniques. The USGBC Student Club works to familiarize students with these technologies. They recently held a pair of workshops highlighting two emerging technologies. The first was a DESTINI Profiler workshop. DESTINI is a BIM application that gives instant feedback on data such as cost, energy, lifecycle, cut and fill, and schedule. It allows users to evaluate trade-offs across disciplines in order to integrate workflows and reduce inefficiencies in the construction process. Brent Pilgrim, Hunter Minary, and Jeff Harrington of the Beck Group led the presentation. Students familiarized themselves with the interface and learned an explanatory framework for its use. The second was a 3D printing workshop led by CM junior William Rowsam. A number of researchers have demonstrated the potential of 3D printers to produce everything from specific building components to complete structures. While still in its infancy, 3D printing will likely grow in importance in the construction industry, especially in off-site fabrication. NEWS
From left to right: Brent Pilgrim, Blake Warner, Hunter Minary, Mark Norris, Assistant Professor Rodolfo Valdes-Vasquez, and Jeff Harrington
3D-printing workshop participants pose for group photo
Students familiar with industry trends and possibilities are better positioned to understand and utilize them. This is particularly true in construction which tends to be a conservative industry. But, as the demand for greener, more efficient
buildings continues to grow, it will force companies to adopt new techniques. The USGBC Student Club aims to make sure that CSU CM students are at the forefront of these changes.
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Graduating Student Spotlight: Grant Frevert Grant Fevert has taken a longer journey to get to graduation, finding his passion for construction management along the way. Like a lot of people, Frevert went to college after high school. But after spending a year at Western State University in Gunnison, Colorado, he decided that college was not a good fit. While he loved being there, he didn’t have the drive and motivation to do well. He returned home to Littleton, and began working for a home builder. What started as a way to pay the bills quickly grew in to a passion. “I loved the consistent problem solving and personal relationship aspects of construction,” he said. Frevert spent 3 and a half years primarily working framing and concrete. But as Frevert thought about his career options he decided that, as much as he enjoyed what he was doing, returning to school was a better long-term plan. Familiar with the reputation of the Department of Construction Management at CSU, he applied to the program. Unfortunately his grades were too low and he was not admitted. But, unlike his first attempt at college, Frevert knew he wanted to study construction management at CSU. He continued to work in the trades and began taking classes at Metro State University to raise his GPA. The following year he reapplied to CSU and was accepted into the CM program. As a student Frevert engaged deeply with the program. He was active in the Mechanical Student Club for several years. He was also on the Preconstruction CompetiNEWS
tion Team for two years and the Roofing Competition Team for one. In Spring 2017 semester, Frevert served as the student leader for the Salem Family Project, one of the CM Cares service-learning projects currently underway. Of all of the activities he has been involved in, CM Cares is the one he is most proud of, “I love that by building things you can better the lives of others.”
Asked about his most memorable moment at CSU, Frevert described the experience of walking into his first CM Career Fair as a young student. While the initial experience was overwhelming, he has learned that people in the construction industry are approachable and easy to talk to and he enjoys the networking opportunity the fair offers. Frevert’s focus was the primary driver of his success. But he also credits his CM peers and the CM faculty and staff with creating an environment that pushed him to excel. While there were many people who contributed to his success, he singled out Assistant Professor Loren Funk for the guidance and advice, both personal and professional, that he offered. As evidenced by his CM Cares participation, Frevert is an active contributor to building strong communities. Outside of school, Frevert is involved with CISV, an organization dedicated to creating a more peaceful world by building connections through child and youth cultural exchange. Frevert grew up down the street from one of the founders of the Denver CSIV chapter and went to Japan with the organization when he was 11.
Grant Frevert
He continued to stay involved and several years ago began serving as a group leader. In this role, he takes small groups of youth on international trips of up to four weeks during the summer. He has led trips to Sweden, Guatemala, Argentina, and India. “I am very proud to be part of the organization…I’m always blown away with how intelligent and receptive the kids are.” Frevert recently accepted a job with FCI Constructors following graduation. He interned for the company two summers ago and is excited to join a team that shares his interest in community building. Reflecting on his college experience, Frevert talked about how much it had changed him. He admitted that he was not a good student in high school. He didn’t know what he wanted to do and as a result did not take learning seriously. Finding a passion for construction gave him purpose and the Department of Construction Management provided him the tools to achieve his goals.
Read more graduating student stories: Humberto Hernandez Zach Alves
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CM Class of 2017 Photo
Copies of the CM Class of 2017 Photo Can Be Ordered Here Upcoming Events Fall 2017 Career Fair: Tuesday, September 26th
Connect with us!
Department of Construction Management, Colorado State University 1584 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1584 Phone: (970) 491-7353 Fax: (970) 491-2473 www.cm.colostate.edu Submit comments or stories to: cminfo@colostate.edu