CWU Construction Management Students Take First At National Competition

April 14, 2005

Contact: Dave Carns (509-963-1762/fax 963-1795/e-mail: carnsd@cwu.edu)

ELLENSBURG, Wash. - A team of Central Washington University construction management students took top honors at this year's three-day Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) -- Associated General Contractors (AGC) National Student Competition.

The national competition, sponsored by both ASC and AGC, involves six-person student teams who must successfully estimate, bid, plan, schedule and design an actual construction project. The competing teams then formally present their work to a panel of construction industry judges.

The Central students placed first among the seven teams - including Central Connecticut, Georgia Southern University, Oklahoma State, Iowa State, Arizona State and University of Cincinnati -- in the "Heavy-Civil" competition.

"Our team worked extremely hard throughout the entire process," Dave Carns, CWU industrial and engineering technology professor and coordinator of the university's construction management program, says. "They were dedicated and focused on completing the project thoroughly."

Central's winning team was comprised of six construction management seniors: Chad Webley, from Quincy; Clint Myers, Auburn; Nick Lupo, Bellingham; Ken Keck, Monroe; Kyle Smith, Montesano; and Ryan Heathers, Ellensburg.

For the win, the CWU students also received a $1,500 donation for the university's construction management program from Granite Construction, Inc., of Watsonville, Calif., which sponsored the competition.

The student competition was held in conjunction with the AGC's 86th annual convention last month in Las Vegas. More than 2,000 people attended the conference.