Fresno State wins in national construction management competition

Fresno State Student Chapter, affiliated with Associated Builders and Contractors’ ABC Northern California Chapter, won 2nd Place Overall, and Placed 1st in the Project Management and 3rd in the Safety Categories at the 2024 Construction Management Competition at ABC Convention 2024 in Orlando, Florida, March 13-15. Fresno State's team was one of 25 teams that put their construction project leadership skills to the test by completing the same construction management project.

This year’s project focused on renovation work and new construction at the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center, a more than 60-year-old, internationally known campus in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, located between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway.

The upgrades incorporated in this RFP included new competition, diving and instruction pools; renovation to existing grandstands, restrooms, concessions and ticket offices; and a new, iconic 27-meter-high dive tower. This structure will be the tallest dive tower in the Western Hemisphere and features an iconic sculptural form that has nine platform levels.

The project scope includes existing building and pool demolition, a new building, a pool and tower construction as well as parking and site lot improvements for a fully designed site renovation and upgrade.

“Fresno State's Construction Management Department Commercial Building Team is elated and grateful to ABC for these prestigious awards. We have some incredibly passionate, determined, creative and committed students on our team this year. This competition is challenging, but it is also an extremely rewarding experience for our students. Lastly, thank you to ABC Norcal, Garrett Vermeltfoort of Quiring General, and all of our industry advisory board members for believing in us and partnering with us to give these students an experience of a lifetime” – Team Faculty Advisor and Lecturer, Christi Banks BSCM, MSNDR, ACUE, Fresno State Construction Management.

Designed to challenge knowledge, organization, time management and presentation skills, the Construction Management Competition gives the nation’s top construction management students a glimpse into the real world of construction. 

“Colleges and universities are an important entry point into the construction industry, and this collegiate competition gives future industry leaders valuable, resume-building experiences,” said 2024 National Chair of the ABC Board of Directors Buddy Henley, president, Henley Construction Co. Inc., Gaithersburg, Maryland. “The skills they learned during this process are helping them achieve their construction career dreams. Congratulations to California State University, Fresno, I look forward to seeing the contributions these young leaders will make in the industry throughout their careers.”

Fresno State is an active member of the ABC National Student Chapter Network, which connects local ABC chapters to colleges and universities with construction management programs to build the talent pipeline and mentor future leaders of the construction industry.

DEWALT is the presenting sponsor of ABC’s National Student Chapter Network. The competition is also supported by Autodesk® Construction Cloud and Gordian. A full list of the winners is available at abc.org/cmc.