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T
he UMass chapter of the National Association of Homebuilders
travelled to Las Vegas to compete in the Residential Construction
Management Competition, a star feature of the International
Builders’ Show. This was UMass’ first time ever being represented at
the RCMC after many past chapters had tried to complete the project,
but failed due to lack of organization and funding. The Residential
Construction Management Competition requires each student chapter to
play the role of a construction company and develop a fully comprehensive
development proposal for a real plot of land in the United States. This
year the site was a 60-acre plot of land in Aurora, Colorado, just east of
Denver. The UMass Chapter, also known as Minuteman Construction
Co., proposed a 40-home neighborhood targeting the move up market
(household income $80,000-$100,000) that focused on affordability,
sustainability, and connectivity.
Co-presidents Tom Bliss and John Coroa were the only returning members
to the chapter this year after the disappointment of having to withdraw
from the competition last year. But this only fueled them to learn from
their mistakes and come back strong. Together, they made the project
into a 2-credit BCT course that met for two hours each week. This helped
to draw in hard working students that shared their desire for success.
Along with Bliss and Coroa, Dylan Bachand, John Yip, Frank Kelly, Evan
Miamis, and Ben Murphy worked hard to achieve the chapter’s goal of
completing the 100-page proposal and travelling to the IBS in Las Vegas
to present it before a panel of construction professionals acting as the
primary investors for their development, Coal Creek Acres. The other
chapter members who contributed to this project are Sam Shepherd, Matt
Mullan, and Chloe Rutkowski. Success on this project is not only owed
to those who did the work, but also to the NAHB’s generous sponsors
who helped by donating money to fund the trip. These include the BCT
program, Market Basket, and Chili’s of Hadley.
After the UMass NAHB’s 5+ months of hard work, they were rewarded
at the RCMC Awards Ceremony with the Rookie of the Year Award. All
five judges agreed that for it being UMass’ first year participating in the
competition, they did outstanding and included things in their proposal
that the judges had never seen before. All seven of the members at the
show agree that it was a once in a lifetime experience that cannot be
beat. The UMass NAHB wants to give a very special thank you to the
Homebuilders and Remodelers Association of Western Mass for their
continued support of their chapter. The two organizations have stuck
together over the years of the UMass chapter’s existence. They have
assisted the UMass chapter with meetings, funds, shop tours, community
service opportunities, and anything else the students have needed. The
team is proud of what they accomplished at the 2014 RCMC and excited
to return next year with all of the experience they have gained and take
home first place.
You can learn more about the BCT NAHB student group here:
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BCT STUDENT
CHAPTER WINS AWARD
AT
INTERNATIONAL
BUILDERS’ SHOW
