A Washington State University student team took the top prize in the recent Northwest Construction Consumer Council (NWCCC) annual student bid competition, a student competition for construction management programs in the Pacific Northwest.
The competition, which included seven teams from throughout the Pacific Northwest, requires students to solve complex problems based on an existing project, present proposals, and participate in a question and answer session in a conference-like setting. Skanska USA sponsored this year’s project and developed the competition around the Mason General Medical Office Building. The competition was held at the Museum of Flight in Seattle.
Coached by Jason Peschel, clinical associate professor in the School of Design and Construction, the WSU commercial team used construction management skills such as scheduling, estimating, site logistics, site safety, and technical writing to develop a proposal for a real-life construction project. The team included students Rebecca Nelson, Justin Binkley, Blake Ellingsen, Daniel Litchfield, Hunter Hohman, and Meghan Smith.
“I am so proud of this group of students and how they have coalesced as a team over the last few months,” Peschel said. “This will be wonderful for their confidence as they will be competing in the Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) student competition in early February!”
Several industry partners, including GLY, Exxel Pacific, Howard S. Wright, and Mortenson provided financial support and practice problems for the team before the competitions.
“The incredible industry support we receive – in the form of financial gifts but also in time and talent – is so beneficial to the students in preparing for the competitions,” Peschel said. “Our alumni and industry partners are amazing, and the students are fortunate to get such amazing help from them.”
