Real Estate Faculty and Staff

MS, general environmental health, with emphasis on industrial hygiene, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota Twin Cities; BA, biology, minor in chemistry, University of Minnesota Morris.

Neil is employed as a Public Health Specialist in the Department of Environmental Health and Safety on the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus. He has over 30 years of experience in industrial hygiene, ergonomics, mycology, indoor air quality, and emergency response. Neil has written or cowritten 15 articles and authored over 50 poster sessions and presentations on industrial hygiene. In addition, he has been an instructor for numerous community workshops on industrial hygiene topics. Neil is a Certified Industrial Hygienist with the American Industrial Hygiene Association.

• CMGT 4302 – The Healthy Building
• CMGT 4303 – Industrial Hygiene Principles

BASc. in Construction Management, University of Minnesota

Jeremiah (Jeremy) Cunningham has worked in the field of construction since 1996. After graduating from the University’s Construction Management Program in 2015, he began working on his MBA at the University of St. Thomas. Jeremy is a project manager for the Opus Group, a design-build developer in Minnetonka, where he has managed the design and construction of industrial, institutional, retail, office, multifamily, and tower construction projects in the Twin Cities. He is also a classically trained landscape painter and a published photographer. He lives with his wife and two daughters in south Minneapolis and enjoys travel, the outdoors, mountains, and fly fishing.

• CMGT 3011 – Construction Plan Reading

BASc, Construction Management, University of Minnesota

Paige is an assistant project manager (APM) at Knutson Construction. Her responsibilities include managing project financials, scheduling, and day-to-day coordination. Most of these projects have been in the health care and life science worlds and range from an ambulance garage expansion to a large medical examiner’s facility. She has grown to genuinely like projects within these fields due to their complexity and uniqueness.  Before her current role, Paige was an estimator at a glazing contractor, where she realized that, while she enjoyed estimating, her true passion was project management. After gaining important skills and knowledge within the industry, Paige is excited to have found her way back to the University of Minnesota as an adjunct instructor.

• CMGT 3009 – Construction Technology Applications
   

BS, Architectural Engineering (Building Structural Systems); BS, Construction Management, Milwaukee School of Engineering

Jeff Dzurik is an executive VP at McGough Construction, where he currently co-leads the Enterprise Construction Services group, supporting construction operations across all McGough’s offices. In his 25+ years working in the commercial construction industry, primarily at McGough, he has worked predominantly in project management roles in all phases of project development, from initial conceptual design and estimating through project completion and post-occupancy support. Jeff is a Certified Healthcare Constructor (CHC), having spent most of his career as part of teams delivering complex health care projects across the region, including the M Health Clinics & Surgery Center on the University of Minnesota campus.  

• CMGT 4022 – Construction Estimating

MBA, University of St. Thomas; BS, business administration with a construction management concentration, Minnesota State University, Mankato

LEED AP, ASHE

Dwight Elthon’s construction resume includes laborer, carpenter, estimator, senior estimator, project manager, senior project manager, project director, and his current position as senior construction operations manager for Allina Health. He has also worked with construction industry leaders M.A. Mortenson Company, Mayo Clinic Facilities Project Services, McGough Companies, and Kraus Anderson. Dwight is an expert in infection control procedures, interim life safety measures, and CGMP construction protocols. His teaching style stresses leadership and real-world connections.

• CMGT 4201 – Construction Accounting
• CMGT 4422 – Advanced Construction Cost Estimating

MS, structural engineering and BS, mathematical physics, University of Wisconsin

Huldah Gronvall, PE, is a project executive at Life Time Property Development in Chanhassen. Her role entails collaboration between Real Estate & Development, Design, and Construction, where she oversees a project from early conception until grand opening. Huldah started her career in Washington, DC, doing project management for a design-build firm, Opus. She then went on to do business development and design consulting for a light-gauge steel subcontractor, Infinity Structures. From 2013 to 2018, she managed the construction of large multi-family projects for CBG Building Company, managing project schedules, design-build processes, 3D BIM coordination, subcontracts, financials, and documents.

• CMGT 3001W – Introduction to Construction
• CMGT 4022 − Construction Estimating
• CMGT 4422 – Advanced Construction Cost Estimating
• CMGT 4545 – Materials & Structures II

BA, economics, Clark Atlanta University; MA, international management with a concentration in finance, University of St. Thomas

Mr. Hampton is the owner/CEO of a real estate acquisition and investment firm. Before that he worked in investment banking, commodities, traditional banking, and the credit card industry. His employers have included Metris Companies, U.S. Bancorp, the Federal Reserve Bank, the Minneapolis Grain Exchange, and Piper Jaffray. Throughout his career, he has worked tirelessly on initiatives to unlock the potential of individuals in diverse workplaces. Mr. Hampton has extensive teaching experience at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. He currently teaches business, finance, and economics at Anoka-Ramsey Community College and Concordia University, where he is finance chair.

• ABUS 4217 – Real Estate Development: Process and Tools
• ABUS 4218 – Real Estate Finance
• ABUS 4545 – Mitigating Bias in the Workplace

MA, Architecture, University of Oregon; BS, Architecture, Georgia Tech

Peter Hilger manages the development of the Construction Management curriculum. An architect by training, a builder by passion, and a teacher at heart, Peter has served the program since 1997. He is a recipient of the CCAPS Distinguished Educator Award and the Morse-Alumni Distinguished Teaching Award. A practicing architect and construction manager since 1983, and a business owner since 1991, Peter believes in “constructive creativity.” He also does consulting on development planning, zoning approvals, and expert testimony in his firm, Rylaur, LLC. He is a member of the American Institute of Architects.

• CMGT 4022 – Construction Estimating
• CMGT 4041W – Specifications & Technical Writing for Construction Professionals
• CMGT 4196 – Construction Management Internship
• CMGT 4422 – Advanced Construction Cost Estimating
• CMGT 4550 – Topics in Construction Management
• CMGT 4861 – Construction Management Capstone

MEd., Business and Industry Education and BASc., Construction Management, University of Minnesota. AAS, Building Inspection Technology, North Hennepin Community College; Certificate, Carpentry, St. Cloud Area Vocational Technical Institute

CBO

Scott Holm has many years in the construction industry, in some of which he gained practical experience as a carpenter and concrete worker. He currently works for Braun Intertec as a senior consultant in their Building and Structure Sciences group. Previously he was a building inspector for the University of Minnesota and the cities of Minnetonka and Hugo. Scott is also an instructor at Dakota County Technical College in construction management. He has been appointed by the Governor of Minnesota to serve on the Board of Architecture and Engineering, and he is a member of the International Code Council Professional Development Committee.

• CMGT 4304 – Fire and Life Safety Principles
• CMGT 4073 – Building Codes for Construction Managers

MBA, Opus College of Business, University of St. Thomas; MEng, construction engineering and management, University of Michigan Ann Arbor; BS, architecture, University of Minnesota Twin Cities

Kelly Hovde recently started on the project management team for M.A. Mortenson Company in the Twin Cities. Before Mortenson, Kelly worked at The Opus Group for 11 years, with design-build projects in residential, institutional, and office sectors. She has also worked in the highway-heavy industry, including the light rail Central Corridor through the University Campus. Outside of work, Kelly enjoys kayaking, rock climbing, skiing, hiking with her dog, and volunteering with a scout camp.

• CMGT 4422 – Advanced Construction Cost Estimating

"I'm inspired by anyone who battles physical or mental challenges."

MA, health policy and management, University of Chicago; BA, biology, St. Olaf College

Geoff Kaufmann, a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, is vice president for patient services of the Biomedical Division of the American Red Cross. He is the former director of planning and marketing for the University of Minnesota Hospital and the Minnesota Regent for the American College of Healthcare Executives. A nationally recognized authority in health marketing, Geoff has 45 years of experience in business development, strategic planning, marketing, new product development, and operations. His focuses have included physician-clinic-hospital networks, clinical and service outcomes, senior healthcare services, a wound care business, and diagnostic imaging centers.

• ABUS 4501 – Building and Running a Small Business Enterprise
• HSM 4861 – Leadership and Business Planning in Healthcare Management: Capstone

BS, mechanical engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Robert Linder has 30 years of experience as a mechanical engineer in the HVAC industry. He has directed and participated in over 500 design, commissioning, recommissioning, and retro-commissioning projects in the education, commercial, government, and health care sectors. He also specializes in building controls retrofits. Currently, he is the vice president of building performance for KFI Engineers. He has been active in the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and the National Environmental Balancing Bureau (NEBB) and has participated in their test and balance and building commissioning technical committees.

• CMGT 4215 – Facility Quality Assessment and Commissioning
• CMGT 4542 – Building Energy Systems

BS, art with a concentration in interior design, University of Wisconsin-Stout

LEED AP, CID

Justine Pliska is a commercial interior designer with 20 years of experience in building design for education, health care, and government. Her design solutions favor sustainability and simplicity. She is program manager for design and construction for the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. Ms. Pliska has been a senior interior designer with TSP, Inc., an architecture, engineering, and design firm, and has chaired the education committee of the Minneapolis/St. Paul chapter of the International Facility Management Association and served on its board. She has been instrumental in bringing the Facility Management track to the CMGT program.

• CMGT 3024W – Facility Programming and Design
• CMGT 4861 − Construction Management Capstone

BS, building construction management, Purdue University

Nick Slauson is the Director of Lean and Process Improvement at Kraus Anderson. He is leading the effort to build a field focused lean culture that respects people and delivers outstanding results for all involved. Nick has an extensive background in field leadership of aviation, health care, and large commercial work. This experience cemented his belief that understanding the value of planning and scheduling makes the difference between a project succeeding or failing.

• CMGT 4021 – Introduction to Construction Planning & Scheduling
• CMGT 4421 – Advanced Construction Scheduling