Competition Season Roundup

Student competitions are an annual hallmark of spring for the Construction Management (CM) program, and this year was no exception. Following February’s National Association of Home Builders Student Competition, students participated in four additional competitions in April and May. These events bring classroom learning to life while providing valuable exposure to industry professionals and meaningful networking opportunities.

National Association of Industrial and Office Parks University Challenge

Congratulations to the “Gopher Groundworks” team on earning third place in this year's University Challenge, an annual competition hosted by the National Association of Industrial and Office Parks (NAIOP). The University of Northern Iowa and the University of St. Thomas placed first and second, respectively.

Now in its 23rd year, the competition challenges students to develop a comprehensive real estate solution for an existing property, integrating development, design and financial strategy. Teams present their final proposals to a panel of industry professionals, who evaluate each project based on feasibility, profitability and overall execution.

This year’s project focused on the Graco Minneapolis Riverfront Campus in Northeast Minneapolis. Teams from across the region were tasked with pitching an investment-ready development plan that maximizes value while balancing risk and return.

CM students played a key role on the interdisciplinary team, leading project cost estimating, scheduling, site analysis, logistics planning and recommendations for building systems. The competition also aligns well with CCAPS’ recent launch of its Real Estate Development minor and certificate.

Quiz Bowl

It began as a UMN post–spring break event in 2012 and has grown into an annual intra-college competition. Hosted by the Minnesota Construction Association Leadership Training Academy for the first time, this year’s always lively Quiz Bowl was one for the record books. 

Modeled after College Bowl, the historic academic quiz competition, and using a "Jeopardy!"-style format, teams of up to four students faced off in three qualifying rounds, answering construction-related questions before a panel of judges. The stakes rose with each round, as questions became more challenging through the semifinals and into the finals.

Hosted by RJM Construction, the competition may have featured fewer teams, but the energy in the room stayed high throughout. By all accounts, it was a nail-biter that ended in a three-question, sudden-death playoff.

The UMN team of graduating seniors — Bree Ihrke, Lauren Hickey, Donavon Ohms, and Bennett Johnson — emerged victorious, claiming once again the coveted J.E. Dunn Traveling Trophy. The team left with a strong sense of pride in representing the University and deep respect for their competitors from North Dakota State University and South Dakota State University, who was the UMN’s final opponent.  

“Because they did not respond to the final question in the "Jeopardy!" format [stating the answer in the form of a question], the win defaulted to the Gophers,” shares CM Faculty Director Peter Hilger. “It rarely gets this close!”

Pursuit Competition

Hosted by the Minnesota Construction Association, and sponsored by Ryan Companies, the Pursuit Competition also took place during the Leadership Training Academy. The event was moderated by CM alumni Rachel Dana '14, Sara Frisque '17 and Nick Cooper '17, along with other industry professionals.

Interdisciplinary teams from colleges and universities across Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota and South Dakota put their skills into action by developing comprehensive project proposals (including schedules, cost estimates, and work site plans), which were independently reviewed and scored by Ryan Companies.

On competition day, teams delivered interview-style presentations, with oral communication skills serving as the final scoring component. The UMN team, KAMBRR Construction, placed fourth out of seven, while top honors went to Bemidji State University, which was competing in Pursuit for the first time.

“Highly competitive, the competition is as real as it gets,” says Hilger. “Our team presented very well and received great feedback from the judges. I’m proud of their work and overall competitiveness.”

Golden Pen Award

Since 2007, the Golden Pen Award has celebrated standout communication skills among construction management students. 

Each year, teams in the Specifications and Technical Writing for Construction Professionals course compete by developing proposals for the opportunity to build the Shoreview Library.

After their formal written work is judged through a blind evaluation process, the top four teams advance to the final round, where they present their ideas to a fictional building committee comprised of industry professionals and community members.

Students are evaluated not only on their presentation skills but also on their capacity to think on their feet in response to unexpected questions, making the competition both rigorous and highly engaging.

In the end, juniors James Zematis and Jack Empkey of Gopher Contracting edged out seniors Bree Ihrke and Lauren Hickey of I&H Builders by a razor-thin margin to become this year’s Golden Pen winners.

The winning team will have their names appear with those of past winners on the Golden Pen commemorative plaque.