SUNY Delhi Wins First Place at Residential Construction Competition

Related Media

The winning team included Christopher Wadeson of Hancock, Denny Li of Roslyn Heights, Christopher Kneer of Troy, Stephen Paskowski of Wappingers Falls, and Kyle O'Connell of Glen Rock, N.J.

DELHI, NY (02/05/2018) (readMedia)-- SUNY Delhi won first place at the Residential Construction Management Competition held by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) in conjunction with the International Builders Show in Orlando, FL in January.

"This first place finish is a great complement to the SAFE Award received last year from the NAHB and to the third place finish in the same competition received in 2016," said Assistant Professor Alex Brownell, team coach and club advisor. "Over the past four years, we have performed exceptionally well at this event, proving the superior level of instruction students receive in SUNY Delhi's Residential Construction program."

The team consisted of five sophomores from SUNY Delhi's Residential Construction program: Christopher Wadeson of Hancock, Denny Li of Roslyn Heights, Christopher Kneer of Troy, Stephen Paskowski of Wappingers Falls, and Kyle O'Connell of Glen Rock, N.J.

The competition required students to develop a full set of working drawings, complete material and labor estimates, and a schedule outlining a construction project. The project scope and location changes each year, depending on the competition sponsor. This year the project was located in Amherst, WI. Students needed to research the local building codes, zoning and building methods for that area before applying their research to their proposal. Students then presented their proposal to a panel of industry professionals, fielding questions that challenged their proposal.

According to Brownell, "Our students put in over 600 hours collectively outside of class during the fall semester to complete this proposal. This is a real life experience and our students showed the initiative and dedication needed to be successful in this industry. They gave up a lot of their free time, and I commend them for that. I could not be more proud of their accomplishment, which will accompany them throughout their careers."

In addition to being part of the winning team, Christopher Wadeson was recognized by the NAHB with the Outstanding Student Award as a member of the SUNY Delhi Student Chapter of NAHB. He competed on the Residential Construction Management team last year, and this year served as the team's captain. "We knew early on that we had a special team that could win it" said Associate Professor/ Program Director Alan Smith. "Chris was named the Project Manager and he showed exemplary leadership and determination and lead the way to victory. This experience will echo throughout his life and be the foundation of future successes."

According to the NAHB, over 85,000 people attended the International Builders Show this year, which hosts over 2,000 exhibitors.

For more information about SUNY Delhi's Residential Construction Management program, visit http://www.delhi.edu/academics/majors-programs/associates/residential-construction/index.php.