Cal Poly Student Team Wins First Place at National Homebuilders Competition

Cal Poly's construction management team topped 27 other universities to earn first place at a recent National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB) Student Competition.

The "Polytex" team from the College of Architecture and Environmental Design spent more than 200 hours developing the winning plan for a 90-unit, moderate-priced housing development, "The Village," at Charleston, S.C.

Team members were Korey Carroll, Bakersfield; Michael Crocker, Los Angeles; Christian Edwards, Moraga; Froy Gutierrez, Santa Maria; Aaron Amuchastegui, Klamath Falls, Ore.; and Quincy McNames, Fort Jones. The team was assisted by Professor Paul Weber and Cal Poly's NAHB Student Chapter officers Jeremy Johnson and John Parnell.

"This is the strongest team we've fielded for this competition," said the team's coach, construction management Professor Barbara Jackson. "The prep work they did was extraordinary, and I am particularly impressed that this team produced a packet that earned perfect scores from some of the judges. That's highly unusual."

The 210-page submission included market analysis, demographics, construction cost estimates, building plans and a management approach for the project. The students presented it to a panel of six industry judges during the competition Jan. 12-15 in Orlando, Fla. The international show was attended by 116,000 builders and associates from around the world.

"This is one of the top achievements of our college careers," said team member Crocker. "We used everything we've learned in our major and our internships to reach our goal."

It was the fifth time Cal Poly students competed in the 15-year-old contest. Past Cal Poly teams have earned second- and third-place honors. "It's an extraordinary accomplishment that our CM students have risen to the top in such a short time," said Al Hauck, construction management department head.

The first-place award included $2,000, a plaque for the department, and a traveling Legacy trophy that will be displayed at Cal Poly until next year's event. Pulte Homes and the Homebuilders Association of the Central Coast provided team support. National sponsor was Centex, with local office representative Shawn Reed, a Cal Poly CM alum, providing coaching support.

Contact: Ray Ladd, College of Architecture and Environmental Design, (805) 756-7432, rladd@calpoly.edu