Receiving two third place finishes and one second place finish at the regional level, only motivated them more.

For the first time in six years, Assistant Professor of Construction Management Dr. Michael Emmer led six students to a second place finish at the Associated Schools of Construction National Competition (ASC) in Sparks, Nev.

“The competition is much more intense. We’re going against some of the top teams in the country,” Emmer said. “I thought if we placed I’d be ecstatic.”

The team — seniors Nick Morrison and Jon Gomes, and juniors Carl Anderson, Greg Pomerleau, Ruben Fonseca and Nate Dionne — exceeded Emmer’s expectations taking home their second place victory behind University of California, Berkeley in the Preconstruction Competition.

“It required a great amount of dedication, as we had to meet several times over winter break as well as many times at the beginning of this semester, creating a full estimate, schedule and logistics/safety plans for a project in San Diego assigned by PCL Construction,” Morrison said in an email.

Their project was a parking garage renovation that would upgrade the structure to accommodate for the earthquakes the west coast is known for, in addition to a future shopping mall on top. According to Morrison, one of their biggest challenges was working around the garage staying open during construction.

The team presented their final proposal to a panel of judges from PCL, who commented on RWU’s confidence, professionalism and poise.

Emmer was so impressed by the team’s work that he is considering taking the team to compete at the international level in England next fall.

“It’s a great feeling knowing that despite our small size, our CM program belongs with the best of the best the nation has to offer,” Morrison said.