For the first time since Covid struck more than six years ago, Florida Tech construction management students participated in the ABC Construction Management Competition (CMC), the annual test for the nation’s top construction management students sponsored by Association of Builders and Contractors member chapters around the country.
After competing in the prestigious event from 2015-2019, Florida Tech returned in March as the 2026 competition unfolded in Salt Lake City, Utah, site of ABC Convention 2026, thanks in large part to the generous support of the ABC Florida East Coast chapter.
The CMC challenges college teams to apply their skills in four areas – estimating, project management, quality control and safety – and to also develop and give professional presentations.
“For students,” said Troy Nguyen, professor and head, Department of Mechanical and Civil Engineering, “the competition offers hands-on, real-world experience, valuable resume credentials and direct exposure to industry professionals. It strengthens teamwork, problem-solving and communication skills while giving participants the opportunity to showcase their talents on a national stage.”
Florida Tech sent eight students – four core team members and four alternate team members who serve in backup and observer roles. The core members were then-seniors Pete Abdou and William (Lance) Thompson and juniors Emmalyn Gibbs and Aren Marsh. Alternate members were then-senior Genevieve Spitaletto, junior Evan Kaprelian and sophomores Connor Kelly and Nicolas Nania.
Though Florida Tech did not finish among the top three schools across the four events or in the overall rating, the student competitors found the experience informative and important.
Spitaletto, the May graduate now working full-time for CBG Building Company as a project manager on a $1.3 billion project in Lakewood Ranch, Florida, appreciated the interactions the competition fostered. “It is a valuable opportunity to connect with students from other universities while applying classroom knowledge to real-world scenarios,” she said.
Fellow May graduate Pete Abdou served as superintendent – the team lead – for the competition project. It was a good fit as he is working full-time as a superintendent at Ivey’s Construction.
Like Spitaletto, the competition allowed him to apply his classroom knowledge in the field while also highlighting a few areas that are harder to experience as an individual student.
“It showed me how important communication and teamwork are compared to working on assignments individually and opened my eyes to the preconstruction processes I do not see working in the field and classroom,” he said.
The Florida Tech students all are (or were) members of the Florida Tech student chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors. Founded in 2015, the group helps bridge the gap between classroom learning and real-world construction practice.
