Relentless Pursuit
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Our people bring the passion, drive and ingenuity to make great things happen for our clients, communities and industry.
Meet Our Relentless Allies

Florida Operations Announce Relentless Ally Award Winners
Relentless Ally
Congratulations to Florida office's 1st annual culture champions and Relentless Ally winners. Derived from the company’s culture statement, the award categories were Zero Harm, Client Experience and People First. The winners were announced at the Florida Managers Meeting this month, and the ceremony was a popular success! The Florida leadership team discussed the categories and decided the nominations. Nominees were anonymously submitted and chosen through supportive evidence, in-depth discussion and outside recommendations.
Zero Harm
The Zero Harm award recognizes a team that is striving for complete safety on the job to help Balfour Beatty lead the industry in safety. The winner was objectively chosen by pulling the safety statistics from every active project. What the statistics don’t say is how the team has changed their client’s safety culture to reflect Balfour Beatty’s perspective on the importance of Zero Harm. Congratulations to Jacksonville Regional Transportation Center team on winning the Zero Harm Relentless Ally award. This team exemplifies the idea Make it Count; on the jobsite, you will see safety best practices to little things often overlooked. Way to go JRTC!
Client Experience
The Client Experience award recognizes a team that went above and beyond in their delivery to the client. The winning team overcame extreme obstacles and challenges to deliver the building early (35 days!); the early and in-budget project led to the client selecting Balfour Beatty for their next project. Congratulations to the SeaWorld Sesame Street team on winning the Client Experience Relentless Ally award. This team prioritized the client by delivering our services while forming a powerful and lasting connection. Great Job SeaWorld team!
People First
The People First award recognizes an employee who is truly a relentless ally internally, externally, personally and professionally. This individual is motivated to create an environment where Balfour Beatty is hands-down the best place to work. Congratulations to Jason Sizemore on winning the People First Relentless Ally award. Jason has a close relationship with his large team and focuses on developing them personally and professionally. He naturally connects with people on a personal level and is well-respected for that and many other reasons. Thank you, Jason, for truly putting your team members and clients first!
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Amar Vel
Relentless Ally
A Formula for Success
Nature versus nurture. It’s one of the most hotly contested topics within the field of psychology.
As the son of a civil engineer and interior designer who went on to build an impressive career in construction, Amar Vel might help scholars settle the debate.
Amar, whose family owned their own construction firm in Chennai, India, knew from a young age that he wanted to follow in his parents’ footsteps. When he was just 17, Amar came to the United States to study civil engineering at the University of Connecticut. With a prodigious talent for mathematics, Amar excelled at his coursework.
During an internship with the Connecticut Department of Transportation (DOT), Amar helped analyze the Metro-North rail line that crosses over approximately 150 historic bridges between New Haven Station and Grand Central Station. As he identified needed bridge repairs, Amar found himself dreaming instead about performing them. “I realized I enjoyed physically building something,” recalls Amar.
Upon graduation, Amar could have easily returned to India to work in his family’s business. But Amar wanted to write his own formula for success. The equation was simple: courage + opportunity = fulfillment of the American dream. “I wanted to stand on my own and build a name for myself in this country,” acknowledges Amar.
Preconstruction was a natural fit for the self-professed numbers guy who soon found his niche in high-rise, multi-unit construction, and most recently in the hospitality sector. But Amar didn’t just thrive on providing air-tight estimates; he enjoyed the relationships he forged with design, trade and engineering partners.
“If you can guide an owner or designer to make the most cost-effective decisions earlier during the preconstruction phase, you can start a project much more quickly than the traditional design-bid-build approach,” affirms Amar. The adage “time is money” rings true for all markets in construction, but perhaps none more so than multifamily—making Amar’s expertise even more valuable.
Amar joined Balfour Beatty in 2011 when the company’s Atlanta team was resuming construction on Buckhead Atlanta, a megaproject that stalled during the Great Recession. Amar was instrumental in helping reach a guaranteed maximum price (GMP), which set the successful restart in motion.
In his role as vice president, preconstruction, Amar has taken countless projects from mere napkin sketches to become recognized Atlanta landmarks like Icon Midtown. In fact, Amar is so fond of this brainstorming stage that he often keeps the first mock-ups as souvenirs. For Icon Midtown, it all started with a simple rectangle box from which Amar helped determine how to maximize the owner’s pro forma.
Amar is as passionate about hitting the numbers as he is about achieving them in an innovative way. Recently, Amar played an instrumental role in driving preconstruction efforts on the Osprey, Balfour Beatty’s first project with off-site manufacturing firm Prescient. He performed six different density studies, ultimately developing a model that met each stakeholder’s distinct needs including the desired building skin and variety of floor plans. The result was a 13-story Prescient tower located adjacent to a precast parking deck and two five-story, wood-frame buildings.
Recognizing the density limitations of wood-frame structures and their long construction schedules, Amar believes off-site is the future of multifamily housing construction. “Owners are not always going to build 30 or 40-story towers, and labor isn’t coming back overnight. Structural prefabrication can achieve that middle ground with less on-site resources,” says Amar.
But Amar is quick to caution that innovative projects such as the Osprey must be planned and executed as a cohesive team. “You can’t think, ‘I’m an owner, I’m a trade partner.’ You have to think I am part of a team trying to achieve a common goal.”
As Amar seeks out new and innovative ways to serve Balfour Beatty’s clients, he will continue to cement the legacy he set out to build as a young man. Amar’s family may have influenced his destiny as a second-generation builder, but it’s also his unique talents and entrepreneurial spirit that have helped him excel—thousands of miles away from where he first became fascinated by an industry that impacts the whole world, one building, one home at a time.
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Alan Wahlstrom
Relentless Ally
For Interiors and Special Projects Group, Passion is the Primary Ingredient for Success
If you’re lucky, you have a good job. If you’re especially fortunate, you have a rewarding career. But if you’re truly blessed, that career just so happens to be your life’s calling. A calling so powerful you go home at night with a sense of meaning, purpose, and accomplishment. A calling that probably also looks a lot like the real answer to the childhood question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”
If you had recently posed that question to Alan Wahlstrom — the talented builder who heads up Balfour Beatty's special projects and interiors groups in the Mid-Atlantic Division — rest assured he would enthusiastically answer “construction.” Since, in his own unique way, is living out a calling.
Balfour Beatty’s Mid-Atlantic Division has placed a dedicated focus on the special projects and interiors segment of their business, with Alan leading the way. Although the Division has always excelled at both core and shell and interiors work alike, over the years, the market has come to associate the company with larger, headline-garnering projects such as the NPR Headquarters, Pentagon Memorial, and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. The ultimate goal is not to re-invent the business but to instead re-brand it.
“We want our clients to know that the end of a project isn’t when we turn the keys over to a 20-story base building,” says Alan. “The end of a Balfour Beatty project can be when we move the last tenant in. We have the desire and capability to serve our Clients through the full lifecycle of every project.”
Alan is excited about the opportunities in this market as well as the custom, client-focused nature of the work. In addition to his strong operations background, Alan has extensive estimating experience — a tremendous asset in a market sector where scope decisions often hinge significantly on early conceptual pricing.
For Alan, it’s the “quick, rapid-fire” nature of the work he finds so appealing. Having developed relationships with key special projects clients such as Vornado/Charles E. Smith and MedImmune over the past several years, Alan knows this market can keep many a construction professional on his or her toes with its tight budgets and schedules. Although those issues can bring a cold sweat to many a contractor’s brow, for Alan, it’s what makes him excited to get up every morning. And when it comes to providing dynamic and sophisticated interior spaces, few can match Alan's expertise or enthusiasm. Although it could be said of most interiors jobs that “the devil is in the details,” the details are precisely where Alan shines.
Recently, the group finished an 18,000-square-foot project for client, Vornado/Charles E. Smith, LP, called Skyline Seven in Falls Church, Virginia. Balfour Beatty provided demolition, renovation, and new construction services to transform the former GSA space into square footage suited for high-end retail businesses like Panera and Buffalo Wild Wings.
Whether you’re seeking a CM-at-Risk for a 200,000-square-foot, ground-up office tower, or a general contractor for a 2,000-square-foot retail renovation, look no further than Balfour Beatty. We have the people who know what it takes to execute any type, size or scope of project and the passion to deliver an unparalleled customer experience.
After all, they’ve been called to the work. And who better to deliver your dream than people who are living out theirs?
If you want to learn more about Balfour Beatty’s special projects or interiors capabilities, please feel free to reach out to Alan directly.
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Dennis Kuykendall
Relentless Ally
The best in class in school construction
When it comes to building schools and managing district programs, Project Executive Dennis Kuykendall, “aces it” each and every time. With his 25-plus years in construction, Dennis is deeply entrenched within local school communities located along California’s southernmost Central Coast. In fact, he has developed trusted advisor relationships with over 25-percent of all Ventura County School Districts.
In the ten years he’s been with Balfour Beatty, Dennis has overseen work that includes just about every project in progress or completed by the Ventura office such as the Oxnard College Student Services Building; a parking structure for the University of California, Santa Barbara; Cesar E. Chavez K-8 School in the Oxnard School District; a new K-8 Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Agriculture and Mathematics (STEAAM) school for the Somis Union Elementary School District; a new K-8 STEAAM school for Rio School District; the Rio School District Bond program; and the Oak Park Unified School District Measure R Bond Program. Other large projects include the William J. “Pete” Knight Veteran’s Home, the Ruben Castro Human Services Center, and the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation National Training Center.
In the Oak Park Union School District, Dennis is a shining star for the work he performed at Oak Park High School. That project gained national attention for the installation of seven, first of its kind, net-zero classroom buildings that were made out of single use containers used for ocean shipping.
The buildings achieve net-zero energy consumption, save 115 tons of landfill waste by using 85 percent reclaimed material, and use high-performing and energy-efficient systems that reduce monthly utility costs. Each building features full LED lighting, ductless HVAC Risystems, floor-to-ceiling windows, and solar panels classifying the buildings as “ultra-green” and automatically qualifying for 37 LEED credits or 42 CHPS credits.
Dennis played a key role in helping the District gain additional recognition for that classroom project, as well as for Oak Park’s program in general, with honors and awards from the United States Green Building Council’s (USGBC) California Central Coast Chapter’s Green School Award; “Green Ribbon” recognition from the U.S. Department of Education; and a Green School Leadership Award, which was presented at the Green Schools California Summit in 2011.
No matter what project Dennis is working on, his professionalism, leadership skills, passion for his work, and positive attitude fosters an uncanny ability to treat each project as though it was his own business. “To run a great business, you have to have a great team, and I’m lucky to have that in my favor,” says Dennis. “I’ve been working with the same, trusted Balfour Beatty teammates as a cohesive unit for the past ten years now. Together with our partners, we’ve built amazing structures and friendships. All of us are equally committed—and it shows in the trusted advisor relationships we’ve built over the years. They just keep getting stronger every day.”
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Elizabeth Angel
Relentless Ally
Paying it forward in spades
With over 13 years of experience in the design and construction industry, Elizabeth Angel is a technology wizard. In her role as Senior Process Manager in the Seattle office, she focuses on making projects located throughout the Pacific Northwest leaner using her knowledge, experience, and sheer passion to transform buildings. Her expertise using the latest technologies such as Bluebeam, Digital Docs, and 3D modeling, combined with her solid connections within the AEC community, places her at the forefront in the field. She definitely has a “finger” on the pulse and pace of the industry.
But it’s her journey and her passion for helping others that takes Elizabeth’s work to the next level as a true relentless ally.
The sixth of seven kids, Elizabeth grew up in San Ysidro, California where she and her brother would spend countless hours in the back yard designing and creating structures of all shapes and sizes. She may not have realized it then, but it was during these early years that she honed in on her natural-born talent as an engineer. Motivated by her maternal grandfather who endured hardship moving the family from Mexico in the 1960’s, and her father, an engineer without a formal education and the sole breadwinner for her large family, all she ever wanted to do was make her family proud.
Ask anyone who knows Elizabeth and they will tell you it was because of her family’s support and guidance that she was able to earn her Bachelor of Science Degree in Architectural Engineering from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. She joined her six other siblings who all earned college degrees and are now part of her family’s legacy of first generation college graduates.
Perhaps it’s her desire to pay it forward, or just her bubbly personality, Elizabeth stays self-motivated because she has a strong desire to help. “I came from very humble beginnings,” said Elizabeth. “I’m grateful for the help I received when I was growing up. Now it’s my time to pay it back. My biggest focus is not to be a bottleneck—but rather, an enabler. Any information that I can share that will benefit a project or team is truly what drives and inspires me. I’m determined to do whatever it takes to generate results and make it happen.”
Elizabeth definitely makes “it happen” for both clients and her fellow colleagues. Before bringing any idea to a client, she’s researched and tested it thoroughly to convince herself it’s a good idea first. Then, she explains her idea in a way that is easily understood and implemented by project teams. The company’s up and coming project engineers especially appreciate Elizabeth because they are the “Gen-X’rs” who are starving to know more about the latest applications of technology. Elizabeth is always right there to mentor and coach.
Elizabeth also leads the company’s Zero Waste initiative in the Pacific Northwest, championing technology and how to best use it in projects and in the office. In addition, she co-leads Seattle’s “Improvement Champion Group,” a diverse group that meets every month to identify, discuss, and implement new technologies into the business, as well as serves as the Division’s champion for the company’s “My Contributions” initiative which provides the opportunity for all employees to engage directly by proposing, developing, and managing improvement ideas and beneficial changes to be made in the business. If that’s not enough, she also co-leads the Seattle office’s Spirit Committee, and in 2014, she was part of the team that won the 2014 Seattle AEC Hackathon 1.2, an annual state-wide competition that brings together computer programmers, interface specialists, and industry process experts and professionals to create software solutions in a single weekend.
The first to volunteer for community service events, Elizabeth is quick to point out praise to others who have gone above and beyond. It not a coincidence that she leads a number of nominations in the company’s own Above and Beyond program. Elizabeth Angel is relentless in her passion for all aspects of the business, and a true ally for clients and co-workers alike—her namesake says it all!
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Rachele Phariss
Relentless Ally
A Family that Grows Together Stays Together
When someone says that the people they work with are family to them, they don’t usually mean that literally. But for Rachele Phariss, the story is different.
From a young age, Rachele knew she wanted to pursue a career in the construction industry. She was fortunate enough to have an extraordinary science teacher who got her involved in a math, science and engineering program. Rachele was fascinated with the connection between these subjects and fell in love with the notion of helping build something impactful for her community.
She continued to pursue this passion during college, majoring in civil engineering at the University of California, Davis. While in her senior year, Rachele discovered Balfour Beatty’s internship program.
“My boyfriend at the time was interning at Balfour Beatty, so I knew about the opportunity through him,” says Rachele. “I was lucky enough to intern right in the middle of construction on the Freeport Regional Water Intake Facility in Sacramento, and once I graduated, they hired me.”
As a fulltime employee, Rachele had the opportunity to finish out the project she had started as an intern. Rachele’s boyfriend was also hired after his internship, and the two quickly became a Balfour Beatty couple.
“And now I’m married to him,” says Rachele. Just like that, Balfour was family.
Eleven years later, Rachele still boasts about the home she’s found within the company. She’s worked on numerous different civils projects, ranging from large-scale water projects to joint ventures between our infrastructure and rail teams, some of which she’s been able to work on with her husband. To Rachele, every project in unique, not just thanks to its learning opportunities, but also in the connections she forms with her fellow project team members.
“It’s our interaction that is kind of like family,” says Rachele. “I always make a connection and long-lasting friendships with the people I’ve worked alongside.”
Rachele is currently contributing to Balfour Beatty’s most significant integrated U.S. Civils and Buildings project, the LAX Automated People Mover. In a field that’s largely still male-dominated, it’s the people on this job – specifically the women – who have surprised Rachele the most.
“I used to be the only woman on the whole construction team,” says Rachele. “This megaproject is a good 50/50 mixture. I am seeing more women out there. I think it’s good. Something is changing, and it’s changing for the better.”
Rachele is deeply grateful for the growth and development opportunities has been afforded at Balfour Beatty. Between the relationships she’s built and the knowledge she’s acquired from her projects, Rachele is not the same shy intern she was when she started; she’s found her voice and her purpose. And she wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Balfour Beatty cares about its people. That’s why I was attracted to this company, and it’s why I stay,” praises Rachele. “They really do treat us like family. My husband and I joke that our kids are going to be Balfour people, too.”
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Pete Caley
Relentless Ally
Leading with Purpose
Superintendent Pete Caley invests in the next generation of construction industry leaders
As a superintendent, Pete Caley recognizes the impact leadership has on nurturing the potential of others who are striving to make their mark in the construction industry, whether it’s his teammates, partners or even his own son. Throughout his career, Pete has found that traits such as kindness, respect and patience are fundamental to effective leadership. By embodying these qualities, Pete inspires passion and motivation within others, propelling them to achieve their dreams.
Pete is a five-year company veteran with more than 25 years of experience in the construction industry. He leads the construction of complex tenant improvement projects for high-profile clients in the greater Seattle area.
During his time with HSW, Pete has delivered corporate interiors projects for tech industry clients that feature multiple floors of new or renovated spaces. This process often requires demolishing the floors to their structure and upfitting the space, from its bare concrete floor to pan decking at the ceiling, with new walls, HVAC systems, and mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) facilities. There have even been instances in which Pete has led project teams to effectively renovate floors measuring, at its diagonal, up to a football field in length (or 100 yards).
Supportive Leadership That Empowers Others
As a superintendent focused on the successful delivery of unique tenant improvement projects, Pete knows he not only needs to be a strong leader but also a kind, supportive and selfless teammate committed to empowering others.
“We cannot excel in our professional development journeys without the kindness of others,” Pete says. “As a leader, it is important to give the steering wheel to your teammates from time to time in addition to having the patience to show them effective methods to lead and complete a job. Whenever leaders facilitate these opportunities, they are inspiring others to thrive in their specific roles and potentially beyond.”
Pete recalls an incredibly meaningful mentorship opportunity that arose while he was working on a robust tenant improvement project. When a foreperson expressed an interest in learning new project management skills, Pete gave that individual additional leadership responsibilities and then provided valuable mentorship on how to successfully execute and achieve those tasks. For Pete, it was rewarding to observe this individual broaden their skillset to effectively manage new jobsite dynamics and project management strategies.
In moments like these, Pete understands that leadership involves introducing teammates to new opportunities outside of their assigned roles and providing genuine support every step of the way. He states, “As a leader in this industry, I believe that my teammates’ professional development will always start and stop with me.”
Pete also recognizes that becoming a leader in this industry doesn’t happen without the genuine, long-lasting support of a people-first company. He is honored to work with project teammates across HSW who have been with the business for well over a decade. It’s not uncommon for construction workers to be employed in transitory roles, moving from one job to the next across multiple geographies. But, at HSW, Pete values its family-like environment which is a significant contributor to the longevity of his teammates’ careers. A people-first culture is especially important to diverse teammates, because it values and respects the inclusion of different talents, perspectives and backgrounds.
Paving the Way for the Next Generation
Born in Seoul, Korea, Pete has noticed throughout his career that the prevalence of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) on the jobsites where he’s worked has been very limited. According to Zippia, a data-driven career resource for professionals, 2.7 percent of superintendents in the construction industry identify as Asian. As the industry has joined forces to ensure greater diversity among the workforce, Pete is exceptionally honored to pave a trail for the AAPI community and is especially proud to witness his youngest son follow in his footsteps as a construction professional.
When asked what advice he’d give to the next generation of leaders in the construction industry, Pete offers these words of wisdom: “First you need to have desire and drive for your own professional development and success. This means finding a company that aligns with your personal and professional values and making it your priority to connect with someone in the industry who is passionate about your career development. Once you’ve found this, pay it forward and help instill that same desire and drive in others looking to climb the ladder.”
In a world where professional development is often dependent on the support and mentorship of influential leaders, Balfour Beatty is honored to have team members like Pete who are making conscious efforts to invest in the future of the construction industry and the talent that will drive it. His leadership and passion for others to excel not only supports the delivery of premier projects but also the relentless pursuit to serve as an ally in our industry, communities and beyond.
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Orival Thompson
Relentless Ally
A Trooper for Highway Safety
Orival Thompson is no stranger to following the rules in his role as US Department of Transportation (USDOT) compliance manager at Balfour Beatty. In fact, there was a time in his life where he enforced the rules to protect the citizens of Florida as an officer of the law.
Orival served more than 36 years in law enforcement, with 21 of those years dedicated to the highway patrol in the motor carrier enforcement unit.
After retiring in 2016, Orival began a new chapter as a DOT compliance consultant for motor carrier companies, sharing his expertise and knowledge in highway patrol and DOT regulations. After serving as a consultant for our rail team, Orival joined Balfour Beatty as a full-time DOT compliance manager that following year.
“A lot of people don’t recognize Balfour Beatty as being a motor carrier company,” Orival explains. “Though we are a construction company, we use commercial motor vehicles to transport materials throughout jobsites. Because of this, we have a responsibility to follow USDOT guidelines.”
As the DOT Compliance Manager, Orival is responsible for ensuring Balfour Beatty maintains compliance with federal and state regulations required for commercial vehicles, including the management of Balfour Beatty’s USDOT score, which is a leading indicator of businesses’ driver safety.
Orival takes his responsibility as “gatekeeper” of our USDOT score seriously.
In fact, he conducts workshops across the US to educate our civils teams on topics such as pre-trip inspections, vehicle and driver violations, proper load securement and drug and alcohol requirements. Orival’s workshops are part of a larger, comprehensive safety and risk management plan to ensure the wellbeing of our drivers and all other drivers or members of the public they encounter.
"Highway safety is our ultimate goal,” Orival states. “The [USDOT] rules and regulations often change, and consistency across our business helps to prevent violations and demonstrate our commitment to Zero Harm.”
Orival is passionate about his role as a liaison between Balfour Beatty and federal/state regulating agencies, staying informed about the latest regulatory updates, qualifications and trends in the transportation industry to maintain Balfour Beatty’s driver safety score—a figure we are committed to continuously improving.
Orival’s personal mantra, “If you can’t do the right thing all the time, then you should not do it at all,” speaks to the integrity and wisdom he displays in his role and makes him a Relentless Ally for the safety of our people and the public on construction sites, roads and highways across America.
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North Carolina A&T State University Project Team
Relentless Ally
Building Foundations at North Carolina A&T State University
Impactful student engagement plan revolutionizes engineering education at NC A&T University
In business, there are relationships. And then there are partnerships.
In Balfour Beatty, North Carolina A&T State University has found the latter. When this renowned historically black college and university (HBCU) retained Balfour Beatty to build its new Student Union, a mutual commitment was established to leverage this project as a teaching opportunity for A&T students. Through one of the most innovative and robust student engagement plans ever applied on a higher education construction project, Balfour Beatty has directly impacted more than 600 A&T students. Together, A&T and Balfour Beatty have revolutionized the educational experience within the University’s #1 program for engineers of color as ranked by Money Magazine.
Balfour Beatty and NC A&T collaborated with the North Carolina Institute of Minority Economic Development to develop this student engagement plan, whose approach to maximizing learning and development opportunities touched not only future builders but also the entire student body. A website was created and maintained to keep the campus highly informed and connected to the project. The University dedicated an area in its construction management school for engagement activities, where engineering students have received guidance on nearly every aspect of the construction process.
Members of Balfour Beatty’s project team, which includes six A&T alumni, have embraced their roles as mentors during the past two years on campus. Along with joint venture partner C2 Contractors, team members have provided students with a vast array of industry-related opportunities. From monthly project tours to guest lectures on subjects such as Building Information Modeling (BIM), scheduling, estimating, bidding, blueprint reading and more, this team has given of their time and talents—all to the benefit of up-and-coming industry professionals. In September 2017, the team set up virtual reality (VR) booth at the University’s Career Fair, giving students a lens into the industry’s most cutting-edge trend.
“The Student Union project has been an incubator for education,” praises Andrew Perkins, associate vice chancellor, facilities at NC A&T.
Balfour Beatty has also helped facilitate networking opportunities with many of the 62 firms that comprise the project’s impressive 43% Minority and Women Owned Enterprise (MWBE) participation—a rate that more than quadrupled the state’s goal. Some students like civil engineering major, Christian Stowe, have worked even more closely with the team. Following his 2017 internship, Stowe praised his experiences on social media. “Learning about the complex design and build [of the Student Union] was amazing. I have learned so many lessons about construction that will help me fuel my career…”
Collectively, these efforts have elevated A&T’s already prestigious and highly sought-after engineering program. Many engineering students graduate with largely theoretical knowledge, having merely toured active constructions sites. At A&T, however, students receive continued, hands-on training that crystallizes classroom studies. “We’ve taken it to another level,” acknowledges Johnny Rankin, executive vice president for Balfour Beatty in Raleigh. Better preparation goes hand-in-hand with improved graduation rates, which ultimately boost recruitment, bringing the process full circle.
“When a student can walk onto a 150,000-square-foot project and witness the activities they’ve read about come to fruition, that student can be a contributor day one,” commends Perkins.
The Student Union project is scheduled to complete in spring 2018, and a highly anticipated ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held in July. A beacon for the campus, the new facility is a modern, glass-fronted structure bridging green spaces running from the Aggie Village Green to Aggie Stadium. Balfour Beatty plans to expand engagement efforts on a second campus project known as the ERIC building (Engineering Research and Innovation Complex), which is slated to begin construction in summer 2018. When complete, it will surpass the Student Union as the largest construction project to date at the University.
It’s been said that “to whom much is given, much is expected.” For an industry in which experiences outside the classroom are fundamental to succeeding in the field, the opportunities Balfour Beatty has and will continue to provide A&T students are invaluable. Although Balfour Beatty was contracted to build a Student Union’s structural foundation, thanks to this strong and synergistic partnership with NC A&T University, a foundation is also being built for North Carolina’s next generation of construction leaders.
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