Newest Hot Spots for BSCI Grads: Nashville and Texas
Auburn Building Science tracks where graduates go each semester, and the data shows that BSCI alumni are flocking to Nashville, Tennessee, and cities in Texas.
And if that’s where our graduates are, that’s also where you’ll find BSCI’s Industry Advisory Council (IAC). At regional meetings, IAC members get to network with fellow alumni while also helping Auburn faculty to learn more about current challenges and changes in construction.
Often hosted by major construction companies, the IAC holds regional meetings for members to share information with faculty and administrators. During the day-long sessions, McWhorter School of Building Science Head Richard Burt provides attendees with an update on the state of the program and collects feedback from IAC members. This feedback helps to ensure that the course content taught in BSCI reflects the rapidly changing landscape of the construction industry.
Burt, with the help of BSCI faculty members Tom Leathem and Drew Yantis, has recently started collecting detailed information on graduates’ first five years on the job by looking at recent grads’ job titles, job descriptions and day-to-day duties. They are also collecting that same information from attendees at IAC meetings to help with strategic long-term planning. Faculty will use that data to evaluate how well BSCI’s curriculum is preparing students to work in the industry and to decide if there are any academic areas that may eventually need an overhaul.
This past fall, IAC meetings were held in Atlanta, Georgia, and Birmingham, Alabama, but with so many of our new grads heading to Nashville and Texas, the IAC is planning multiple meetings in these locations soon too.
If you would like to join the IAC, or if you’re already a member and need to update your contact info, click here.
WHAT IAC MEMBERS ARE SAYING
Trae Compton
Vice President, Linbeck Group LLC (Austin, Texas)
ON THE IAC
“Attending IAC meetings provides a beneficial feedback loop as BSCI Alumni, industry leaders and future employers are able to provide the program with industry trends, which may impact those embarking in their careers or just starting the pre-BSCI program. Similarly, we’re able to hear how the program is evolving and growing directly from program leaders. It’s great discussing industry development with peers. For those of us not in the Southeast, it’s wonderful to reconnect as Auburn and Building Science graduates. Our experiences in the program, and now in the industry, are able to help shape the next generation of builders.”
ON THE TEXAS MARKET
“The Texas market is very unique compared to the rest of the country. As a Texas-based firm, we at Linbeck have always been excited to meet students who would be eager to move to Texas. Over the last few years, we have seen more students interested in moving to Texas, especially the Austin/Central Texas region. I’m hopeful we continue to see this trend,” Compton said.
Hunter Whitten
Project Manager, Turner Construction (Nashville, Tennessee)
ON THE IAC
“I think alumni can really benefit from attending IAC meetings to get an understanding of what the students we are hiring are learning. I think Auburn does a better job of this than most programs which allows our students to remain the best in the industry once they graduate. For BSCI, the value is hearing what is happening in the construction world so the professors and Dr. Burt can implement programs based on that feedback that will ultimately allow the students to be better prepared. The IAC meetings I have attended have always resulted in new connections and a chance to visit with my former professors. I am also a firm believer in staying in the loop with our BSCI faculty so that we can help assist them and current/future students.”
ON THE NASHVILLE MARKET
“The Nashville construction market is one of the best in the country right now. As a young alumnus, there is arguably no better market to start your career in as there are so many types of construction projects underway from big, $200M+ projects in the commercial sector as well as a significant amount of healthcare, retail and industrial work. There are multiple $1B+ projects in the Nashville pipeline including the new Tennessee Titans stadium, Oracle’s office campus and future airport work at Nashville International Airport.”
Justin Walker
President, CEI General Contractors (Franklin, Tennessee)
ON THE IAC
“Whether it’s the latest technology or hands-on interactive projects that the department offers, BSCI creates a phenomenal foundation for the construction career and does an outstanding job utilizing the industry professionals to help shape the program.”
ON THE NASHVILLE MARKET
“Nashville is the “IT” city right now, and major growth leads to a hot bed for construction. This has brought a lot of the large major general contractors to open offices here to build hotel/office/retail and condo/apartment buildings. Not to mention, it is a really fun and beautiful place to live with music, entertainment, professional hockey, professional football and soccer along with SEC football. You are also in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains and the Tennessee state parks offer hiking, camping and fishing right at your back door.”
Jason Weeks
Regional Vice President, Brasfield & Gorrie (Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas)
ON THE IAC
“Dallas-Fort Worth is over 700 miles away from Auburn, so being able to hear updates from BSCI leadership while being with fellow alumni is a great way to stay connected. The more connected we are as BSCI alumni, the greater impact we’ll have in the construction industry at a national level. I appreciate seeing familiar faces and catching-up with both fellow alumni and the BSCI staff. I’m not able to make it back to Auburn near as much as I’d like, so the IAC meetings are a great way to create some energy around the BSCI program for alumni in certain markets. Also, I think most BSCI alumni have a strong sense of pride about their time in the program, so I’m excited and humbled to have any chance to be a part of serving and giving back to the faculty and students.”
ON THE TEXAS MARKET
“In the last two or three years, we’ve seen an uptick in grads from Auburn and other SEC schools interested in Texas. What Texas lacks in tall trees, rivers and mountains it makes up for in opportunity. The markets here are very large, very diversified and very competitive, and we see a higher quantity of larger, complex projects throughout the Texas construction markets. I think moving to Texas can be exciting for those young alumni who are interested in opportunity and complex projects while still being in a place that feels somewhat culturally Southern.”
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Industry Engagement
Related people:
Richard Burt