Alumni Spotlight: Hunter Whitten ’17

“Volunteering is something I have always been passionate about,” Whitten stated. “As an Auburn student I held numerous leadership positions in volunteer organizations, and that prepared me to do the same after graduation.” Whitten, a 2017 graduate of the McWhorter School of Building Science (BSCI), is a Project Manager for Turner Construction Company in Nashville, Tennessee, and a busy volunteer for a host of local organizations.

During his time with Turner, he has worked on healthcare projects, commercial office spaces, commercial office renovations and high-rise apartment buildings. He is currently working on Gulch Union Phase 2, a 31-story, 306-unit apartment building in downtown Nashville. This exciting new concrete structure has two floors of below grade parking, four floors of above grade parking, a precast and glazing exterior skin and a host of amenities including a dog park and a rooftop pool. “This has been my favorite project to date,” he said. “I am challenged daily with supply chain disruptions, competent soil issues and many other issues, but we have a fantastic team who works diligently daily to achieve our goals.”

Whitten is heavily involved in the Tennessee chapter of Associated General Contractors of America (AGC). He has served on the Board of Directors for the Construction Leadership Council and was named Emerging Professional of the Year for Middle Tennessee’s AGC in 2022. “AGC is a fantastic way to network and meet other people in our industry locally. I have met many suppliers and trade partners at AGC events that have helped me on multiple projects,” he said.

In addition to AGC, he serves on the Board of Directors for ACE Mentorship Nashville and is Vice President of the Board of Directors of Rebuilding Together Nashville, an organization that makes critical home repairs for local citizens in need. In addition to fundraising and organizational oversight, he also leads a group of Turner Construction employees each year on an annual build day with the organization. “Turner is very passionate about giving back to our communities, so they are incredibly supportive of the work I am fortunate enough to have a role in,” he stated.

As a student at Auburn, Whitten enjoyed survey camp and field lab work, but his favorite course was Associate Professor Wetzel’s class on scheduling. “To this day I use most of the scheduling basics that he taught us. I serve as the Turner ‘superuser’ for P6 in Nashville, Huntsville and Memphis and I attribute most of that knowledge to what I learned at Auburn. Having a true understanding of scheduling principles has helped me be a better builder and allowed me to succeed,” he said.

Whitten says that his Auburn education means he has a solid grasp on what it takes to get work done in the construction industry. “I am a firm believer that having a real understanding of how to build is absolutely required in our industry,” he said. “It helps all construction managers to know the tasks they are asking the hardworking men and women on our sites to perform. The Auburn BSCI program stands head and heels above other construction management programs in the southeast, and I can confidently say the students we hire from Auburn are more prepared than any other student we hire.”