In 2022, Ryan Vaz competed in the Student Estimating Competition during his final year of obtaining his master’s degree in Construction Management at Carnegie Mellon University, with his team, the CEO’s, taking first place!
The competition provided Vaz with a dynamic perspective of the highway construction industry, insight he uses today as an Estimator with PJ Dick, Trumbull, Lindy Group.
Reflecting on his experience with the CAWP Student Estimating Competition, Vaz shares his insight and advice for competitors.
What was the most challenging aspect of the competition for you and how did you work to overcome it?
The competition utilizes a real-world project to gauge the technical knowledge and problem-solving abilities of a team. To achieve this, the team must review a comprehensive set of documents in a short time and prepare a proposal that would reflect a competitive and competent bid.
We relied on the expertise and abilities of each member to break down the problem into manageable packages. However, we would spend 5 minutes every hour discussing the work to ensure everyone was on the right path and troubleshoot potential issues. This helped us to complete our work in time and verify our team’s proposal as a whole.
What did the competition teach you about the highway construction industry?
Every project is different and challenging to the industry. The competition taught us about the need to estimate not just the cost, but the work and time that goes into such large and dynamic projects.
What advice would you give students participating in this year’s competition?
The competition is designed to introduce students to industry practices and the type of work that goes into estimating highway projects. It also helps connect construction companies with talent from various schools, so learn all that has to be offered by your mentor and put your best foot forward! This may be the start of an exciting career with one of the participating companies.
What were the most challenging and rewarding parts of working with your team?
The stress of having to complete all of the tasks in a short time makes it difficult to coordinate with every team member, especially when your work is dependent on another. But it does come with a silver lining: with varied backgrounds in architecture, civil, and structural engineering, we were exposed to a multitude of thought processes and learned how project teams must communicate effectively to get a job done.
What is your current position and how did the competition help you get and/or prepare for this role?
The competition gave me the opportunity to interact with many reputable firms and experts within the construction industry. I got the opportunity to intern with PJ Dick – Trumbull – Lindy Paving during the summer following the competition. This eventually led to a full-time position as an estimator within PJ Dick.
As an estimator, I am able to directly implement the knowledge acquired through the competition in daily tasks and real projects. More importantly, the competition helped me understand the process and fundamentals of estimating, giving me the necessary skills to estimate a project, regardless of typology or complexity.
WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE CAREER GOALS?
I hope to contribute to Pennsylvania’s ever-evolving construction industry as a Project Manager and Project Executive at PJ Dick. It’s a long journey ahead, but the connections I have gained through the competition, my exposure to the industry at PJ Dick, and my mentor Kevin Duris’s constant guidance are forming a strong foundation for my career to be built upon.
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY
2022: CEO’S | 1ST PLACE
