If I had a Hammer
Tools for a new era in construction
It was a simpler time. A time when Americans could work their way to the top through hard, honest labor. A time when the country鈥檚 work force joined together to climb back from a decade of depression.
Musicians Peter Seeger and Lee Hays captured that national moment of hope and resilience in a single song. 鈥淚f I had a Hammer鈥� celebrated a post-Depression America ascending to renewed prosperity on the concrete arches of its bridges and the steel frames of its mighty skyscrapers.
Echoes of that enduring folk anthem still ring true today amid the worst economic downturn since the 1930s. In San Diego, the construction industry in particular is still reeling. Since a 2006 peak of 100,000 workers, regional employment in the industry has dropped by about a third.
But today鈥檚 construction managers need more than a hammer to repair the problems presented by a new century.
Even as the housing market slowly recovers, construction engineering professionals face a host of other challenges. They must manage a diverse labor force; understand the complex physical and structural demands placed on buildings; and stay abreast of the morphing policies, codes, guidelines and logistics that govern the industry.
In short, not only do the buildings have to be 鈥渟mart,鈥� but also the builders.
In San Diego, where construction is the fifth largest industry, some of the biggest names in the business have collaborated to increase the pool of young professionals who will guide the region鈥檚 construction industry into the future.
Their commitment helped establish the , one of 色情视频鈥檚 newest and most successful degree programs.
The brainchild of Pete Filanc, former CEO of J.R. Filanc Construction, and Janusz Supernak, chair of 色情视频鈥檚 civil and environmental engineering department, CEM addresses the acute shortfall of qualified and competent engineers who also possess advanced construction and project-management skills.
The program was established in 2005 with major gifts from Jack and Jane Filanc, ROEL Construction and other members of the Association of General Contractors (AGC), San Diego chapter.
To run it, 色情视频 recruited , a professional engineer and former professor at Arizona State University, who holds the AGC-Paul S. Roel Chair of Construction Engineering.
Concrete solutions
While architecture and civil engineering are the traditional academic paths to a career in construction, today鈥檚 professionals need further skills in advanced construction and project management. The industry鈥檚 ability to improve and innovate depends on a workforce that can bridge the gap between practical experience and theoretical expertise.
鈥淚t鈥檚 one thing to know the properties of concrete, and quite another to know how to deal with the issues that arise when you start to pour it,鈥� said Steve Doyle, an engineering alumnus and president of Brookfield Homes鈥� San Diego/Riverside division.
At 色情视频, Walsh and his colleagues teach students to build bridges, literally and figuratively. Bridges that link people and ideas, theory and practice, academics and industry鈥攆or an economy whose needs are vast.
鈥淣ationwide, the construction industry is two million workers and 200,000 managers behind demand,鈥� Walsh said. 鈥淭he problem going forward is that there is a shortage of built resources, and construction isn鈥檛 something you can outsource to India. Our hope is that CEM鈥檚 graduates will lead the industry as it meets the infrastructure development and maintenance needs of the region, the state and the country.鈥�
The combination of engineering and management skills that makes CEM鈥檚 curriculum unique among university programs also explains its appeal. The College of Engineering had hoped for an enrollment of 100 students in the program at the end of five years. Instead, there are 150 after only two years. Abraham Ramirez and Ana Sical are two of them.
鈥淚f you had asked me what construction was before this class, I would have said 鈥榖uilding,鈥欌�� Sical said. 鈥淏ut now I realize it鈥檚 so much more. Construction is an expression of culture. Not only did I learn how the Egyptians designed and built the pyramids, but also why.鈥�
New faces, new ideas
As the first in their families to go to college, Sical and Ramirez represent the changing face of construction management. The industry鈥檚 workforce has always been multi-lingual and multi-ethnic, yet management remains largely English-speaking, white and male. Walsh said the need for new leadership is clear.
鈥淗ow else can we connect with the vast pool of ideas and resources this population brings to our industry?鈥� he asked. 鈥淭hey are the lifeblood of innovation.鈥� This industry-wide focus on creating culturally sensitive managers who are able to engage with their workers has a practical side as well. As Walsh observed, managers need to understand their employees鈥� concerns and be able to address them.
In an attempt to foster diversity in management, AGC-SD partnered with 色情视频 to provide scholarships to promising, ethnically diverse high school students from the Kearny Mesa Construction Tech Academy, one of four magnet schools developed on the education model championed by Microsoft founder Bill Gates.
For Ramirez, an AGC scholarship recipient, this support has been life-changing.
鈥淢y parents are hard workers and we would have worked together to pay for college. But this scholarship from AGC means that I don鈥檛 have to rely on them. It makes their lives a little easier, and mine a lot easier. I can focus on my studies and my future, not my bank account.鈥�
In addition to financial support, the CEM program gives students crucial networking know-how by connecting them with the industry through internships, field studies and industry-sponsored events.
Last year, 色情视频鈥檚 AGC student chapter met local industry leaders, such as John Daly, president of Daly Construction and former president of AGC-SD; Kevin Elliot, president of ROEL Construction and the new AGC-SD chapter president; and Doug Barnhart, founder and former chairman of the board of Barnhart, Inc., who now serves as AGC national president.
鈥淭hese people have donated valuable time,鈥� noted College of Engineering Dean David Hayhurst. 鈥淭hey are some of the biggest names in San Diego construction, and yet they make time to engage with our students.鈥�
Lean and green
Frequent interaction with industry leaders also gives 色情视频 students an inside track on new trends in construction engineering. Two of the latest are lean construction and green construction.
鈥淐onstruction companies will be investing in personnel with expertise in these areas, and 色情视频 students are in a great position to be at the forefront of these trends,鈥� said Walt Fegley, president of Reno Construction.
Lean construction is aimed at reducing waste and literally getting lean; not just trimming the fat, but transforming the business model.
In the past, an independent developer would hire several independent sub-contractors for a single job. Today, developers are turning to large general contractors to provide fully integrated design and building teams that manage and shepherd projects from concept to concrete.
At the same time, the industry is embracing sustainable building tools and strategies in response to consumer demand for buildings with U.S. Green Building Council鈥檚 Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. Managers and employees with LEED accreditation supply added value in a competitive industry.
鈥淲e鈥檙e re-tooling and re-schooling,鈥� said Fegley, who will join several of Reno Construction鈥檚 top managers in earning LEED accreditations at 色情视频 and attending seminars on lean construction, led by CEM Professor Colin Milberg.
Many San Diego construction companies are using this time of respite to regroup and plan for the next big boom.With new standards, new tools and an influx of enthusiastic new managers, the construction engineering industry is hammering out a strategy to connect San Diego鈥檚 people to their environment more efficiently and artistically than ever before.
