ABC - ABC Recognizes 2009 Student Essay Competition Winners

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ABC RECOGNIZES 2009 STUDENT ESSAY COMPETITION WINNERS (03/12/2009)

Contact: Gerry Fritz, (703) 812-2062            For Immediate Release
                                                              March 12, 2009

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Associated Builders and Contractors’ (ABC) educational affiliate, the Trimmer Education Foundation, Feb. 28 named three teams from colleges and universities nationwide as 2009 Student Essay Competition winners. The award-winning teams were recognized at a ceremony held during the 2009 ABC National Convention in Honolulu.

“This is the fifth year we have held this competition, and we are very proud of the unique benefits it offers our student members,” said Kirk Pickerel, ABC president and CEO. “The Trimmer Education Foundation recognizes the increasing importance of written communication for the construction professional. This competition gives students the opportunity to have a paper ‘blind-reviewed’ and judged by industry members. The topic is of their choosing and is pertinent to today’s construction industry.”

The three winning schools and topics were:

University of Cincinnati
Value Engineering: A Student’s Perspective
Author: Logan Hanneman

Purdue University
Analysis of the 2008 Presidential Election and its Potential Effect on the Construction Industry
Author: Kip Goulder

University of Southern Mississippi
How Looming Times Affect Construction Companies’ Traditional Practices
Authors: Blase Gaudé and Joey Davion

“The foundation is committed to supporting construction education in a variety of ways. We applaud the students’ efforts in their writing, and hope this adds to their development as they prepare to enter the construction industry,” Pickerel said.

Each team in the contest was responsible for independently researching, writing and editing its essay. The award-winning teams received cash prizes.

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Editor's Note: Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) is a national association representing 25,000 merit shop construction and construction-related firms in 79 chapters across the United States. For more news and information, visit ABC’s website www.abc.org.