Best Wishes to our Interns, Andrew & Mike

This summer, we had the pleasure of welcoming a co-op from Drexel University and an intern from Temple University for some exposure to the field of construction management.  We wish them both the best of luck in their future studies, here is a little more about them.

Andrew Coleman (pictured left) joined us early summer to take on some responsibilities in the estimating department and assist in the bidding process for a handful of potential projects, some of which were awarded.  Namely, Andrew had the opportunity to work on the Nicoletta Pizza Kitchen project, a new restaurant fit-out at the King of Prussia expansion corridor and see this restaurant all the way through the construction process - buyout, scope evaluations, and subcontract administration among other functions.  Andrew’s favorite aspect of the Nicoletta project was identifying the job details, verifying them from the drawings and specifications, and then visiting the jobsite to see those actual details come to life.  A highlight of Andrew’s co-op was a job visit to the Masonic Temple of Philadelphia’s Grand Ballroom renovations.  Particularly the day a 13-foot bronze statue of Ben Franklin was installed and secured became an impactful experience for Andrew.  “On that day, I was able to meet so many people involved in the project and statue install.  I could see first-hand how important communication and logistics are within a project to execute such a detailed operation,” said Andrew.

Andrew began his third year this fall at Drexel University, majoring in Construction Management and a minor in Finance - he is anticipated to graduate Spring of 2019 in the five year program.  He is a member of CMAA (Construction Management Association of America) as well as a part of the Drexel Concrete Canoe Team.

Mike Cinalli (pictured right) started his internship with us at the Elmwood Park Zoo Trail of the Jaguar project.  Mike primarily assisted the carpenters on a daily basis performing light carpentry duties, general cleanup, concrete pour preparations, and offered an extra hand to subcontractors as needed.  “Despite the elements of the summer heat and intense physical labor, learning about how construction projects flow in general and seeing how the trades work together is impressive.  I had some solid training on how to safely operate carpentry tools and learned a lot about the industry from our Site Superintendent, Chris Pili,” said Mike. In addition to field exposure, Mike spent time reviewing architectural plans, engineering documents and shop drawings as part of his Project Engineer training.  He was able to make the connection between the design documents and how they translate to construction details, means and methods.

Mike started his third year in the School of Architecture program at Temple University this fall and expects to graduate Spring of 2018.  Mike participates in the American Institute of Architecture Students through Temple University as well as being involved in The Architecture Lobby.

“It was a pleasure having both Andrew and Mike on board these past several months, Paul McDonald added.  “Andrew made great progress working with Brad Springer and understanding the fast-paced nature of the Estimating Department.  Mike was also a quick learner and his hard work ethic ensured he was in high demand with the superintendents he was assigned to.  Best of luck to Andrew and Mike and we look forward to hearing updates from them and their studies.”