Building Futures - September 26, 2006

Patsy SMith
Chair, Home Builders Institute

Brian Blaylock
Chair, NAHB Student Chapters

Alumni Spotlight

Sam Gupta graduated from Purdue University in the Spring of 2005. His degree is in Building Construction Management and he has been working as a Builder for the Southwest Florida Division of Mercedes Homes in Melbourne.

Growing up, my hometown was one of the fastest growing in the Indianapolis area, so I was always able to see progress and see houses and other projects go up around me. When I was old enough, I got my first job in construction. At 15, I ended up working for one of my high school teachers helping him to renovate/restore houses. I did everything from tearing out walls and radiators, to installing central air and changing much of the framing of these older homes. After I graduated from high school, I enrolled at Purdue University in their engineering program. After my first semester, I had had enough of the theory of engineering and wanted to get into something more “hands on.” I switched my major to Building Construction Management the following semester. After my sophomore year, I had the option to add a specialization to my degree. I chose to add the “Residential Construction” specialization to my diploma. This specialization added a few more class including company management, residential land development and also house planning and marketing techniques. From that point on, all of my summers off were spent working in construction.

Technically I had one internship, apart from the other normal college summer construction jobs. After my freshman and sophomore years, I worked for two separate companies. The first summer I worked for a framer on a few custom homes in the Indianapolis area. One of these homes was a complete remodel. The following winter break and summer I worked extensively for a small homebuilder in southeastern Indiana . We built and completed two homes as well as a large addition onto another home. We were responsible for completing every aspect of construction, including all the mechanical trades, framing, sheet-rock and concrete work. This provided a great experience for me, because I was able to see the progress of several jobs and learn the scheduling, estimating and other aspects of the homebuilding industry.

Every year Purdue University holds a job fair specifically for students of the Building Construction Management Program. It was the fall of 2004 and I was working my way through my final year at Purdue. I was attending the job fair to find a company that I liked and that I could see myself starting my career with. I walked around talking to every company that I thought would interest me. I spoke with the gentleman at the Mercedes Homes booth. I handed him my resume and spoke with him for about 10 – 15 minutes. A few weeks later I received an email saying that Mercedes Homes was holding a “College Draft” at their corporate headquarters in Melbourne , Florida .

A few months later I was flown to Melbourne and setup in a hotel nearby. I attended the draft with about 7 other Purdue students as well as about 15 students from other universities with similar programs. At the draft we were able to meet with whatever division interested us. The division I was most interested in was the Southwest Florida division. The personality of the division president and the other guys that accompanied him and the growth opportunities available were what finalized my decision. At that point, I turned down the other offers I had received and decided to work for Mercedes Homes in Southwest Florida .

The International Builders show allowed me to see all different kinds of aspects of this industry. This included meeting with all of the larger home builders and finding out what they are all about. It wasn’t until I met with Mercedes Homes, who despite being so big, is still a privately owned company that still has the family atmosphere about it. In fact, one of the perks of working for Mercedes Homes is the employee stock ownership plan that they have, which shows that all of the employees are an important part of this company’s success.

Besides being a member of the NAHB student chapter, I was also a member of a few of the other organizations that represent this industry, including Associated General Contractors (AGC), the Association of Builders and Contractors (ABC), National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) and Mechanical Contractors of America (MCA). I believe that every student should be as active in these chapters as possible. Each organization has the ability to teach students something that they won’t learn in the classroom. For me, the camaraderie that develops over the years from seeing familiar faces in classroom and after class activities helps a lot. Construction has a lot to do with relationships and friendships. I believe that the contacts and friends you make during your years in college, in these organizations and student chapters, will help you in your future careers.

Building Futures - 09/26/2006 (Plain Text Version)

Alumni Spotlight