The Roofing Alliance hosted its 12th Annual Construction Management Student Competition on Jan. 21, 2026, during the
International Roofing Expo® in Las Vegas, Nevada.
This year’s competition project, provided by Commercial Roofers Inc. in Las Vegas, challenged teams to develop a
comprehensive bid proposal for the Cannery Casino and Hotel. Each team worked alongside a contractor mentor to
prepare a detailed bid package, demonstrating their project management, estimating, and safety expertise.
The winning teams and top presenters were recognized on stage during the NRCA Industry Awards and Reception.
2026 Student Competition Winners:
Auburn University First-place
Team Members: Madi Goodwin, Heather Henderson, Patrick Johnson, Graham Roh (team captain), and Ashwin
Varadhan (team alternate)
Faculty advisor: Dr. Kenneth Sands
Industry Mentor: Paige Harvill, Nations Roof
University of Florida Second-place
Team Members: Nicholas Fredette (team alternate), Tyler Isaacson, Sophia Petrandis, Rylee Rauktis (team
captain), and Christian Walker
Faculty advisor: Professor James Sullivan
Industry Mentor: Caleb Stauss, Big D Roofing Services
Clemson University Third-place
Team Members: Drake Hamlin, Sean Linnane (team alternate), Remi Nguyen (team captain), Ben Reynolds,
and Grant Thomas
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Dhaval Gajjar
Team Mentor: Will Fort, Bone Dry Roofing
Best Individual Presenters:
Remi Nguyen | Clemson University First-place
Sophia Petrandis | University of Florida Second-place
Finalist Teams:
Colorado State University
Team Members: Brandon Gallis (team captain), Kathleen Henneuse, Thomas
Parrott, and Rafael Serrano-Talavera
Faculty Advisor: Professor Nick Rubino
Team Mentor: Kent Nelson, Front Range Roofing Systems LLC
Teams:
Bradley University
Team Members: Joseph James Kumkoski Jr., Tyler Meixensperger, Tyler Mishka,
Mikayla Rau (team alternate), Ethan Sountris, and Erik Uriel Avila (team captain)
Faculty advisor: Dr. Souhail Elhouar
Team mentor: Mike Olszta, Nations Roof
California Polytechnic State University
Team members: Grace Campbell, Nathan Carrero (team alternate), Andrea De
Leon, Ruby Olmos (team captain), and Juventino Ramirez
Faculty advisor: Professor Kevin Bennett
Team mentor: Rudy Gutierrez, Shell Roofing
Florida Gulf Coast University
Team members: Alana, Fleck, Alexis Figueroa-Baltazar (team captain), Hannah
Guzman, and Nicolas Mass
Faculty advisor: Professor Joel Wao
Team mentor: Tammy Hall, Southwest Florida Roofing Contractors Association
Illinois State University
Team members: Aiden Anderson, Drillon Ballazhi (team alternate), Mahari Kelly,
Rosario Pollina, Ryan Quinn, and Isaac Tables (team captain)
Faculty advisor: Professor Randy Jacobs
Team mentor: Alex Hernandez, Clarke Roofing Co.
Louisiana State University
Team members: Micaela Casey, Henry Horton Jr (team alternate), Justin Maloney,
Madysen Nguyen (team captain), and Nathan Nguyen
Faculty advisor: Professor Charles Pecquet
Team mentor: Tupac de la Cruz, Roofing Solutions LLC
Texas A&M University
Team members: Noah Escamilla, Grayson Headley (team captain), Chase Myers,
Braeden Russell, and Jacob Weisskopf (team alternate)
Faculty advisor: Dr. Zhenyu Zhang
Team mentor: Kyle Cahill, King of Texas Roofing Company
Tuskegee University
Team members: Frederick Armstrong, Lauryn Glenn (team captain), Marcus Jeter,
Malachi McDuffie, and Ashlee McGhee (team alternate)
Faculty advisor: Professor Rogers Hunt
Team mentor: Chad Collins, Roofing Corp of America
University of North Florida
Team members: Fallon Harris, Elma Mesic (team captain), Vanja Muzdeka, Sarah
O'Neal, and Caroline Reuwer (team alternate)
Faculty advisor: Professor Aiyin Jiang
Team mentor: Marshall Hall, Childers Roofing & Sheet Metal
Watch the Presentations:
Questions about the competition can be directed to: Jessica Priske (847) 299-9070, ext. 7517; jpriske@roofingalliance.net
