Meet the Winners of the Roofing Alliance Student Competition From Texas A&M University

By Evelyn Witterholt, RCS Reporter. 

These five students won the 2022 Roofing Alliance Student Competition at this year’s International Roofing Expo. 

The Roofing Alliance, the foundation of the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA) has been hosting their annual Student Competition for the past eight years. This year, RoofersCoffeeShop® editor, Karen Edwards, got to speak with the winning team from Texas A&M at the International Roofing Expo in New Orleans.  

The team was comprised of students studying construction management at their university. Team members included: Kyler Hardison, Blake Bocchino, Kyle Cahill, Canyon Martine and Alexia Palomares. For the competition, they had to submit a bid package for a new roof on the Four Points Sheraton Hotel on Bourbon Street.  

Kyler, who took on the role of project manager, says they began their project in fall of last year. “In the fall semester, we do our proposal and that portion of it. And then we pick back up in the spring with the presentation,” he said. “It's really a lot of work. We have to work around everyone's schedule, work and other extracurriculars.” 

Kyle, the project estimator, said that logistics and safety were the two most challenging aspects of the project. With the roofing project being located on busy Bourbon Street, the team had to consider the many pedestrians in the area. He also says the hurricane season was also brought into consideration. 

While they were in town for the expo, the team got to visit the hotel they did their project on. Blake Bocchino, the project superintendent, said, “It was also nice to see the hotel in function with people moving around, because I spotted a couple other safety concerns that I couldn't really catch just from Google Earth itself.” 

The team members expressed interest in working in the roofing industry and they all shared what they are looking for in a future employer. Canyon, the QA/QC director, said he wants to work for a company that cares about his mental health. Alexia, the safety director, said, “I hope to be able to fit in and somewhere I can make an impact in a way.” 

We can’t wait to see what the future brings for these students! 

Check out the Texas A&M winning presentation. 

Learn more about the Roofing Alliance in their RoofersCoffeeShop Directory or visit www.roofingalliance.net.