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KENNESAW, Ga. | Feb 6, 2017

Kennesaw State University students鈥� recent sweep at a national residential development competition in January netted them a $60,000 grant.

KSU鈥檚 National Association of Home Builders Student Chapter beat 60 other teams to place first at a national competition in addition to other honors in Orlando, Florida, in January.

Nine students 鈥� including senior Myles Cardenas, a construction management major 鈥� traveled to Orlando to present a 100-page project management proposal for a 32-acre residential development in Decatur.
 
鈥淭hey give us a real life project, and we have to go through the process of buying the land, building the project and show how we鈥檙e going to do it financially,鈥� said Cardenas, the chapter鈥檚 president.

The KSU team鈥檚 proposal included building 349 townhomes on the tract of land in order to maximize the development鈥檚 financial return on investment, said Cardenas.

Teams across the country including Pennsylvania State University and California Polytechnic State University vied for the top proposal for the Decatur development, which included product and site design, project schedule and estimates, financial analysis and sales and marketing strategies.

KSU鈥檚 victory also came with a $60,000 grant to be paid over three years for the construction management department. The money will help the department develop a residential construction track and to increase student internship opportunities, said Charner Rodgers, team adviser and KSU construction management professor.

The chapter already has a partnership with Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association that provides internship and mentoring opportunities for the students, said Cardenas, who works as an intern at CalAtlantic Homes 鈥� a housing development company.

KSU鈥檚 chapter was also recognized as an outstanding student chapter for the second consecutive year for its membership, networking events and community service, Cardenas said.

This year鈥檚 contest marked the KSU chapter鈥檚 third year in competition and KSU鈥檚 first year on top. The team placed 23rd in 2014 and 10th in 2015.

KSU鈥檚 chapter includes about 35 students with a variety of majors, including construction management, engineering, marketing, architecture and mechatronics.

鈥淚t鈥檚 way more than just building homes, that鈥檚 why we try to diversify our team and our chapter,鈥� Cardenas, who also received the outstanding student award for the KSU team at the competition.