Nearly 40 MTSU School of Concrete and Construction Management students piqued the interest of 19 companies regionally and nationwide Friday, Feb. 9.

The companies, invited to campus by one of the signature MTSU programs, were seeking summer interns for positions that often lead to full-time employment.

The School of Concrete and Construction Management conducts “Internship Speed Interviewing Days” so students can meet face to face with potential employers, sharing their resumes — and in some cases, their hobbies and interests away from campus — with companies that include Lehigh Hanson, Lithko, Blue Dot Readi-Mix and Drees Homes.

“It’s a good experience, getting to meet a lot of companies. There’s a lot of variety in jobs and opportunities,” said Gabriel Banda, a junior construction management major from Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, by way of Zambia whose focus is on land development and residential construction.

Caroline Blackstone, an Atlanta, Georgia, sophomore majoring in the concrete industry management program’s sales and production services emphasis, said the occasion allows for plenty of “back and forth, talking to different people and seeing different perspectives.”

During a break, junior Robert Gaiser, a commercial construction major from Beckley, West Virginia, said the first of two-hour sessions “started off nervous” for him.

“Now, I’m digging more into it,” he continued. “The pitch gets better. I’m not sure what’s next. It’s like a waiting game, I guess.”

Gaiser and Blackstone said they appreciate MTSU and the program offering the chance for students to meet with the companies.

MTSU has more than 240 combined undergraduate and graduate programs. Concrete and construction management are part of the College of Basic and Applied Sciences.

— Randy Weiler (Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu)

MTSU sophomore Concrete Industry Management major Caroline Blackstone, center, shares her interest in a summer internship with Whiting-Turner with company reps Marc Nemeth, left, J.D. Cook and Andy Dulioki Feb. 9. The conversation took place during the MTSU School of Concrete and Construction Management Internship Speed Interview Day in Murphy Center. (MTSU photo by J. Intintoli)

Wright Construction staff members Matt Woodward, left, Tony Milliken and Nichole Bryant thank MTSU junior construction management major Gabriel Banda, right, for interviewing with them for a summer intern position Feb. 9 in Murphy Center as part of the School of Concrete and Construction Internship Speed Interview Day. (MTSU photo by J. Intintoli)

MTSU junior commercial construction management major Robert Gaiser, left, obtains business cards from Lehigh Hanson’s Misha Chapman and Kurt Millman Feb. 9 during the School of Concrete and Construction Management’s Internship Speed Interview Day on the track in Murphy Center. (MTSU photo by J. Intintoli)