In late January, a group of 16 students enrolled in the Concrete Industry Management (CIM) program at Texas State University attended the annual World of Concrete trade show in Las Vegas for a week full of educational sessions, networking, and a scholarship competition.
TXST President Kelly Damphousse also made the trip and joined the group for a couple of days, something he has done in the past to show support of the program.
As one of only five universities in the country that offers a CIM program, TXST is uniquely tied to the concrete industry. The program routinely sets students up for future success with conference trips, like the World of Concrete, and about a dozen others every year.
“There are about 50,000 people involved with the World of Concrete trade show relating to concrete technology, equipment, and materials,” said Ryan Penlerick, Ph.D., program director of the CIM program. “Our CIM program’s national steering committee (NSC) also has meetings during the event, so it’s a time to discuss the state of our programs and share our recruiting successes.”
In addition to the sessions, the CIM NSC also holds an auction to raise money ($2.3 million this year) for the CIM programs in the country, which is divvied up among the five programs.
“That Sunday of our trip, we have an annual tradition of taking our CIM students out to the Hoover Dam for a tour,” he said. “Many of our students have never traveled before, so it’s pretty cool to take them on their first trip together.”
One of the students on the trip was Claire Puckett, a freshman in the CIM program. Puckett’s best friend since seventh grade, Jarett Castillo, a freshman also in the CIM program, attended as well.
Puckett’s interest in the industry developed partially due to her mother working with the Texas Mining and Reclamation Association and the Texas Aggregates and Concrete Association. It was also piqued when James Wilde, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Engineering Technology and professor at TXST, spoke to her and a group of students during a summer workshop.
“Dr. Wilde spoke to us about industrial minerals, coal, and uranium through a workshop,” Puckett said. “My mom told him, ‘I’ve got a 10-year-old who you can have in about eight years.’ That’s kind of how I was pushed into this industry, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
Puckett networked with several industry professionals during the conference, including executives for CEMEX in New Braunfels, the company she’s interning at this summer. She was also one of three TXST students who presented and competed for a scholarship. She didn’t win, but she called the opportunity “absolutely amazing.”
“I gave an overview of how I came into the industry, how it has affected me, and where I’m going to take the knowledge that I gained,” she said. “Just being able to present that in front of hundreds of people and tell my story was impactful. This is a very niche industry, but you find those people who you’re going to be with for the rest of your life.”
Visit TXST’s Concrete Industry Management webpage for more information about the program.