Homegrown
Along with more than 300 alumni donors helping to fund construction, Fitts-Woolard Hall is benefiting from the expertise of several NC State engineering alumni working on the project. The newest engineering building on Centennial Campus is scheduled to open in summer 2020 and will be the new home of the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering (CCEE); the Edward P. Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering; and the dean’s administrative offices.
Alumni Participation
15 Subcontractors and Vendor Managers | 19 Design team members | 7 NC State Facilities Division members
Cameron Smith
After finishing a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, construction option in 1996, Cameron Smith spent time in Cuba, Pennsylvania and Iraq’s Al Anbar Province with the Navy Civil Engineers Corps.
In 2007, he made his way back to NC State’s campus to join the Facilities Division.
The Wrightsville Beach, NC, native has helped guide more than a decade’s worth of major projects that have changed the face of campus, including renovations for Reynolds Coliseum and Talley Student Union and the construction of the James B. Hunt, Jr. Library. Now he is guiding work on Fitts-Woolard Hall.
Mary Beth Russo
A 2009 CCEE graduate, Mary Beth Russo still sees familiar faces among the department’s faculty members as she works on their new building.
As the project manager on Fitts-Woolard Hall for designer Clark Nexsen, Russo has invested a lot of time talking to faculty members about what they need to make the new building the perfect home for their work.
“I spent the bulk of my college years in Mann Hall and am excited to be involved in creating the new space for the next generation of civil engineers,” the Raleigh native said.
Russo excelled in math in high school and alongside her father, an NC State alumnus, was steadily exposed to construction through her early years.
Trey Warren
Trey Warren’s father and grandfather are both NC State engineers. He followed in their footsteps, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering and management in 2011. Today, the family company — Warco Construction Co. — is a subcontractor on the Fitts-Woolard Hall project tasked with applying fireproofing material to the steel structure.
“NC State construction engineering is pretty close to home,” he said.
As a student, he was an Engineering Ambassador and involved in the Engineers Council. During the summer, Warren returned home to work in the field and help out in the office at Warco.
Those hours in Mann Hall taught him problem-solving skills that have translated well to his professional life.
Charlotte-based Warco was started by Warren’s grandfather, father and uncle. The company offers a range of services, from thermal and moisture protection and preconstruction consulting to acoustical remediation and manufacturer representation.
Mark Collins
Mark Collins, project executive for construction manager at risk Skanska, has built his career overseeing high profile and complex higher education projects at NC State, Duke University and UNC Chapel Hill.
A Raleigh native and NC State 1988 civil engineering construction option graduate, Collins is a lifelong Wolfpack fan. The NC State tradition is ingrained in his family, as his wife graduated with a degree in electrical engineering, and his son is a recent College of Natural Resources graduate.
Collins has been an integral part of the growth on Centennial Campus, leading the construction of Engineering Building III and the award-winning James B. Hunt, Jr. Library and currently overseeing the new Fitts-Woolard Hall project.
“I am proud to have had the opportunity to lead these amazing projects, and it is especially meaningful to build at my alma mater creating spaces for generations to come.”
Return to contents or download the Spring/Summer 2019 NC State Engineering magazine (PDF, 13.7MB).
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