Kennesaw State University’s National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Student Competition Team won first place in the Custom Home Building category at the International Builders’ Show held in Orlando, Florida. The team, made up of students from the College of Architecture and Construction Management, competed against 36 universities from across the country.
This achievement marks Kennesaw State’s return to national champion status after last winning in 2017. The competition is organized by the National Association of Home Builders and requires student teams to act as development firms pitching proposals to investors. This year, participants were assigned lakefront lots on Lake Martin in Alabama and tasked with selecting a site, designing a home, and preparing a professional-grade proposal.
KSU outperformed teams from Clemson University, Auburn University, and the University of Oklahoma among others. Senior Lecturer Jeff Setzer, who served as team advisor, commented on the team’s performance: “It’s absolutely huge,” Setzer said. “We beat some very well-funded schools. Our students did all the work, and they deserve all the praise for pulling together a superb competition packet.”
The KSU students visited their assigned property several times and worked closely with an architecture student to develop their plan. Their proposal included detailed construction schedules, cost estimates, risk management strategies, logistics planning, financial projections, and a video presentation for judges.
Six students presented directly to judges acting as investors without reading from slides. They defended their project assumptions and financial forecasts during questioning.
Team leader Drew Williams explained his approach: “From the moment I assembled this team, first place was the expectation,” Williams said. “Not hope. Expectation.” He added that consistent meetings began in August and increased throughout the fall semester as deadlines neared.
Williams described how preparation intensified leading up to December when they submitted their proposal: “At that level, everyone’s technically strong,” Williams said. “What separated us was that we approached it like a real development opportunity, not a classroom assignment. We built it as if it was already moving forward.”
Setzer praised their commitment: “The fact that they won first place is a testament to the amount of work and effort they put into it,” he said.
At the awards ceremony in Orlando, anticipation grew as third- and second-place winners were announced before KSU was named national champion. Williams recalled: “Then they said ‘First place.’ And the next words were ‘Kennesaw State University.’ After the long nights and sacrifices, it was real.”
Hazem Rashed-Ali, Dean of CACM at Kennesaw State University noted how this success reflects broader goals within their college: “Our students demonstrated technical excellence, leadership, and resilience,” Rashed-Ali said. “We are incredibly proud of the way they represented Kennesaw State nationally.”
Several members have already secured full-time jobs with major home builders set to begin after graduation this summer. The competition allowed them to apply classroom knowledge under realistic conditions.
“They proved that Kennesaw State can compete with anyone in the country,” Setzer said. “I believe this competition will be a pivotal part of their development and lead them to great careers after they graduate.”
