Gilbane Building Co. Vice President of Construction Operations Thomas N. Comella has been elected to serve as chairman of Roger William’s University’s Construction Management Professional Advisory Board. He spoke with Providence Business News this week about that role and the efforts Gilbane has made to foster relationships with construction management students in Rhode Island.
PBN: First, could you tell me a little bit about the role you’ll be playing at RWU?
COMELLA: I am the chairman of the Construction Management Professional Advisory Board at Roger Williams University’s School of Engineering, Computing and Construction Management. As chairman, with more than 42 years in the construction industry, I will contribute my knowledge, experience and leadership to the advisory board to support the School of Construction Management in their mission to “Deliver the highest quality undergraduate professional education experience enabling the graduates to excel in the practice of their professional discipline or the pursuit of an advanced degree.”
PBN: Why did you decide to take on such a role?
COMELLA: I am a 1966 graduate of Roger Williams University and I feel an obligation to give back to the university through contributing to make the Construction Management program the best that it can be. The university has given me the necessary education to develop my career, which allowed me to be successful in a highly competitive market. Being on the professional advisory board gives me an opportunity to interact with very talented construction professionals who share their time and energies to contribute to the program. In addition, the graduates from this program will provide the construction industry with the talent necessary to fill positions required for the future of our industry.
PBN: From Gilbane’s standpoint, how important is developing a relationship with an academic program that supports the construction industry?
COMELLA: Gilbane Building Co. fully supports my advisory board efforts and time. Gilbane has partnered with Roger Williams University, the MET School and the Community College of Rhode Island in sponsoring, each year, two MET School graduates in furthering their education in the construction management field. The selected individuals work for Gilbane part-time while attending classes at CCRI. After successfully completing a specific program at CCRI, the students are automatically accepted as juniors into the construction management program at Roger Williams University. Gilbane and Roger Williams University share half the cost of tuition. Upon successful graduation from Roger Williams University, these graduates are accepted as regular full-time employees at Gilbane.
PBN: Are you taking pointers and theories back to Gilbane, too?
COMELLA: Whenever you interact with two people or groups you learn from each other. These young people are very tuned into technology. We share our experiences, which benefit all of us.
PBN: What is the state of the construction in Rhode Island right now and how are Gilbane’s projects going?
COMELLA: In recent years we have seen a major boom in Rhode Island. However, due to the economic conditions of today, construction has slowed down considerably. We are fortunate at Gilbane that we share our resources with our other districts in New England as well as other regions around the country. Our sales company-wide are strong going into 2009. We anticipate the federal and local state’s stimulus plans will boost the workload for the construction industry and put more people to work, which will help the economy.
