By Rick Gardner
Since 2012, the foundations have been sending students through the Joe Hale Student Sponsorship Fund to the IIBEC International Convention and Trade Show and the Building Enclosure Symposium (BES). Since the program’s early years, many of our members and donors have asked me, “What has been the return on this investment? Where are these students today?”
I recently reached out to some of the scholarship recipients to find out where they are now and what they remember most about attending an IIBEC convention or BES. And I wanted to know: Are they IIBEC members today?
Alan Hammell
Five years ago, Alan Hammell was studying architecture at the University of Kentucky. He attended the BES in Louisville, Kentucky, as well as IIBEC conventions in Orlando, Florida, and Phoenix, Arizona. After leaving school, he launched Bleu Construction in Smithfield, Kentucky. His company buys and rehabilitates houses and then sells them to first-time homeowners.
“The way I was treated at the IIBEC events won my heart,” he said. “The members I networked with spoke volumes for IIBEC. They had both personality and professionalism. For me, it was the right place at the right time.”
Hammell continued, “IIBEC has given me so much. IIBEC helped me understand the fundamentals of waterproofing and vaper layers. After the last conference, I left with two job offers.”
(Betty) Lynn Krodel
Lynn Krodel attended the convention in Phoenix during COVID as well as the virtual convention online
the year prior. She is currently an architectural designer with Thomas Porter Architecture in Toledo, Ohio. She currently has one exam left to become a registered architect. After graduation from Bowling Green State University, she and her husband moved to Dayton, Ohio, where she opened her company’s southwest Ohio branch.
“The conference was fantastic, and the education seminars were really interesting,” she recalled. “I took 30 pages of notes. I didn’t expect to meet so many people from different industries. I met a lot of interesting people who were all so welcoming—especially Rebecca and Bruce Hall.”
Though she felt “a little lost at first” she remembered “the presentation about the ducks and raining on the inside of the building” and said the event “was fantastic!”
Rasheed Mattis
After graduating from Mercer University with a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering, Rasheed Mattis has been working as a civil design engineer with Raymond, a company he became familiar with through the IIBEC Convention Student Scholarship Program. “I am constantly applying a lot of what I learned through IIBEC events in my day-to-day civil designs,” Mattis said. Every day brings new challenges, from site inspections to collaborating on design solutions, and I genuinely enjoy the variety.”
“Attending the IIBEC Conventions as a student was truly a pivotal moment in my professional journey. The experience opened my eyes to the breadth of the building enclosure industry and allowed me to connect with professionals and peers from across North America. The sessions were insightful, and I found the technical presentations particularly valuable—they gave me a real-world perspective that you just can’t get in the classroom.”
Mattis said he made “incredible connections” with fellow students at the IIBEC convention, and that through IIBEC, those students have built strong personal and professional bonds that extend far beyond the conventions themselves. “Whether it’s organizing group trips, referring each other for job opportunities, studying together for our PE exams, or reaching out for advice when one of us hits a roadblock on a project, these relationships have become an invaluable support network in my career and personal life,” Mattis said.
As for IIBEC membership, he said, “I haven’t joined yet mainly due to time constraints and the transition into my new role, but it’s something I plan to do as I settle further into my career.”
Alison Croop
Ten years ago, Alison Croop attended the 2015 IIBEC International Convention and Trade Show in San
Antonio, Texas. Croop graduated with a master’s in design from North Carolina State University. She is currently an architectural designer with Louis Cherry Architecture in Raleigh, North Carolina.
“I was still in grad school, and it was my first convention,” she remembered. “I really enjoyed the trade show floor, being able to see building materials and installation methods demonstrated in person. It was extremely helpful to me as a visual learner with no experience in the field yet.”
Croop’s firm in Raleigh does custom residential, commercial interior upfits, and some larger public projects, such as libraries or churches. “I might consider becoming an IIBEC member as I get further in my career, but right now, I’m still just trying to finish out my licensing exams,” she said.
David (Cordaro) Chase
David Cordaro attended the 2015 convention in San Antonio and the 2017 convention in Anaheim, California. He completed his undergraduate in architecture at Iowa State University and now works for the American Institute of Architects – Chicago (AIA Chicago) as the director of communications and editor of Chicago Architect.
Reflecting on his experiences in San Antonio and Anaheim, Cordero said, “I had a blast. I was a third-year architecture student and the whole world of building materials was new to me. In architecture school, you don’t get into the details that IIBEC covers.
“I became familiar with how some of these products work through the trade show. I remember watching a roofing installation demonstration in Anaheim and thinking this was so cool!”
Conclusion
While all these past students are not IIBEC members yet, many of them are active in the building enclosure industry or, more broadly, in the construction or design fields.
These experiences would not be possible if not for the student sponsorships created through the foundation’s Joe Hale Student Sponsorship Fund. If you have hired or work with one of our past student attendees, please let me know. Finally, If you or your company would like to donate, please reach out to me at Rgardner@iibec.org or at 800-828-1902.
Rick Gardner is the RCI-IIBEC Foundation development officer.
