Construction exec newest member of board

It may sound like an exaggeration when Seth Maurer tells you he's been at CORE Construction all his life. But considering he started working there when he was 17 and is now 36 years old, he may be right.

"I started as a laborer pushing a broom during summers in high school, became a field engineer, spent some time in project management, went into the preconstruction department and later moved into business development," said the executive vice president who today manages CORE Construction offices in Las Vegas and Reno. "We're staying busy modernizing schools from here in Clark County, out to Pahrump in Nye County and up to Douglas County in Northern Nevada. We also have projects with UNLV, city of Henderson, city of Las Vegas and the Nevada State Public Works Board."

Maurer recently obtained an associate degree with honors in construction management at the College of Southern Nevada, saying he was a late bloomer by returning back to college after a decade out of high school. He is a registered LEED AP (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional) with the U.S. Green Building Council and successfully managed the completion of CORE Construction's new LEED Gold office building.

Last year, CORE Construction, the 81st ranked contractor in the nation based on annual volume and fifth largest school builder, completed the Ralph and Betty Engelstad School of Health Sciences building on the CSN Charleston campus.

"It was surreal for me to have the opportunity to build on the very campus that I spent many evenings at," he said. "I was at CSN from 2005-2008 and the most important thing for me was the school's ability to accommodate my schedule. I was working full time and going to classes at night. In fact, all my classes for the three years I was there were at night. I really have to say thanks because CSN was able to cater to me and my needs."

Maurer will be able to say thanks as he was appointed as the newest member on the CSN Foundation Board of Trustees.

"There is a lot I'm going to have to learn to become an effective trustee," Maurer said. "Ultimately, I would like to see the construction department grow and remain contemporary and I want to ensure that students aren't denied the opportunity to pursue a career in construction management. I've witnessed firsthand the program getting cut at other schools. There are so many disciplines within the industry such as engineers, architects, construction managers, subcontractors, vendors and suppliers. This is a department where a student can get a versatile education."

Maurer's versatile education was a real life and real time experience. He would work all day, go to a contract law, estimating or means and methods class at night, and then apply what he had learned that evening at work the next day.

"My CSN education couldn't have been any better," he said. "The professors were always accessible and I had their cell phones so I could contact them with any question at any time. I felt that many of them went through similar experiences like me and the construction instructors were familiar with the marketplace and knew the local construction business. It was invaluable."

One aspect of school that Maurer really enjoyed was bringing his day-to-day construction experiences to class and sharing them with his fellow students.

"Because I was working for a construction company, receiving hands-on experience, it became relevant for me to share applicable situations or scenarios with the professor and class on similar subject material," he said. "I was able to relate with certain challenges that I may have encountered that day or week and offer solutions. I know I gave some different views but the professors allowed the classes to be open that way. Also, because the classes had students of many different ages and levels of experience, we all learned from one another and that indirectly broadened my education."

Maurer regularly donates his time and resources to organizations such as the Associated General Contractors of Southern and Northern Nevada, the American Institute of Architects, the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties, the Las Vegas and North Las Vegas Chambers of Commerce, the U.S. Green Building Council, the Urban Land Institute and the American Public Works Association.