Tradition of Excellence golf tournament raises money for scholarships

The Durham School of Architectural Engineering & Construction held its 15th annual Tradition of Excellence Golf Tournament on July 10 at Tiburon Golf Club in Omaha, with more than 60 teams and close to 250 construction industry professionals participating.

The tournament raises funds for the Nebraska Construction Programs Tradition of Excellence scholarships. Since 2006, nearly 50 of these scholarships, totaling $86,000, have been awarded to Durham School construction students.

The tournament began at 11:30 a.m. with a shotgun start. Once teams completed 18 holes, they gathered for dinner, a raffle, flight prizes and pin prizes. The Durham School was able to provide commemorative team photos for every player to take with them as they left.

Students from several UNL engineering student groups – including Mechanical Electrical Specialty Contractors (MESC); Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCA); Associated General Contractors (AGC); and Latinos in Science and Engineering (MAES/SHPE) – volunteered to help with the tournament.

While raising money for their respective groups, students had the opportunity to network with industry professionals who may one day be their mentors or colleagues. Student presence and involvement is a reminder that contributing to their education is the primary purpose and goal of this event.

The support the construction industry provides to Durham School's construction programs and students is beneficial to all parties involved. Industry support, interaction and mentorship is central to the quality of Durham School student experience and education, and provides professionals the opportunity to network with and recruit their future coworkers.

Members of the 2017 Golf Tournament committee were Brent Clausen, Pat Cuddigan, Dennis Eden, Michael Naccarato, George Schuler, Jason Tagge and Don Wrieth. The 2017 corporate sponsors were HDR, Kiewit Building Group, Kiewit Infrastructure Southeast Co., Olsson Associates, Sampson Construction, United Rentals and The Wietz Company. In addition to these corporate sponsors, there were more than 70 construction companies represented at the tournament.