Students gain hands-on construction experience during the CenCal Builders Exchange Design Build competition, where teams have three days to construct a shed using approved plans while working alongside industry professionals. CenCal Builders Exchange photo
For Rise Utility, supporting education in the Central Valley means showing students what engineering and construction careers look like beyond the classroom.
The Fresno-based company has spent several years building relationships with high school and college students. Founder Daniel Van Groningen and Cindy Cantu, the company’s director of administration and business development, say that work reflects Rise’s ties to local education and to the industries where many of those students hope to work.
Those relationships reach students at different points in their education, whether they are weighing what comes after high school or preparing to enter the workforce after college.
In many cases, those connections continue as students gain experience and become mentees, interns or even full-time employees at Rise.
Building connections With Fresno State students
Van Groningen, a graduate of Fresno State’s engineering program, said he began working with the university’s engineering programs about five years ago. Rise takes part in multiple university events each year, such as the fall Town Hall Industry/Student Event, the Construction Management and Architectural Studies Golf Tournament and the American Society of Civil Engineers and Lyles College of Engineering Joint Golf Tournament.
“We sponsor events like these so we can attend, talk about our company and support the department by supporting the students,” Van Groningen said. “We’re out there meeting students and others in the industry. So, we’re able to solicit resumes and get to know some students that way.”
Rise has built its relationships with students organically, by showing up. That presence also connects the company with students who want experience before they graduate.
“We often have interns through the summer,” he said. “And many of those have transferred over to full-time employment.”
Rise’s design division includes several young engineering graduates from Fresno State as well as other universities. They apply their engineering education to developing utility plan sets and learn how those plans translate to real-world projects.
Cantu has her own ties to Fresno State. She serves as membership chair of the Construction Management and Architectural Studies Industry Advisory Board.
“The development of the students through that program has been amazing,” Cantu said, adding that interest in construction management is growing.
She also supports Fresno State’s mentorship programs for both graduate and undergraduate students. The programs pair students with industry professionals and show them working environments beyond what they encounter in class.
“The mentorship program offers students an opportunity to lean on industry partners,” Cantu said. “We can offer real-world experience, time to share their path and struggles with school, and guidance. We can invite them to meetings to model competency within our field. Mentorship opens a window into industry from the mentor’s own personal experience.”
Both mentor and mentee must commit to the process for it to succeed. “It’s a two-way street,” she said.
Giving interns hands-on experience
Interns at Rise work alongside an established employee who has several years of experience with the company, Van Groningen said. The goal is to give interns enough guidance to understand the work, then have them do it themselves.
“We’re going to show you how to do it one time, and then you’re going to start doing it,” he said. “And I’ll be here to answer questions and shepherd and guide you.”
The environment is deliberately hands-on. “We don’t bring people in to sit back and watch,” Van Groningen said. “We want you to learn what we do, try it yourself and find out whether the shoe fits.”
Interns are expected to participate as they learn and to support the next group as Rise welcomes them into the fold. The process is built to create skills as well as relationships.
That expectation works in the interns’ favor. “They get exposed to so much,” Cantu said. “The ability to make decisions and do the work, all while having an experienced set of eyes watching, creates a place for people to be brave. Interns are able to safely make mistakes and, in real time, learn from them.”
Many interns have come back for another internship, continuing to develop their skill sets and habits. “Having a standard for the interns helps them realize what they’re fully capable of,” she said.
Introducing construction before college
Cantu also works with high school students through the Design Build competition with the Central California Builders Exchange, known as CenCal Builders Exchange. Each team has three days to build a shed.
The standards are clear. Teams build from an approved set of plans and must pass inspections, including safety inspections. Industry partners build alongside them.
Cantu is entering her fourth year with the program. She said the experience is especially meaningful for students who know little about construction or the careers connected with it.
Last year, her team included students from a continuation school who did not necessarily expect to continue their education after high school. They built their shed together in the heat and saw firsthand what construction work involves.
After working through the elements, a few of those team members became interested in construction management and in Fresno State. The exposure created a path.
From education into the workforce
All of that exposure leads to the day a student starts work. What an employer expects on that day depends on the job.
Rise shows the range. Its consulting division is made up largely of employees with significant experience in specialized areas. Its design team is where younger engineering graduates build practical knowledge on the job. Its construction division employs people from their early 20s to nearly 60, with different educational backgrounds and levels of experience.
Those differences determine what Rise needs from a new hire on the first day.
“Proven competency is essential in our consulting division,” Van Groningen said. “In design and construction, we have room to train.”
That room to learn is what connects Rise’s work in education to its workplace. The classroom provides the technical foundation. Events, mentorship, internships and competitions like Design Build show students how that knowledge applies in practice.
The path does not end with a job offer. Many former interns are now full-time employees, expected to pass on what they have learned to the newest members of the team.