Deondre Partridge ’25 and Ed Kunas ’25 are slowly making the rounds of the Bridgewater College Career and Internship Fair on a Wednesday afternoon in March. Dressed in business wear and with resumes in hands, the two senior business administration majors are particularly drawn to the construction companies who are recruiting from tables set around the second floor of the Forrer Learning Commons.
Their first stop is at the table for Monument Earthworks, a civil construction company headquartered in Harrisonburg, Va. There the pair talk to BC alumnus Logan Nelson ’17 who is staffing the table. Nelson, Director of Operations, gives them a rundown on the company, which has worked on projects including the Hyatt Place hotel in Harrisonburg and a new single rail mountain coaster at Massanutten, and the jobs available—project manager and assistant project manager.
Nelson shares that he started working at Momentum Earthworks shortly after graduating from Bridgewater with a degree in business administration almost eight years ago. He says that he hadn’t considered working in the construction industry until he took a capstone business course with Dr. Maria Lugo, Associate Professor of Business Administration, where students were assigned to create marketing plans for local businesses. Nelson worked with a group of students who developed a plan for another local construction company, and he decided that he really liked the field. Since then, his brother Brice Nelson ’12, also a BC business administration alumnus, has also joined the company as a Project Manager.
Although Partridge and Kunas are focused on construction companies, there are more than 30 other companies recruiting interns and employees at the Career and Internship Fair. Industries represented range from education to law enforcement to marketing. Many tables are staffed by BC alumni.
“We have a really good reputation with employers,” says Sherry Talbott, Associate Director of Student Success and Programming in the Center for Career Development, which organizes the event. “One employer said they love to come to Bridgewater College because it is always so busy, with lots of energy.”
A short time later, Partridge and Kunas find themselves talking to another Bridgewater alumnus, Stephen Howard ’12, who works in business development for Nielsen Builders, a commercial construction company also based in Harrisonburg. Howard shares stories of several BC alumni who have worked or interned at the company. He also emphasizes the variety of types of jobs that are available in the construction industry— such as marketing, accounting and project management.
“When people think construction, they sometimes think they need to have a hammer in their hand,” Howard says. “But there is a lot more to the field.”
The BC students, Partridge and Kunas, listen politely at both tables and ask a few questions, including whether either company has projects outside of Virginia. Both students grew up near Raleigh, N.C., and are hoping to find jobs that will allow them to return to that area after graduation. Partridge, who has spent his summers working at a boat dealership back home, is hoping for a job in sales. Kunas, who has already gotten some experience with a construction company in Raleigh, says that he’d like to continue to work in construction and then, perhaps, eventually run his own business.
Although neither company has jobs in North Carolina, both students say that they are glad that they came to the Career and Internship Fair. Partridge says that it is good to learn more about what sorts of jobs are available in construction and what the requirements are. In the meantime, they’ll keep looking. There are still a few more tables to visit and several weeks left before graduation.
Talbott reiterates that the annual Career and Internship Fair is a great way for students to learn about different industries and career paths. She says that she is pleased to hear about the connections that students made with alumni and employers at the event.
“We want students to practice networking so that they understand that people know people and connections reach far beyond the recruiter standing at the table,” Talbot says. “Career fairs help students practice telling their stories in ways that professionals can help them connect to the right people who can help them reach their career goals.”
– Heather S. Cole
3/24/25
