Class of 2024: Zack Feldman carves a unique career path in construction
The Outstanding Building Construction Senior doesn’t just reach for the stars, he builds the platform to get there.
Zack Feldman sits outside of Bishop-Favrao Hall, current home to the Myers-Lawson School of Construction. Photo courtesy of Yoav Kaelter.
Name: Zack Feldman
College: Engineering
Major/minor: Building Construction
Hometown: Jupiter, Florida
Plans after graduation: Project Manager, Real Estate & Development
Favorite Hokie memory: His first Virginia Tech football game post-pandemic when the team played against the University of North Carolina in Lane Stadium. “People say Virginia Tech has an energy, and while I understood it, you have to see it to believe it.”
Zack Feldman is a well-known name around the Myers-Lawson School of Construction. When he is not serving as an ambassador for Building Construction, on the Dean’s Team for the College of Engineering, or the Virginia Tech Interfraternity Council, you will find him on the third floor of Bishop-Favrao Hall collaborating with his classmates as they prepare for their final capstone presentation. With a long list of achievements and now Outstanding Building Construction Senior added to that, it’s the people he’s met during his time at Virginia Tech that he is most proud of.
Building foundational relationships
One of the most influential people on Feldman’s journey at Virginia Tech happened by chance encounter before he accepted his offer of admission. Feldman and his family came to check out Blacksburg, and Myers-Lawson's current home in Bishop-Favrao Hall. While exploring, they bumped into building construction advisor Gary Kinder who spent the next two hours answering all his questions. Feldman says in that moment, he knew Virginia Tech would be his home for the next four years.
“I think people undersell academic advisors. I have friends that go to universities across the country and none of them have the quality of advisors we have here with Shelton Norwood and Gary Kinder,” said Feldman.
As a student, Feldman found himself in Kinder’s office frequently navigating life in college on the heels of the pandemic. His first semester naturally came with unexpected challenges, but his ability to come to his advisors for advice remained consistent. While some students and faculty chose to stay at home during that time, Feldman came to campus and was able to have an in-person class with Associate Professor Thomas Mills.
“We were a small class in a 300-person lecture hall all spaced out. While much of the university was closed, we were able to see our professor up on the stage, teaching us in-person. I will forever give him credit for being able to give us that experience,” Feldman said.
As Feldman continued to work toward his degree his first two years as a student, he began getting more involved and excelling at the opportunities Virginia Tech provides: academic honor roll, Associated Schools of Construction Commercial Competition Team member, recipient of the Swinerton Construction scholarship, Standards Director for Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity, as well as members of several honors societies. But it was his ongoing mentorship with advisors like Kinder that led him into a new role — becoming an ambassador for Building Construction.
"We were so impressed with Zack from the beginning that we wanted him to get involved early. This honor is traditionally saved for more seasoned students, but he was well-deserving of the honor. Zack has become a poster child for building construction,” said Kinder of his decision to recruit Feldman during his sophomore year.
Zack Feldman (left) and Gary Kinder (right) pose during annual awards banquet as Zack receives a scholarship. Photo by Toya Earley for Virginia Tech.
As an ambassador, Feldman has volunteered at open houses, career fairs, campus tours, and met with high school students interested in joining the Myers-Lawson program — just like he once was. His time at various recruitment events was spent talking to parents and students, answering questions, and sharing his passion for the construction industry and university.
“It was a great experience learning how to network and finding connections with families,” said Feldman. “When I first joined, I would tell families about all of the opportunities I had been a part of and they assumed I was a senior, but I was just a sophomore.”
Feldman continued to round out his academic experience with additional leadership roles; by the time his junior year rolled around, his resume looked even more impressive. He and one of his classmates became the first building construction students to join the Dean’s Team, which acts as ambassadors at the college. With only a few students selected out of the thousands in the College of Engineering, it is considered a prestigious honor.
His new role gave him the opportunity to talk to a larger audience of potential students and parents about the unique opportunities within Building Construction and further elevate the program. As his platform grew, so did his leadership skills as he was able to connect his project management skills in building construction to opportunities through Greek life.
Feldman’s knowledge of safety extended as he served as the Risk Prevention Director for his fraternity. Most recently, he applied his skillset to help all Greek life on campus, serving as the Vice President for Health and Safety on the Virginia Tech Interfraternity Council. In this role, he worked with each fraternity’s risk manager, Virginia Tech and Blacksburg Police Departments, and local vendors to coordinate Center Street football tailgating and other events, meant to keep students safe while socializing.
Constructing a unique career path
Most Myers-Lawson students graduate with several internships under their belts and Feldman is no different. He began looking for his first internship in his first semester as a student. Despite being a first-year student with little hands-on experience, he stood out to Construction Engineering and Management alumna Danielle Hill. Once again, he leveraged his ability to create meaningful relations and worked for her company Grunley in the Washington, D.C. area on a project for the U.S. State Department.
During what he calls the best summer of his life, Feldman learned the ins and outs of the industry by shadowing people, absorbing everything around him, and spearheading assigned tasks.
By his sophomore year, he was ready to take on new challenges in the industry — this time closer to home. Relying on his networking skillset, he once again set out to meet new people — this time via LinkedIn.
“I direct messaged the Vice President of the Turner Construction Company office in Florida asking him for a job. He pointed me in the direction of their Human Resources team and within a few weeks I had the offer letter in hand,” said Feldman.
During his second internship at a larger firm, he learned more about the business side of the construction industry and worked alongside one of the top teams within the company. With Fort Lauderdale Terminal 2 Airport as his classroom for the summer, the project team broke down budgets and the importance of doing the job right.
“The airport was a really cool experience because I flew out of there a lot as a kid, so it was a full circle moment,” said Feldman.
Zack Feldman stands outside at Fort Lauderdale Airport as part of his Turner Construction Company internship in Florida. Photo courtesy of Zack Feldman..
Over that summer, he learned more about the development side of construction and knew where to set his sights for his final internship: the owner’s side. He didn’t have an exact company in mind until he saw a LinkedIn posting from Apple looking for a Construction Management Intern as part of its Real Estate and Development division. After a few conversations with the company, he had his next internship lined up: this time in Austin, Texas, where he would be working with the company’s real estate portfolio.
“It was interesting to see the tech and construction world come together. There are a lot of differences between the industries, but there are similar problems and solutions as well,” said Feldman of his experience. “The summer taught me how to be the best steward of a company's capital as well as how to bridge the divide between disciplines and use my people skills to best communicate.”
At the end of the summer, he walked away with a new perspective and a passion to return. Feldman will continue at Apple in the fall for a full-time role.
As he prepares to graduate, he now adds two final feathers to his cap — Building Construction Outstanding Senior and winner of the Aspire! Award, an honor that recognizes five students across the university who show a commitment to curiosity, self-understanding and integrity, civility, courageous leadership, and Ut Prosim (That I May Serve).
Feldman's advice to students is simple: keep an open mind.
“Whether it’s at a career fair, industry guest lecture, or an internship, talk to new people around you and be willing to say yes to experiences you might not think about. There's such a wealth of knowledge in the industry and people are friendly and want to impart their knowledge on a young person so be hungry to learn,” he said.
