From a drone’s-eye view, the Maryland Parkway campus topography has transformed a bit in recent years, with even more changes on the way.
Branden Brumble is responsible for some of it.
“I've been on campus long enough in construction that I feel like I should have an honorary master's by now,” said Brumble, ‘12 BS Construction Management.
For the past five years, Brumble has clocked into work at UNLV — though as a project manager for CORE Construction — shepherding several major projects from beginning to completion. His latest, the UNLV/CSUN preschool expansion, opens Aug. 5 and includes the addition of a 6,900-square-foot building to the Marlow Early Childhood Education Campus. The expansion will increase the preschool’s capacity to serve Southern Nevadans by 35%.
“I've occasionally joked with the planning and construction team that I need a UNLV golf cart to drive around the campus to all these projects,” Brumble said.
When he arrived on campus as a student in 2003, however, the need for a golf cart wasn’t as pressing. He entered UNLV as a civil engineering major, taking a majority of classes in and around the Thomas T. Beam Engineering Complex. But his off-campus work on the Las Vegas Strip soon became too strenuous and impacted his schooling and focus.
“So, at that time I decided to take a little break from school and try to earn a living, save up some money, and pay off these loans,” he said.
But the hiatus was short-lived. When the Great Recession hit, he looked around and said: “I want more.”
His dad, being a welder, and his uncle, a longtime architect, helped shape his educational trajectory. He shifted his focus to construction management when he re-enrolled as a Rebel in 2008.
“I've always been surrounded with building things — or people building things — and the fascination you get from that. And also the feeling of reward or satisfaction you get from building something from the ground up,” said Brumble. “So I think that kind of had an impact on my direction in life.”
Brumble’s Bread and Butter: Giving Back to UNLV
After graduating in 2012, Brumble landed a job at Conti Electric, and helped build solar projects in central California and Tonopah, Nevada.
Two years later, a fellow UNLV construction management alumnus clued him into a job opening at CORE. He interviewed, got an offer, and accepted. He’s been with CORE ever since, with a focus mainly on educational and public sector projects.
“CORE Construction actually is the No. 1 K-12 builder in the U.S. That's our bread and butter,” said Brumble. “The majority of what we build are K-12 schools, hospitals, fire stations, police stations, parks, and a lot of state public works projects. We love this world and we try not to stray.”
And in Nevada, that means projects for CCSD, UNLV, and the University of Nevada, Reno. Brumble 's first project at UNLV hit particularly close to home: the College of Engineering’s new Advanced Engineering Building.
“Seeing students walking by and knowing that I was contributing back to the campus that helped grow me, and knowing that they'll get to utilize this really amazing engineering center for their future growth as well, was very meaningful,” Brumble said.
Tying the new structure into TBE-A through a skywalk was one of the highlights. Building out the interdisciplinary, open-concept labs on the second and third floors was another.
“Lab construction was not necessarily new to me, but they were more complex than previous labs that I've built before,” Brumble said, adding that he connected with some familiar faces during the duration of the project, including his former professor, Neil Opfer.
“I had the opportunity to give him a tour and kind of catch up,” Brumble said. “He was happy for me, where we're at and what we're doing. And so that felt good.”
From there, Brumble and his team moved on to complete an HVAC remodel, along with other improvements, at the Harry Reid Center near the center of campus. Shortly thereafter, Brumble and his team hopscotched back to the northern end of campus to commence work on the preschool expansion.
“It’s a warming feeling to see the look on the kids' faces when they get dropped off and to hear the oohs and ahhs,” Brumble said. “They always say hello every day and ask what we’re working on today. We tell them, and they get so excited. Some of them bring construction toys with them to school. It's really cool.”
Upcoming projects include the student union upgrades and the new Lee Business School building. Brumble has already captured some drone photography in preparation for the groundbreaking.
And though AEB has been open now for over two years, his work with the College of Engineering is not yet done. One of his highlights every year is attending UNLV’s career and internship fair and interacting with current students. His current intern works with him onsite and attends school for construction management.
“CORE loves UNLV and UNLV interns, and we've hired several,” Brumble said, adding that his work with the next generation actually starts at home, with his daughters, Aurora and Olive. Weekend activities often involve trips to hardware stores where they participate in crafting workshops, building birdhouses, tiny fire trucks, mailboxes, and more.
“I will always encourage them to go to our alma mater, to stay semi-close to home,” Brumble said. “Las Vegas is ever growing and it was my home. I was born and raised here and so was my mom. So it would be a nice thing. But I'll never stop them from choosing their own path."
