Chapman was recently selected as this year’s recipient of 
Wentworth Institute of Technology’s Alumni Association’s Distinguished Employer Award. The award is presented to a firm that consistently strives to hire Wentworth alumni and students, and in recognizing the skills and aptitude of Wentworth alumni and students, the employer promotes Wentworth.
Chapman relies heavily on the talent of WIT alumni and students; nearly 25 percent of Chapman’s staff are WIT alumni, representing a wide cross-section of positions.
These include:
• Vice President / Executive Project Manager, LEED AP John Ferreira
• Vice President / Executive Project Manager, LEED AP Richard Elliott
• Senior Project Manager Marc Cooperstein
• Project Manager, LEED AP Adam Bowen
• Project Manager, LEED AP Jason Grinacoff
• Senior Construction Supervisor Bill Shomphe
• Construction Supervisor, Larry Maggio
• Nick Fiorentino, Senior Construction Manager
• Sustainability Coordinator Allison Wellman
• Assistant Project Manager Mike McCormick
• Assistant Project Manager Mike Bogdan
Chapman hires between three and five WIT students per semester as part of the institution’s co-operative work program, providing them with valuable on-the-job work experience. Several students, including current co-op Allison Wellman, opt to return for a second co-op, and former co-op Scott Miller chose to work for Chapman full-time when he completed his degree.
“Chapman believes Wentworth’s co-op program is a win-win situation.” said Chapman Vice President John Ferreira who accepted the award on behalf of Chapman Construction/Design along with Senior Project Manager, Marc Cooperstein. “Students get invaluable practical training that complements their Architecture, Engineering or Construction Management programs, and Chapman gets help from undergraduates who are eager to learn from and contribute to our firm. In comparison to larger construction management firms, Chapman’s size allows co-ops to get involved with all aspects of our business and projects, exposing them to all aspects of the construction management process.”
Rose Conti, Wentworth’s Director of Alumni Relations, explained how Chapman was selected for the award: “While the decision for the most distinguished employer award was not an easy one, there were notably some outstanding things being done at Chapman that separated them from the other submissions. Most notably for Chapman was their commitment to furthering the WIT co-ops’ experience by providing training and payment for the LEED certification exams. Also, the involvement of co-op students to serve on Chapman’s LEED office renovation certainly extended the education and work experience beyond the other firms. We felt that the distinguishing factor was how the WIT co-op students, young in their careers, were embraced by Chapman to provide the most beneficial experience to the students recognizing the skills and aptitude of what they have learned at Wentworth.”
published 05.20.2008