Owen‑Ames‑Kimball Company (O‑A‑K), a preeminent general contractor with a longstanding presence in Southwest Florida, welcomes two interns, Joao Rocha, and Ramian Smith. The interns will work with the O‑A‑K team to gain first-hand experience in the field of construction contracting and management, developing the knowledge and skills that will help them prepare for success in future careers within the industry.
Rocha is a Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) civil engineering student. He graduated from St. Benedict’s Prep High School in Newark, New Jersey. Rocha’s native language is Portuguese. Before coming to the United States, Rocha participated in nine years of English courses at the Institute of Brazil. He is fluent in English and at an advanced level in Spanish. Rocha is passionate about design and construction. He is skilled in AutoCAD and project management. His internship will focus on preconstruction and estimating. Rocha’s high school soccer team was the national champion, and in his free time, he coaches the Lee County Strikers Club Soccer team.
Smith is a construction management major at FGCU. He graduated from Riverdale High School’s International Baccalaureate program with a 4.52 GPA. Smith aspires to be a project superintendent and project engineer. During his internship, he works at the Rehabilitation of Chamberlin and Perimeter Roads for the Lee County Port Authority. Smith is skilled in Building Information Modeling, general estimating, plan interpretation, and bridge crane operation. He is a member of the Associated Builders and Contractors Student Chapter and was a team member of the Associated Schools of Construction competition. Smith’s internship will focus on project superintendent and fieldwork.
“Our intern program provides college students the opportunity to apply their classroom knowledge to actual projects under the guidance of O‑A‑K’s industry experts,” said Matthew Zwack, president of Owen‑Ames‑Kimball Florida. “Our interns gain a great deal of knowledge about the construction field during their time with us.”
Owen‑Ames‑Kimball Company has provided premier general contracting, design-build, and construction management services in Southwest Florida since 1982. An employee-owned company, O‑A‑K Florida, Inc.’s board of directors comprises members from the company’s Florida operations.
O‑A‑K’s Florida operation is an affiliate of its parent company in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Florida operation has offices in Collier and Lee counties. Its Lee County office is at 11941 Fairway Lakes Drive in Fort Myers. Learn more about O‑A‑K at www.owen‑ames‑kimball.com or call (239) 561-4141.
