Knutson Construction Awarded CTECH/STEM Center Project by MnSCU, Rochester Community and Technical College

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Minnesota State Colleges and Universities and Rochester Community and Technical College selected Knutson Construction for the Career Technical Education Center at Heintz. Knutson will provide construction management services for the 22,350-square-foot, $6.5-million CTECH and Science, Technology, Engineering and Math facility addition at the University Center Rochester campus.

The CTECH/STEM project is a collaborative effort between RCTC, Rochester Public Schools and Winona State University. The project will be funded through a Nov. 6, 2012, city of Rochester sales tax referendum. Construction is scheduled to begin in August 2014 with a completion date anticipated in July 2015 to open for the 2015-16 academic year.

Knutson will work closely with architects at HGA to design and build a learning environment where high school students can explore and pursue education for careers in technical fields and earn college credit.
“Knutson was selected based on our understanding of the project, our project team experience and expertise, our uniquely relevant experience in working on RCTC's current Center for Business & Workforce Education, and our innovative project approach for CTECH,” noted John Pristash, Knutson's project executive.

“We are proud to be part of creating CTECH's state-of-the-art facility to meet the growing demand for STEM education,” added Tom Leimer, Knutson's senior project manager.

CTECH will include classroom and laboratory spaces for career, technical education and training, administrative/faculty support space, relocating the Health Science Careers Center and a center to share resources and materials for k-12 and post-secondary educators and STEM professionals. Expected to serve 400 students per year, CTECH's program will focus on education in areas of construction and manufacturing, health sciences, hospitality and restaurant management, information technology, agriculture and engineering.

“CTECH's programs will contribute to building a future, qualified workforce by providing students with more opportunities for focused learning experiences, in-demand careers and long-term financial security,” said Todd Graner, Knutson's senior project manager.