UF Rinker School of Construction Management

The loss of Sean DeMartino is devastating to the industry, our Rinker Family, and the entire Gator Nation.

Sean was an active executive committee member of the industry advisory board at the Rinker School. Sean‘s impact on the industry and the school are immeasurable. Over the years, his passion and energy for the school, for the industry and for the Gators was unparalleled. He was a one of a kind. His love for people was reflected in his every interaction. While at the same time, he took everything on with tenacity and persistence.

We are saddened by his death and we must rally to carry his flag forward as we continue to support the greatest industry known to man and the profession that Sean loved so deeply.

- Dr. Robert F. Cox, Director, M.E. Rinker Sr., School of Construction Management

Sean DeMartino Obituary - Tampa, FL Celebrate the life of Sean DeMartino, leave a kind word or memory and get funeral service information care of Blount & Curry Funeral Home-Carrollwood.

Congratulations to Dr. Jason von Meding, who was announced as the new director of the Shimberg Center for Housing Studies, effective July 1.

We are pleased to announce the award of the CEMEX Professorship, which has been open for a few years, to Dr. Robert Cox, Director of the Rinker School..

CEMEX is a multinational construction materials company that produces and markets cement, ready-mix concrete, aggregates and related construction materials. CEMEX acquired the Rinker Group in 2007.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Cox on this appointment.

PHOTO GALLERY: Spring 2026 Rinker Undergrad Graduate Reception held April 29th at the UF Hilton

Your Spring 2026 Graduating Rinker Class

A huge thanks to Rinker graduate Kyle Burton, president and CEO of Burton Construction, for lecturing our Senior 2 Class on Leadership and Relentless Positivity yesterday.

Today was the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience. Did you know the new building was constructed by DPR Construction, a proud supporter and corporate partner of the UF College of Design, Construction and Planning?

Huge thanks to our guest lecturers in BCN 4709:
Jessica Herrala from Buildots and Jake Landreneau and Emily Osborne from Juneau Construction Company

Rinker had a strong presence at the 2026 ASCE Construction Research Congress (CRC) in San Antonio, Texas, with 16 faculty members and PhD students actively participating. Our team contributed to multiple sessions, shared research findings, and engaged in valuable networking with colleagues from around the world. It was also great to reconnect with many of our outstanding Rinker alumni during the event.

Special thanks to Texas A&M Construction Science Department and The University of Texas at San Antonio for jointly organizing such a fantastic conference.

Love this feature on a 2022 Rinker Grad!

Senior project engineer goes from beauty pageants to construction sites During Women's Construction Week, Senior Project Engineer for JE Dunn Construction, Julianna Nickel, speaks about transitioning from beauty pageants to job sites.