From Intern to Team Member
Meet Kai, a Colorado School of Mines mechanical engineering student joining the SmartPads team.
At SmartPads, building smarter isn’t just about process. It’s the people who make it happen. As we grow, we’re building a team that’s curious, capable, and excited about where construction is heading. Investing in the next generation of builders and problem-solvers is part of that work.
That’s what led us to Colorado School of Mines. We began attending their career fair last year (always looking for a helluva engineer), hoping to connect with students interested in applying engineering to real-world building challenges. That’s where we met Kai.
What started as a summer construction internship quickly turned into something more. After working with the team last summer, Kai continued part-time while finishing his mechanical engineering degree and will join SmartPads full-time after graduating in May. His curiosity, work ethic, and perspective have already made an impact, and we’re excited to have him as part of the team as we grow.
Here’s Kai’s story.
I grew up in Colorado Springs and lived there my whole life before coming to Colorado School of Mines. I have three sisters, and with my dad working ski patrol, skiing was always part of our family culture. Being outside and spending time in the mountains has just always been normal for me.
These days I don’t ski quite as much as I have found a passion for hunting. I spend a lot of time scouting and exploring in the summer and hunting in the fall, mostly elk and antelope.
I first connected with SmartPads at a career fair during my junior year at Mines. I was looking for an internship where I could actually apply what I was learning and see how engineering connects to real projects.
Early on, a lot of my work was behind the scenes - helping with project coordination, learning the process, and supporting the project management team. Then I experienced my first set day, at a home in Heeney, Colorado, and that completely changed how I saw everything.
Up to that point, most of the work had been drawings, planning, and desk work. Seeing a home come together in a matter of hours was incredible. What I really enjoyed was interacting with the homeowner and seeing the joy they experienced as they saw their house take shape made the work feel real. That was the moment I really understood the impact of what SmartPads does.
One of my biggest projects last summer was researching options for expanding operations at the Vernal facility.
I spent the summer evaluating different approaches and delivered recommendations at the end of the internship. I’m looking forward to seeing the expansion in person and getting to experience how that work contributes to the company’s growth.
In my current part time role, I've worked closely with the Kassy on the project management side supporting different parts of the process and helping improve how work flows behind the scenes.
I’ve been developing tools to make workflows more efficient and working with purchasing data to help improve estimating, which helps projects run more smoothly and gives clients clearer expectations.
What surprised me most about working here was the pace.
It’s fast - but in a good way. It’s mentally stimulating and makes every day different. What stood out even more, though, was the team. I felt welcomed right away and encouraged to take on challenges and grow professionally. That support made it an easy decision to stay.
As I join the team full-time, I’m excited to get back into the client-facing side of project management and continue learning how projects come together from start to finish.
I also think modular has a strong future in the building industry. There’s a real market for it, and it’s exciting to be part of something that’s evolving.
For SmartPads, creating opportunities for interns like Kai is part of building both the company and the industry. Last summer's construction internship showed what’s possible when emerging talent and real-world experience come together. We’re excited to welcome Kai to the team full-time, and to see how his role, and the company, continue to grow.
