When the Plainsman Park improvement project was announced, Auburn University baseball fans were excited to hear about the three-level addition’s new premium seating, club-level space and concessions.
The Auburn alumni working for Stone Building Company of Birmingham, Alabama, were also excited, especially since their company was chosen as the project’s general contractor.
“Over the years, I have grown immensely fond of Auburn baseball, and this project could be my favorite project I ever work on,” said Stone employee Gage Bottcher. “My father was a season ticket holder for Auburn baseball games, so a lot of my time growing up was spent at Plainsman Park with my dad, watching games from the K-Korner.”
Now, Bottcher has returned to his alma mater to work as the assistant superintendent overseeing a massive expansion of that same facility he enjoyed as a child. When he was preparing to graduate from the McWhorter School of Building Science in 2023, Bottcher connected with Stone through an acquaintance and soon interviewed with building science graduate Jason Smith ’04, a senior manager, and engineering alumnus Justin Drummond ’07, the company’s president.
“I love the people at Stone,” Bottcher said. “There are numerous individuals who have a wealth of knowledge they are happy to share. The people in upper management are easy to talk to and will do anything to support their employees in the field.”
Bottcher is enjoying being back on the Auburn campus, visiting with faculty members and interviewing students for internships. One of those students completing an internship at Stone is Morgan Wiedmeyer, a senior building science major who has been on site at Plainsman Park since January.
Between her internship and summer classes, Wiedmeyer is staying busy. On site, she reviews submittals from subcontractors, checks on materials and updates site drawings and concrete and weather logs. She’s learning a lot and has enjoyed working with Bottcher.
“It’s been nice working with an Auburn and building science alum, and I’ve learned a lot from him,” she said.
As the first person on site each morning, Bottcher arrives before six o’clock and prepares to greet subcontractors, document work progress and ensure everyone is following site safety rules. Throughout the day, he deals with site logistics, scheduling, quality assurance checks and coordinating work around campus events. While Bottcher is happy to be on campus each day, he’s also eager to see the finished project.
