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The group of football players are majoring in Construction Management at Pittsburg State University, and this summer they’re interns for Crossland Construction — the contractor for the Hotel Besse project.
Located at the corner of Fourth and Locust streets, the building will turn 100 in 2027. The work they’re doing is rewarding in two ways, they said.
“It’s a way to learn and grow in our careers while also getting to help out the Pittsburg community by saving this building and returning it to use,” said Levi McGee, a sophomore offensive lineman from St. Charles, Missouri.
“We’ve gotten a lot of support from the community in football, and this is a way to give back.”
Jaydon Hill, a junior tight end from Grove, Oklahoma, said it’s a way to apply what they’ve learned in the classroom from faculty members.
“We talk a lot about managing the pieces of the process in our classes, so now it’s cool to be part of that process and get our hands dirty,” he said. “You have to think through problems on your own sometimes, relying on what we’ve learned.”
Cortland Hervey, a senior wide receiver from Kansas City, Kansas, said it’s exciting to be part of preserving history.
“And we are implementing here on the job site what our teachers have taught us, which is a great feeling,” he said.
Other Gorillas gaining experience working floor by floor in the 69,249 square feet, 13-story building are Construction majors Jake Eddington (Columbus), Matthew Craig (O’Fallon, Missouri), Logan Eck (Carl Junction, Missouri), and Gavin Salyers (Parsons), and incoming freshmen Levi Blair (Girard) and Aiden Lillich (Parsons).
“Being able to work on a building like this is surreal,” said Blair, who grew up coming to Pittsburg and seeing the Besse towering over downtown.
Overseeing them all is Field Engineer Dylan Halterman – a December 2024 graduate of the Construction Management program who now works for Crossland.
“When you go downtown, this is the first thing you notice,” he said. “I’m proud to be working on it.”
He is bringing to the job what he learned from faculty with experience from working in industry themselves.
“And if you ever have a question, you can always call them – Jim Otter, Joe Levens – they stay connected with us even after we graduate,” he said. “Pitt State’s Construction program – there are no words. It’s incredible.”
Overseeing the entire project, including 50 to 60 people and their schedules, is Job Site Superintendent Cheyne Sager, a 2005 graduate.
In his career with Crossland he also has played a role in renovations at Carnie Smith Stadium, the Overman Student Center, the ROTC Rappelling Tower, and the PSU Veterans Memorial.
“This building was probably 10 years from falling down, based on the water and structural damage we found that we’ve put the breaks on and are correcting,” Sager said. “It would have become a major eyesore if it was to continue the way it was.”
Sager also played a role in preserving the historic Pittsburg Community Middle School, which was in a state of disrepair, and said it’s a thrill to see his daughter attend that school now. It's possible, he said, she might wind up living in Hotel Besse one day.
“I’m very proud of this project. There’s a lot of potential to make this look pretty cool when it’s all said and done,” he said.
The project is part of Gorilla Rising, which includes a new Kelce College of Business two blocks to the south that is replacing an aging KCOB building on campus.
At the Besse, the lower level will be comprised of commercial space as well as the Center for Reading and the Kansas Small Business Development Center — the latter two both designed to better serve the public than in their current locations.
The mezzanine will include the “Collegiate Room” (a nod to a room of the same name decades ago); a laundry for residents; and a few student apartments. Floors 2 through 13 will be dedicated solely to student apartments.
The building — one of the tallest in Southeast Kansas — is on the National Registry of Historic Places.
“I think it’s something I can tell my kids and grandkids about. I can bring them here and show them this is something I did as my first job as a graduate of Pitt State,” said Halterman. “Whether I’m here or not, it will always have a special place in my heart.”
Learn more about Pitt State's School of Construction
