UNF and Petticoat-Schmitt advance AI-driven solutions for construction industry

The University of North Florida and Petticoat-Schmitt Civil Contractors are working together to develop AI‑powered tools that can help construction firms manage time‑consuming, inefficient or error‑prone tasks.   

UNF’s College of Computing, Engineering & Construction (CCEC) launched the three-year academia-industry research partnership with Petticoat-Schmitt last year. Utilizing AI-driven business intelligence and operational automation will transform the construction industry.  

UNF has created and is currently launching two apps as part of the collaboration that will improve processes, one by learning from past data to improve estimating and productivity, and the other by automatically reading project specifications to simplify submittal preparation.  

“This partnership is reshaping the way we look at data, decision‑making and resource allocation across the organization,” said Ryan Schmitt, founder of Petticoat‑Schmitt Civil Contractors and double UNF alumni, construction management (‘93) and MBA (‘98). “Working alongside UNF feels especially meaningful to me, not only because of the innovative AI tools we’re building together, but because I am an alum and have long supported the University and its mission. Seeing UNF students contribute directly to solutions that strengthen our industry reinforces why this collaboration is so important for our company and for the future of construction.”  

Dr. Vamsi Kalasapudi, construction management assistant professor, serves as the principal investigator for this collaboration and is an expert in advancing human–AI-infrastructure integration through intelligent automation and data-driven construction processes. He is working with a recent graduate and a current student in UNF’s computing and information sciences master’s program, Sneha Ganupa and Alekhya Seelam.   

The team is working to research, develop and launch two AI‑powered agentic application tools for Petticoat Schmitt. The first tool analyzes historical labor and equipment usage data to support estimating activities, provide accurate productivity metrics and operational intelligence for users. The second application is a document-intelligence system that reviews construction specifications and assists with the highly manual process of preparing submittals.  

“The Petticoat‑Schmitt team has been an exceptional partner throughout this project,” said Kalasapudi. “Their commitment to innovation and their willingness to collaborate has created an environment where academic research and industry practice reinforce one another. The insights and support they provide are giving UNF students invaluable, real‑world experience at the forefront of AI‑driven construction.”  

The team has authored two peer-reviewed articles based on this project that were published in October and December in Frontiers in Built Environment:   

• Agentic generative AI for context-aware outlier removal and historical cost optimization in construction  
• The overlooked frontier of AI in construction: conversational, document-native automation for administrative workflows 

Over the course of this collaboration, Kalasapudi and his team will expand the technology capabilities by integrating agentic AI systems for real-time market intelligence, automated notifications and conversational access to share information across Petticoat Schmitt’s operations. They are also working on cost code analysis among other projects.  

This collaboration has accelerated practical research and the creation of novel AI tools and opened the door for UNF graduate students to gain hands-on experience in construction-focused AI applications, inspiring them to pursue careers at the intersection of the digital and constructed environments.   

“Developing AI agentic systems that can analyze construction data and interpret complex specifications showed me how powerful these technologies become when they’re applied to real‑world workflows,” said Seelam. “This experience gave me a clear sense of how AI and machine learning can meaningfully improve an entire industry and confirmed that this is the kind of transformative impact I want to make in my career."  

Petticoat-Schmitt has a long history of strong engagement and collaboration with the University, hiring numerous UNF interns and alumni and regularly attending campus events, including more than 20 career fairs and networking opportunities over the past five years. Petticoat-Schmitt currently employs at least 10 full-time UNF alumni and has hired at least 41 UNF students and alumni since 2007. Both Schmitt and Lauren Atwell, current President & COO, served as chairs of the industry advisory board for the UNF construction program in the past. The company joined the UNF Soaring Together Corporate Partner Program in fall 2025 with a goal of hiring more Ospreys from majors across the campus.