Burroughs | School of Building Construction

Coming Back to Campus:

How a Building Construction Alum Is Helping Shape the Future of the Industry

Richard Burroughs IV (BS ’14) stands with Georg Reichard, chair of the School of Building Construction, outside the Caddell Building on Georgia Tech’s campus. — Georgia Tech College of Design

Richard Burroughs IV (BS ’14), president of eVolve MEP, with Georg Reichard, chair of the School of Building Construction, outside Georgia Tech’s Caddell Building during Burroughs’ recent return to campus.

By Melissa Alonso | January 14, 2026

As Georgia Tech welcomed students back for the first week of classes, the School of Building Construction also welcomed back one of its own. Richard Burroughs IV (BS ’14), president of eVolve MEP, recently returned to campus to meet with faculty leadership and reconnect with the program that helped shape his career at the intersection of construction and technology.“

Georgia Tech absolutely expanded my horizons from a high school kid who wanted to build buildings to a kid who wanted to use technology to impact the building of buildings,” Burroughs said. “Tech is a technology-forward school—it shaped the way I think.”

His visit underscored the value of alumni engagement at a moment when students are beginning a new academic year, connecting classroom learning with the realities of an evolving industry.

Burroughs’ relationship with Georgia Tech spans generations. His father, Richard Burroughs III, earned a civil engineering degree from the Institute in the late 1970s, helping establish a family career rooted in construction and innovation.

“At its core, Georgia Tech teaches students how to solve problems,” Burroughs said. “It is a trade school. The trades have to execute against constraints. At the end of the day, it teaches you to solve problems and get stuff done.” That problem-solving mindset, he noted, has proven essential as his career evolved beyond traditional construction roles into technology-driven workflows supporting the specialty trades.

Industry Innovation: BIM, Automation, and AI

Today, Burroughs leads eVolve MEP, a construction technology company focused on advancing digital workflows for the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing trades. Founded in 2018, the company supports contractors nationwide as they adopt tools such as Building Information Modeling (BIM), automation, and prefabrication.

“What’s most fascinating is how the specialty trades use information modeling to drive downstream fabrication workflows,” Burroughs explained. “They’re not just designing the building—they’re using data to drive bills of materials and fabrication. That’s how you gain throughput and efficiency.” He sees the industry entering a new era—one where construction and manufacturing increasingly overlap.

“Construction and manufacturing are merging,” he said.

“Designing and fabricating out of sequence lets you install ten times faster than traditional methods.” As artificial intelligence continues to gain traction across the AEC industry, Burroughs believes its impact will be incremental but meaningful. “We don’t assume AI will overhaul the entire trades design workflow overnight,” he said. “We’re applying it to smaller engineering problems—computer vision, extracting data from drawings, or generative design for specific tasks. Over time, it becomes a blended approach of traditional algorithms and modern automation.”

Investing in Research and Real-World Impact

Richard Burroughs IV (BS ’14)inside Caddell Building — Georgia Tech College of Design

Richard Burroughs IV (BS ’14), Georgia Tech Building Construction alumnus and president of eVolve MEP

That focus on practical application is also reflected in how the Burroughs family is supporting research and innovation at Georgia Tech. Through the Burroughs Family Building Construction Analytics Research Fund, the family is supporting faculty-led research focused on data-driven innovation in digital design through fabrication workflows. The fund advances software, processes, and analytical methods within the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing construction industry, while creating meaningful research opportunities for graduate students working at the intersection of technology and the built environment.

Javier Irizarry, associate dean for academic affairs in the College of Design and professor in the School of Building Construction, emphasized the impact of the family’s commitment. “The Burroughs family’s generous commitment to the School of Building Construction marks a transformative moment for our research and academic mission,” Irizarry said. “The support will empower faculty-led teams and graduate students to advance data-driven innovation in industrialized construction, particularly in digital design and fabrication workflows.”

He also highlighted the importance of alumni returning to engage with the program. “It is inspiring to see a former student go into the world, contribute to the success of a business, and return to his alma mater to give back for the benefit of current and future Yellow Jackets,” Irizarry said.

For Georgia Tech’s School of Building Construction, visits like Burroughs’ reinforce the importance of maintaining strong connections between education and practice. Georg Reichard, Chair of the School of Building Construction, underscored the value of these relationships.“Partnerships with alumni like Richard strengthen our ability to connect education, research, and industry practice,” Reichard said. “They create real value for students while helping the industry stay engaged with emerging talent and innovation.”

Advice for the Next Generation

When asked what guidance he would offer students just beginning their academic journey, Burroughs emphasized balance—between technological fluency and hands-on experience.

“If I were a student at Georgia Tech and wanted to work in construction with technology, I’d focus on two hard-to-learn skill sets,” he said. “One is technology—be exposed to it, even if you’re not a programmer. The other is constructability knowledge, which you only gain through field experience.” Internships, fieldwork, and applied learning, he added, are essential complements to classroom instruction.

“Get out of the classroom and into the field,” Burroughs said. “Construction is evolving fast. If you thrive on solving problems at the intersection of technology and industry, there’s no better place to start than Georgia Tech.”

As a new academic year begins, Burroughs’ return to campus serves as a reminder of the role alumni play in shaping the future of the profession—connecting today’s classrooms with tomorrow’s industry challenges and ensuring Georgia Tech students remain at the forefront of innovation in the built environment.

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Melissa Alonso