Women in Construction Spotlight: Danita Nichols

Our Operational Support drives the success of ADB and we would not be where we are today without the Keeley’ns that make up these teams. Danita Nichols, Project Coordinator for our OSP East Group, has been a vital asset to the incredible growth and success OSP East has experienced. As Project Coordinator, Danita manages her own team, works directly with our trusted partners to ensure that all needs and requirements are being met, manages various aspects of the contracts, and attends weekly meetings to keep the project on-track and successful.

Danita did not originally plan on working in the construction industry, but when she was hired into the industry over 10 years ago, she changed her degree plan to improve her skills and apply them to her new career path. Since her career shift, Danita has learned to how to adjust quickly to the constant changes and needs that are demanded by this industry and it is one of the many reasons why she loves what she does.

Since beginning her journey with ADB in 2016 as a Project Assistant, Danita has been able to grow her career to the next level. Her 10 years of experience in the underground utility industry allowed for a smooth transition and she was able to hit the ground running. As Project Assistant, Danita provided support to crews and managers by calling in locates, updating and maintaining statuses on all projects in-progress for our partner, and creating and maintaining numerous internal tracking and reporting tools. Danita has always been willing to step up and complete any task needed or fill any role. As her teams’ workload continued to grow, so did the need to build a support staff to meet the needs of the group. It was this dedication and hard work that got her promoted to Project Coordinator after two years at ADB.

Danita has worked in the male-dominated construction industry for over 10 years and she has enjoyed the challenges it can bring. She feels driven to perform well and achieve her goals, but the biggest challenge she has faced has been communication. Men and women have different communication styles, so she has learned how to best communicate and work with her team, which has had a direct impact on their success. She has learned a lot of valuable lessons over the years, and if she could give once piece of advice, it would be:

“When you put your time and effort into achieving a goal, completing a project, or overcoming obstacles, you will reach your goal and be rewarded with a sense of accomplishment.”

Since joining the Keeley Family in 2016, Danita has embraced the culture. She is deeply appreciative and grateful for the many ways Keeley Companies contributes not only to the community, but to all Keeley’ns and their individual career growth. Danita hopes to continue advancing her career and assist in growing her support team. She sees her group continuing to play a significant role in the success of our trusted partner and she has a bright future ahead of her!

Thank you for everything you have done for our OSP East team and for our trusted partners. Your dedication is unmatched.