Team Dempsey

In her role as Senior Project Coordinator, Merissa assists the project management teams in marrying the worlds of ownership, subcontractors and our own internal personnel. Merissa graduated from Hofstra University with a B.A. in Psychology and has been with DCI since 2014. Merissa is motivated by seeing the work we do come to life and hearing the good praise from the clients we work with. It is her goal to give our clients an honest class “A” service and assure them that they can count on us. Merissa is a proud New Yorker and a huge fan of the NY Giants!

As the Director of Marketing, Michaela oversees proposal development and execution, marketing strategy, brand development and management, public relations, digital content, and events. Michaela brings nearly 20 years of experience to her position and has worked with numerous tech start-ups, real estate developers, and top-tier commercial brokers. She currently holds a CMPS certification and California real estate license. Michaela lives in Encinitas with her husband, daughter, and golden retriever.

Chapman University: Bachelor of Arts, Public Relations and Advertising with a Minor in Entertainment Marketing Loyola University of Chicago: Master of Business Administration, concentration in Marketing

Member, Society of Marketing Professional Services (SMPS), San Diego Chapter Member, American Marketing Association (AMA), San Diego Chapter

Natalie joined Dempsey Construction as a Project Coordinator and assists the project management teams. Natalie lives in Carlsbad with her fiancé and golden retriever. In her free time, she enjoys riding her bike and exploring around town. She also loves going on hikes and spending time with friends and family.

Nate is a seasoned construction professional who has worked on various commercial and residential projects. Nate began his career as a general contracting laborer for R.G. Smith Construction. He progressed rapidly to carpenter foreman and assistant superintendent due to his experience, customer service, attention to detail, and management skills. As a superintendent, Nate has been responsible for overall job site supervision of subcontractors and the crews, project scheduling, coordination with city/county agencies, occupied project logistics, site safety, and quality control. Nate specializes in occupied renovations because he understands building from start to finish. Working as a general contractor for the entirety of his career has given him a plethora of knowledge that he is able to apply to difficult logistical projects and complicated construction processes. Nate’s interests include golfing, fishing, painting, guitar playing, camping with his girlfriend, and boxing.

Nicholas (Nico) graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 2021 with a B.S. in Construction Management and joined Dempsey Construction as a Project Engineer shortly after. Nico’s role as a Assistant Project Manager at Dempsey allows him to be involved in project management, preconstruction and field management. Nico enjoys the challenge of planning and running a successful project while maintaining great relationships with trade partners. When not at work, Nico enjoys surfing, playing adult softball and cooking for friends.

Nick Alford is Vice President & Principal at Dempsey Construction, Inc. Nick’s responsibilities include managing internal operations as well as overseeing/managing all opportunity sourcing, including the development of strategic and tactical plans in pursuit of both internal and external growth initiatives. Prior to joining Dempsey Construction Nick spent 15 years specializing in commercial real estate brokerage throughout the Southern California region. Nick began his career at Flocke & Avoyer Commercial Real Estate in San Diego, specializing in representing developers in the full spectrum of ground up development projects, including land acquisition, site planning, entitlements and lease up. Most recently, Nick was a Director at Cushman & Wakefield in San Diego. At Cushman & Wakefield Nick was a senior member of a large brokerage team that specialized in the leasing and sale of shopping centers throughout Southern California. During his career at Cushman & Wakefield, Nick was instrumental in growing his team into one of the most dominant retail teams in Southern CA. When joining the firm in 2003 the team consisted of seven members controlling approximately 5M square feet in San Diego County. During his tenure and leadership as a senior partner, Nick’s team grew to 17 people located in San Diego, Irvine and Los Angeles, and exclusively represented over 150 commercial properties, or approximately 13.5 Million square feet, and handled over $1Billion of commercial investment sales. Nick lives in San Diego with his wife and 2 young children and spends any free time with his family at the beach, fly fishing, on a paddleboard or exploring Baja.

BA in History, Tufts University, Boston, MA

ICSC – Member and San Diego Committee Member NAIOP – Member BIA – Member

Parker Lester joined Dempsey Construction in 2023 as an Assistant Project Manager. Originally from Washington, Parker graduated from Washington State University where he majored in Construction Management. Following several internships during school, Parker joined a large GC in the Northwest where he worked his way up to APM, building an impressive resume of large, ground-up office projects. Parker enjoys spending time with friends and doing anything outdoors in his free time.

As Senior Preconstruction Manager, Peter creates and manages budgets through the preconstruction and design phase. Peter graduated from California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo with a B.S. in City and Regional Planning and has been at DCI since 2014. Peter is motivated to provide clients with project pricing that reflects their desires and requirements in a building without going over budget. In his spare time, Peter enjoys surfing, golfing, clean beaches, and good tequila.

As Senior Preconstruction Coordinator, Rachel plays a vital role in facilitating the efficiency and effectiveness of the Preconstruction Department. She collaborate with various departments and trade partners ensuring the successful planning and execution of bids. Her responsibilities include various tasks, from trade partner coordination to bid management and team supervision. Rachel lives in Carlsbad with her son and in her free time, enjoys going to the beach, walking around the village, and being with George.