Nicole launched her career at Summit as a Project Administrator and went on to conquer every Corporate Services position over the following six years, ultimately leading to her being named Chief Administrative Officer and Vice President in 2010, the role she serves, today.
Nicole provides daily direction for over 100 team members and is responsible for providing input and planning in virtually every facet of Summit’s Corporate Services including human resources, project administration, accounting, insurance, licensing, corporate standards, policies, documentation, recruiting, marketing and philanthropy.
Employees, clients, and subcontractors alike respect Nicole as a leader with integrity, a generous heart, inspiring strength and a keen judge of character. These qualities have naturally led to her professional success and positive influence on all those around her.
What inspired you to get to where you are today?
Adversity. I was young, I was a mom and I spoke up. I had to work twice as hard. I gave it everything. That’s what drives me.
Nicole Padgett is also dedicated to serving the City of Jacksonville, FL. She served as the Chair of the Jacksonville Planning Commission and was appointed in 2019 to sit on the advisory board for Jacksonville Transit Authority.
Nicole continues to donate as much of her time, wisdom and personal resources as possible, to help improve our community.
“Multifamily development is one of the key elements that has ignited and enabled our city’s recent growth, and with continued support, one that promises to keep Jacksonville in those top rankings for livability.”
Nicole leads Summit Contracting Group’s philanthropy initiatives in addition to her own personal charity donations and volunteer hours.
Promotion from Within
Nicole Padgett’s career path at Summit has been a quintessential example of the great things that can happen when companies recognize potential in team members and promote from within.
Nicole quickly excelled in the administrative realm. She showed great proficiency for keeping up with RFIs, ASIs, submittals, and the litany of documentation required for administrating complex construction projects.
Soon thereafter, she was recruited to join the accounting team at Summit and demonstrated her ability to handle the constant juggling and long hours that come with managing the accounting tasks on multiple construction projects, simultaneously.
Rising Through the Ranks of Corporate Services
Summit had the foresight to further promote Nicole into leadership in Corporate Services. In this role, Nicole continued to develop into the key team member she is today by managing all aspects of human resources, technology, insurance, and licensing sectors for the company.
As a General Contractor working in many states simultaneously with hundreds of employees, navigating the diverse licensing, insurance, employment and legal requirements is a crucial and often challenging responsibility. Nicole stepped up to the task, excelling in every area she touched.
Leading into 2009 during the toughest days of the recession, Summit asked Nicole to head up an overhaul and revamping of Summit’s corporate marketing strategy. Through the integration and creative use of both traditional marketing tools and new digital marketing technologies, Nicole kept Summit’s customer base loyal and growing through the worst recession the building industry has ever seen.
Chief Administrative Officer (CAO)
In 2010, Nicole was promoted once again to the position of Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) where she serves today. Nicole’s knowledge of every facet of the company made her a perfect choice for this extremely demanding and ever evolving position. In her current role, Nicole oversees the roles and processes of the administrative, accounting, human resources, and marketing departments, through which she rose.
Nicole is continuously revising and implementing new policies and procedures to ensure that Summit always stays ahead of the curve. She is also heavily involved in corporate standards, corporate documentation, corporate policies, and continuous improvement in the company’s technology department.
Nicole has been instrumental in developing and promoting the company’s current management team, and continues her team building and corporate culture efforts, daily.