Nikki Jeffers
Director of Business Development – Chicago, IL

“I always go back to the fundamentals: be yourself and treat others how you’d like to be treated.”

We’d like to welcome Nikki Jeffers to the Cumming team.  She will be based in our Chicago office and lead business development efforts throughout the Midwest.  Among other accomplishments, Nikki was a past-president for the Society of Marketing Professional Services Chicago Chapter.

How long have you been working in the construction industry?

16 years

What brought you to Cumming?

My relationships with the Chicago crew! I’ve been networking with them for the past few years and learning more about what Cumming has to offer and what makes them tick. I’m so excited to see what we can do together!

What advice would you give to those in the A/E/C industry?

I always go back to the fundamentals: be yourself and treat others how you’d like to be treated. Your competitor today could be your client tomorrow and they will remember how you treated them. This is a people business and people want to work with who they like. Second, ask questions! I love learning about people and how they got to where they are today. Lastly, find a mentor. I was lucky enough to have a great mentor early on in my career and he really helped me shape my career.

What are some of your greatest accomplishments?

I’m a Past President for the Chicago chapter of the Society of Marketing Professional Services. I took over as President when we were really struggling financially. I had multiple people tell me I should shut down the 30-year-old chapter and wipe my hands of it. For me, that was never an option. We found really creative ways to grow revenue and get new members at the same time, all without showing the members how much we were struggling; I’m happy to say the chapter is still doing great today! On a personal level, I’ve completed multiple half marathons and two full marathons. Most recently, I completed the New York City marathon in honor of my brother’s 25-year remission from leukemia. Not only did we raise money for a great charity, my brother also jumped in and ran a few miles with me!