After years of working in the construction space as a project manager, Nicole Matos made a major change in her professional life. She branched out on her own and became CEO and Founder of Rivet Management, a firm that creates unique and branded spaces for commercial and residential clients.
While many businesses saw economic challenges in 2009, Nicole Matos saw opportunity.
“I focused on project managing tenant improvements at a local construction company, but in 2008, we really started to feel the economic slowdown. I knew this was the perfect time to start working on building my own business.”
When Nicole was laid off from her job, it could have been devastating, but she embraced the change head-on. Nicole launched Rivet Management, and never looked back. What started as a one woman show has turned into a team of four full-time employees, and many subcontracted trades, with the intention to hire an additional two to three staff this year alone.
While her business has significantly grown, Nicole still has the same values as those early days.
“I am not a believer that business is just business. People are behind the business and I do business with those people, not just those businesses. I still use the same electrician from back in the day at my first company. I know his entire family now. The same goes for my employees. I value them and ensure they feel respected.”
Nicole admits that the male-dominated construction industry can be slightly old-fashioned at times. “I’ve been to meetings where people assume that I am the Interior Designer and my husband is the Owner of the company. People are surprised when they learn that I managed all our construction for 8 years before my husband joined and although I do the design, I actually have more education and experience on the construction side of our business.”
With eight years under their belt, Rivet Management is preparing for rapid growth in 2018. A new commercial space is in the works, and Nicole hopes to become part of a community.
Working with AWE’s Business Advisors regularly, Nicole has been able to define her marketing strategy, gain valuable advice and find a support network. “As we started to grow, I realized I wanted to align myself with other women entrepreneurs. As a Métis woman, I wanted to ensure that we started building relationships with the right types of groups, including AWE. AWE has been such an amazing resource for me and my company.”
To learn more about Nicole and Rivet Management, visit rivetmanagement.com
