Joe Nickels

Joe Nickels joined the Kala team with a wealth of knowledge and experience in the high performance building industry. He met David through Ultimate Frisbee and quickly realized they had a shared love for the built environment. He started working with David and his team at Prairie Design Build as a Project Manager in 2011 and has been in the industry ever since. 

With a Masters Degree in Urban Planning and a love for building something out of nothing, Joe’s path into the construction industry seemed natural. It’s become clear to him that the construction industry is ripe for evolution and change. It’s an interesting mix of well-developed tradition and purpose that should be respected, with a massive opportunity for new technology and innovation. Blending the old and new can make for really awesome results. With this in mind, Joe completed the PHIUS Consultant Certification process in 2015.

He’s learned to love researching and selecting the right product or process for each specific situation he’s involved in. There are so many unique conditions and build problems that the job never gets stale. Really shows he’s in the right place as Kala’s Construction Strategist. 

He loves words - in fact he used to carry around a little blue pocket thesaurus as a kid. Seems a little nerdy, but he’s a great asset if you ever need help on a crossword puzzle. 

Outside of work he spends most of his time with his wife and two daughters. He also rock climbs, plays chess, and works on his house.