Because It's The People That Make Up A Company
Matthew Ritt joined Dempsey Construction in 2024 as a Project Engineer. Originally from the East Coast, Matt graduated from Michigan State University in 2022 with a degree in Construction Management following his 5 years in the Navy. In his free time, Matt enjoys exploring Southern California, spending time with his dog, and traveling.
Max joined Dempsey Construction in 2025 as an Assistant Preconstruction Manager. Born and raised outside Washington D.C., Max graduated with a degree in Environmental Science from the University of Mary Washington in Virginia. His career naturally progressed towards construction management and estimating. Max’s resume includes experience in civil, public works, and commercial construction. Max resides in San Diego, where he fully embraces the year-round outdoor lifestyle. In his free time, he enjoys surfing, slacklining, rock climbing, juggling, and playing music.
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!
Michael is a South Florida native who graduated from the University of Florida in 2019 with a B.S. in Construction Management. His previous experience includes estimating for an Atlanta-based general contractor that specialized in the multifamily housing sector. The field of construction always intrigued him due to the tangible, physical output of the work. Outside of work, Michael enjoys spending time with his dog, watching baseball, and hunting down the best ramen in San Diego.
As the Director of Marketing, Michaela oversees marketing strategy, brand development and management, public relations, digital content, branded collateral and events. She holds a B.A. in Public Relations and Advertising from Chapman University and an M.B.A in Marketing from Loyola University of Chicago. Michaela lives in Encinitas with her husband, daughter, and golden retriever. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, going to the beach, traveling, and being an equestrian.
After three consecutive summers of interning for Dempsey, Mike Horn joined the team full-time as a Project Engineer and is now an Assistant Project Manager. Mike’s daily tasks include coordinating with project management, providing pro-active solutions, and understanding construction methodology. To Mike, highlights of his role include open communication with team members involved in projects, high morale and positivity from preconception to finalization, as well as problem solving with design teams and subcontractors. Mike graduated from the University of Nebraska at Omaha with a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management. In his free time, he enjoys Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, hiking, trail running, and relaxing at the beach.
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.
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