Women in Construction Spotlight: Jessica Zaldivar

By: Claire Sauer

ADB specializes in Utility Construction serving customers across the nation. Our OSP teams support the people doing the work so they can keep our projects running efficiently and our customers satisfied with the final product. Jessica Zaldivar, Project Assistant for the OSP East Group, is dedicated to exceeding expectations not only for her customers, for her team as well.

Since joining the ADB family, Jessica has experienced significant personal and professional growth. Her work can be challenging at times, but it is always rewarding. Since the industry is constantly evolving, she has felt empowered to learn new ways of doing things so she can grow in her career, take on new responsibilities, and help her team members with new projects.

“I have never been trusted or praised as much as I am working here. It’s so refreshing to receive genuine acknowledgement for hard work.”

Before making the switch to ADB, Jessica spent more than a decade in the collections industry. In her experience, there was little appreciation for the individual workers, so she realized it was time for a change. When she was looking for a new company, the opportunity arose to join the team at ADB, so she decided to take a risk and she hasn’t looked back. However, joining ADB meant joining a male-dominated industry. She was pleasantly surprised with how comfortable the transition was and she attributes that to ADB’s culture. She has always felt welcomed, valued, and respected. If she could give one piece of advice to women starting out in the industry, it would be:

“Don’t be afraid to be assertive. I’ve found the construction industry to be full of strong personalities, so you’ll fit right in!”

Throughout her career, the most important thing Jessica has learned is that it’s ok to fail at something as long as you learn and grow from it. She has completely embraced ADB’s “Fail Fast, Fail Often, Fail Forward” mentality and has experienced growth from it. When she thinks about the future, she is very excited to continue to evolve in her role as she discovers her strengths. She has made ADB her career destination and is looking forward to becoming a Project Manager someday. As for her favorite part about working at ADB?

“Definitely the Keeley culture! I’ve never worked anywhere that’s cared as much about the individual as the company. From KeeleyLife to #KeeleyCares, this company shows that the people matter, not just the profit.”

Jessica, thank you for being ALL IN for our OSP East Group. We are so thrilled to have you as a valued member of the team and can’t wait to watch you continue to grow in your career!