Alumni Spotlight: Interview with Nik Bandak of Bandak Project Management

Image c/o Bandak Project Management

By Lillian La Salle
Associate Editor

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Nik Bandak, CEO and Founder of Bandak Project Management, is a Saint Mary’s alum who studied Finance in the Business School’s Honors Finance Program. After graduating from Saint Mary’s College in 2008, Nik began his career during the Great Recession by working for a concrete subcontractor in the Bay Area. He credits Saint Mary's and their alumni network for connecting him with employment through a fellow alum. 

Bandak later moved to the Middle East where he worked for an internationally-recognized firm, Bechtel. After returning from his time in the Middle East, he was exposed to all things real estate, master planning, and construction while working as one of Betchel’s first employees in the construction management division. After 10 years of working with the firm in San Diego,  Bandak leveraged his expertise in the science and technology sectors with hopes to scale his consulting business into a larger project management company. This dream has grown into his current company, Bandak Project Management.  In this interview, he shares some of his tried and true advice, life and career experiences stemming from his time at Saint Mary's, and his dedication to implementing a mission-driven mindset in all areas of his life.

How would you describe the makeup of the Bandak Management Project?

Bandak Project Management is a tried-and-true third-party Owner’s Representative project and construction management firm headquartered in San Diego. Construction management is a complicated, multi-faceted process. To narrow it down, in real estate, there's a segment where you're getting the financing to build a project:  buying land, or leasing space. Then there's the development side, which is your architects, engineers, permitting, contracting, etc. Then, there's the occupancy. This includes the chair you're sitting in, the furniture, the desk, the signage; everything you need to make the facility run. Bandak PM is the blend between the idea, how to make the idea work, and ultimately how to execute the idea all the way through occupancy.
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Can you give us an example of how this would look if you were developing a new Saint Mary’s building?
We begin by asking ourselves, “How do we make the idea work, and then how do we execute the idea all the way through occupancy?”  So, for example, Saint Mary's College might call me and say that they want a new building, such as dorms or an additional student gym. We then explain  how long it will roughly take, how much it will cost, outline the approval process, and the strategy of how we will successfully deliver the project. Bandak PM provides the roadmap to the whole process from start to finish; we are the “North Star” in the sense that we point you in the direction, then guide you to accomplish your goal.  In this case, Bandak PM would be guiding Saint Mary’s to get students in their housing, fans and athletes to a gym, etc.


What was the most helpful thing Saint Mary’s taught you during your time here?
How to do what I do, but ethically, with a mission in mind.  There are multiple ways to execute a project, but there are really only so many ways to execute a project ethically and with a mission in mind. So I would say, thinking back, there's quite a bit that goes into combining financial integrity with personal integrity to execute and treat people correctly throughout the entire process. This is something Saint Mary’s definitely helped me foster in myself: the belief that dedication to an ethical missionserves the broader community. 


What were some of your favorite memories at Saint Mary’s?
My favorite Saint Mary’s memory has to be meeting my wife. She played volleyball while I played baseball. Now we have three young children, all boys. We're coming back to Saint Mary's actually in a couple of weeks for the Gonzaga game, so we're excited about that.


If you could go back to 2004-2008, what is a piece of advice you would have given to your younger self?
I would tell my freshman self that everything's going to be okay; don't take life so seriously at that point in time. I think that's really important. For both first-year and fourth-year students, my advice is that it's so important to be humble and have empathy. Always maintain perspective and appreciate your bold ideas. You might graduate with a vision of what your life will look like, but meet someone only to have that vision change for the better. Who you are today will evolve. 
While some people join the working world and achieve everything they ever wanted to achieve, it’s important to be steady and maintain your focus. Learning how to focus is a big theme on our team. If you're going to commit to something, commit yourself wholly. 
I would also advise having an amazing intensity behind your passions so that you don't waver when things get a little difficult. Truly exercise that commitment and focus so you can pursue whatever your definition of happiness might be, whether it's getting married, starting a family, or founding a business. Whatever it be, commit to it, understand what your purpose is, and go for it.


If you could leave us with one last thought, what would it be?
It's okay if things change. You come into your 20’s having an idea of what you want to be when you grow up, but by the time you're 30, you might meet someone or have an experience that changes your focus in life and that's okay. Hopefully, when you're 60+ years old and you have reset your goals and your purpose, you've always been happy throughout the process. I think it’s really important for you to continue to be mindful and stay present throughout your life.