Team Category: Business Operations

Vanessa is a dedicated and collaborative team member with a passion for learning and continuous growth. She thrives in dynamic environments where she can contribute to meaningful projects and support others in achieving shared goals. With a strong foundation in operations, facilities management, and executive coordination, Vanessa brings a solutions-focused mindset and a talent for streamlining processes. Her background includes experience in high-growth startups and mission-driven organizations, where she has successfully led initiatives to enhance operational efficiency, strengthen internal support systems, and foster a positive and cohesive workplace culture.

What is something that colleagues and clients might not know about you?

I have a passion for bees, which led me to research Colony Collapse Disorder for a college thesis while gaining practical experience managing apiaries.

As an Office Administrator at Code Red Consultants, Nicole plays a key role in ensuring the success of the CRC team. Her responsibilities span general office management, IT support coordination, marketing collaboration, and creating a welcoming and positive first point of contact for clients.

Nicole brings a vibrant, bubbly personality and a strong background in customer service and administrative tasks from her previous roles as a Childcare Center Director and Senior Recruiter. She thrives in fast-paced environments, where she can enthusiastically tackle her to-do list and provide reliable support to her colleagues.

With a foundation in serving vulnerable populations, Nicole is excited to extend her sociological background into the fire protection and life safety industry. She takes great pride in knowing her work helps support others in meaningful, impactful ways.

What is something that colleagues and clients might not know about you?

My family and friends, especially my nieces and nephews, mean everything to me. I love spending summer days at the beach, searching for sea glass and relaxing from sunrise to sunset. In the winter, you may find me ice fishing—and I try not to miss a single Bruins game during the fall and winter (and hopefully into the spring if we make the playoffs!). I also cherish time with my 78-pound pup, Dennis, whether we’re curled up at home or out exploring a new trail together.

As the Marketing Manager at Code Red Consultants, Renata leads the development and execution of the firm’s marketing initiatives. Before joining Code Red Consultants, Renata gained substantial experience in graphic design, web design, email marketing, and branding. Within her role, Renata uses her blend of creative flair and strategic expertise to propel business growth. She enjoys bringing her creative visions to life within the dynamic and collaborative environment at Code Red Consultants while working alongside an exceptional team.

What is something that colleagues and clients might not know about you?

My #1 hobby is interior decorating! I am always on the hunt for new treasures at antique stores across New England.

Joe Fontecchio, a highly respected IT leader with nearly two decades of expertise, currently excels as the IT Director. His remarkable journey from a proactive engineer to a prominent leadership role is defined by his continuous pursuit of growth and improvement. In his career, Joe has effectively led diverse teams and spearheaded significant projects encompassing data center implementations, system architecture, networking, and cloud adoption. Renowned for his dedication to building best-in-class IT infrastructures, Joe’s leadership style is characterized by hard work, honesty, and a strong emphasis on collaborative, trust-based team dynamics. His strategic and practical insights into IT infrastructure development mark him as an influential figure in the field.

What part of my job do I love the most?

The part about my job that I love the most, which is also the most rewarding, is helping employees grow and realize their own potential.  I have been fortunate enough in my career to be in a position that has allowed me to teach and mentor.  That is something that I look forward to for the rest of my career.

Karen brings a wealth of experience in human resources, spanning over 30 years, to her role as HR Director. With a background in the Architectural, Engineering & Construction (AEC) industry since 2005, she has acquired extensive knowledge as both an individual contributor and HR leader, granting her deep understanding of the unique challenges within the consulting engineering industry. Karen thrives in the fast-paced, project-focused nature of our business, finding enjoyment in the dynamic environment.

Throughout her career, Karen has demonstrated her ability to successfully implement HR initiatives that have had a positive impact on organizational culture, talent acquisition, performance management and employee engagement. She excels at helping people, and it is this aspect of her job that she finds most fulfilling. Beyond her professional life, Karen enjoys reading books on Astrology and other metaphysical topics and spending time with her husband, four children and three “fur” babies.

What is something that colleagues and clients might not know about you?

I have an Alaskan Klee Kai named Skye.

As an office administrator at Code Red Consultants, Connie provides support to the Principals & Chief Operating Officer. In this capacity, she manages schedules, document updating, new hire onboarding, IT maintenance, and she delivers general assistance to the greater administrative team.

Along with a sunny disposition, Connie brings to her role decades of administrative experience, a strong desire to learn new skills, and an appreciation for the big picture. She enjoys working alongside the executive staff as it allows her to be in the room where decisions are made. Here, she can best realize how to apply her talents to meet company goals.

With a background in Entertainment, Connie also loves to be in front of a crowd and jumps at every opportunity to chat with a client on the phone, a coworker in the cafe, or present to a group of interns. She likes connecting with people and surrounding herself with intelligent, thoughtful, results driven individuals. There is no group better matching that description than the hard-working staff at Code Red.

What is something that colleagues and clients might not know about you?

My passion is music! I am a classically trained singer & I have performed in notable venues such as Carnegie Hall in NYC and Symphony Hall in Boston. When I am not on stage, I am in the studio recording.

As the Chief Operating Officer, Nick brings almost 20 years of fire protection & life safety, facility design, project management and business leadership experience to Code Red Consultants. Nick focuses on the daily operations of the firm, including recruiting, talent management, human resources, business development, and project execution. Additionally, he is responsible for human capital management, quality assurance, and strategic plan implementation.

His extensive technical and business leadership background allow him to provide a positive impact to Code Red’s growing team. Nick is known for his ability to foster an inclusive work environment that inspires creative thought, which affords continuous personal/team improvement and instills a passion for producing high quality work products.

What do you love most about your job?

The part that I love most about my job is the interaction with all team members due to the variety of responsibility to which I oversee. It allows me to interact technically but also to provide insight and leadership to help develop the partnerships required for us to be successful in continuing to strive to become an overall better firm.

Sandra brings more than 10 years of experience in corporate accounting, as well as enthusiasm and organizational skills, to her role at Code Red Consultants. Prior to joining the firm, she was a senior accountant at Lewa-Nikkiso in Holliston, an international process technology firm. Originally from the Berkshires, Sandra now resides in Ashland, Mass. with her husband and two college-aged sons. Sandra enjoys running, hiking and exploring all that New England has to offer.

What is the most rewarding part of your job?

Every day is rewarding! I love being part of the Code Red team where everyone is very talented, motivated and enjoyable to work with!

As office administrator at Code Red Consultants, Mary Beth wears many hats: receptionist (a.k.a. Director of First Impressions), accounting assistant, event planner, and marketing coordinator. All of her roles keep the business and office running smoothly.

Along with her warm and engaging personality, Mary Beth brings to her job a strong background in customer service and a genuine respect for other people’s needs. She is adept at juggling many things for many people, and her reliability to get a task done – even on short notice – is an important way she supports staff and clients. A client on the phone paid her a wonderful compliment, saying: “Your voice on the other end of the line was like a life preserver. Do you have this kind of calming effect on everyone?” She was very happy to be able to put this client at ease.

Mary Beth enjoys the variety of tasks her job entails and feels a sense of pride working in the fire protection/life safety industry, knowing that the firm’s work contributes to keeping people safe. She has the utmost confidence and respect for the engineers at Code Red Consultants and believes they are the best in the business!

What is something that colleagues and clients might not know about you?

My best days are spent with my three grandchildren, who are the light of my life. I live for summer beach days and riding my Harley. I can literally juggle. It’s my hidden talent!

As operations manager, Ashley enjoys the challenge of working behind the scenes to help facilitate business operations with the principals at Code Red Consultants. With an academic background in fire protection engineering and eight years working as a fire protection consultant, Ashley is intimately familiar with the firm’s technical deliverables and client service mentality. She excels at efficiently executing tasks, and credits her organized and logical way of thinking to her engineering training.

Ashley finds it especially interesting to work on the business operations side, and she is appreciated for being the firm’s project management software guru. She specializes in troubleshooting any issues that the project managers encounter, and has been told that she responds to requests “faster than lightning”!

What do you love most about your job?

I get to work with the most talented team of individuals. Everyone is super intelligent, and they all have great personalities, and believe it or not, even better senses of humor!