To my audience. The builders, developers, architects, city officials, and design enthusiasts — I thought it was time to introduce myself. Formally. And because an “About Me” section doesn’t suffice, I’m dedicating this blog post to give you some insight on who I am. The face behind PDB Collaborative. So welcome! I’m Danielle Foley. Engineer, designer, yogi, entrepreneur, wife and mother to my beautiful son Micah. I am also the CEO and Founder of PDB Collaborative — a project management firm created to be your single point of contact in the developing process. I’m here to make your life easier and essentially — my life a lot harder. Kidding, but not really. The truth is, I love what I do. Let me tell you how I got to where I am now.
I live in Costa Mesa and have lived in Southern California my whole life. When I’m not running after my little one (and my big one, if you know what I mean) you can usually find me at the beach. It’s my safe haven if you will. And while I’ve been lucky enough to live in Southern California, it’s also my experiences overseas that have shaped who I am. I spent a semester abroad in Florence and traveled throughout Europe and Southeast Asia during my college years. By the time I was 22 I had traveled to 14 countries (give or take). And then, just like every story, I met a boy. My now husband (the “big one”) is from Dublin. Ever since we met, I have spent every Christmas in Ireland and have the pleasure of calling it my second home. It is with this exposure, along with countless other travels and different cultural experiences, that have allowed me to find inspiration in unique spaces.
But my inspiration doesn’t only come from my travels. It comes from my family. I grew up with a father who was constantly building projects around the house. It wasn’t until I moved out, and my roommates called me Mrs. Fix It, that I realized how much I took after him. My love for fixing things, solving puzzles, and finding solutions to ridiculous math equations, evolved into a love for something much larger. As I grew older, I started finding joy in art, fashion, furniture, design, architecture, the list goes on… If I could use my creativity to find the missing piece, I had to be a part of it.
So naturally, I fell into engineering. With the hopes that one day I would be a part of building something bigger than myself (literally). After completing my four years at San Diego State University and receiving my Bachelors in Civil Engineering and Minor in Art Design, I landed my first internship in West Hollywood working for a design build company. I experienced firsthand what it was like working on unique hospitality projects such as nightclubs and restaurants. It was then that I realized I was doing exactly what I was meant to do. For the last 8 years I’ve worked as a Project Manager and Development Program Manager for companies in industries across the board. From mechanical engineering, to landscape, and finally architecture and engineering. Every single job taught me that no matter what the project was at hand, true success lies in the quality of your relationships. This will determine the quality of work that gets done.
It was with this knowledge, combined with pregnancy and a whole new chapter ahead of me that made me think — what better time to start my own business than now? If you think I’m kind of crazy, I don’t blame you. Sometimes I wonder myself. But somewhere along those 9 months with child, I knew it was time to start something of my own. Once I had my own. So, first came my beautiful, happy, and healthy son Micah. And then came PDB Collaborative.
So you may be asking, why PDB? I started PDB Collaborative because I wanted to create the perfect solution to a rather complex development process. I knew the headaches involved in building something, and I knew that it was almost impossible to avoid when you’re dealing with so many moving parts. The most challenging part of creating something, is being able to collaborate effectively and efficiently. The goal of PDB is to provide people with a personal Project Manager to handle all aspects of the development process from conception to construction.
I believe that with the right mindset, effective communication, and a keen understanding of the developmental process, you can build something remarkable, and actually enjoy the journey. I am incredibly excited to share the work we do at PDB with you all. Thank you for reading.
Let’s build better, together.
Your Kind of Crazy Project Manager,
