


Natalie Cheeseman is a Senior Project Engineer for SECON, which is a part of Colaska, the Colas USA subsidiary that operates throughout Alaska. Natalie has been a part of the Colas USA Family since 2005 and has worked as an Office Manager, Sr. Project Engineer.
Read more about Natalie through the following spotlight.
Describe your role to someone who is not familiar with the construction industry or Colas USA.
In my role as a Senior Project Engineer, I track the manufacturing and production of asphalt, concrete, and aggregates for Southeast Alaska as well as maintain all of the scaling systems, including asphalt plants.
What has been your favorite project so far?
I really enjoyed setting up the scaling/computer systems and training the new personnel at Southeast Roadbuilders, another subsidiary of Colaska, when we acquired them in 2018. I’ve trained people all over our group in Alaska for most of my career, but we got to start from scratch. It was interesting and I think we all learned a lot, me included! Their good attitudes and willingness to tackle huge changes made all the difference.
What drew you to working within the construction industry?
Most of my family works in the construction industry and SECON has always had a stellar reputation in our small communities. I had to wait two years for a position to open when I found out the former office manager was retiring. I was so persistent that I’m pretty sure I drove her crazy!
What motivates you to wake up and go to work every day?
I really enjoy working with our team as a whole. The majority of us have worked together for 10+ years and everyone is like family. I’ve always felt that work has to be enjoyable when we spend so much time there.
What’s something most people don’t know about you?
I love to shoot trap and have won the high woman shooter award during our local community trap league.
From her nomination:
“Without Natalie, Secon would come to a grinding halt. She has a great team around her and does not hesitate to empower those around her with her years of experience and knowledge. I cannot count the times Natalie has been there for us to help with the Ketchikan Scale when we either have a problem or need a job/materials added to the scaling system. Rapid changes to products, or a last minute added job are part of what we do. Natalie comes through every time with prompt help and is never too busy to come to our assistance when we need her.”