“Crossroads of New England” before moving to Boston where he attended Northeastern University.
“The culture where I grew up was one of ‘You live here, you grow up here, you stay here and you die here,’” he said. “That’s just the way it was. I really broke the mold by leaving.”
He started out in electrical engineering at Northeastern, which had a co-op engineering program, meaning students took on structured work experience out in the real world along with their academic courses.
“It was a great way to do it because I discovered I hated the electrical jobs and was able to switch in time to finish my degree in civil engineering. That turned out to be my real niche.”
Nichols wound up working for a small consulting firm in Connecticut out of college.
“I was very happy doing that,” he said. “My goal was to maybe one day become a project manager.”
As time went on, though, he started to feel stagnant where he was.
“I was in my mid-20s and just felt like I was in a rut,” he said. “I decided to go look for something else and wound of landing a position with the City of Olympia, Washington.
“I’d never been further west than Pennsylvania. It was on the other side of the world as far as I was concerned.”
While in Olympia, Nichols worked under what he called an “incredible mentor” in the director of public works.
“He inspired me to No. 1 seek out some level of leadership and try to influence an organization positively,” Nichols said. “I wound up going down the path of public service you might say by accident. But once I was there, I was influenced by a very positive role model and it kept me going down that path.”
That path eventually led him through Goodyear and to Las Vegas.
“There was just an incredible opportunity to work in a world-renowned city and I couldn’t pass it up,” Nichols said. “During that period, my mom relocated from Massachusetts to Las Vegas and she loved it there.”
Nichols eventually moved on to Midland, Texas, but his mother stayed in Nevada.
“I was, and still am, her closest living relative proximity-wise,” he said. “It had always been in my mind to get back closer to her. I’d been trying for about a year, looking for potential opportunities.”
There was a close call with Carson City earlier in the year for the city manager’s job. Then Douglas County.
“The idea of being closer to my mom was what brought me back here,” he said. “But Douglas County is an incredible destination. I’d be foolish not to want to be here.
“Midland was a two-plus hour flight twice a day to Las Vegas. We’re a one-hour, all-throughout-the-day flight to Las Vegas. She is fine on her own, don’t get me wrong, but the convenience of being able to visit and to stay in close contact, the option is there.”
The immediate task, though, is getting to know the community, Nichols said.
“It’s kind of an easy one to pick out, as the outsider,” he said. “My first issue is getting to know the people who I work with and out in the community. As important, if not more important, is helping them get to know me.
“I don’t sit here and wait for people to come see me. I am going to work very hard to become a known commodity. I told the commissioners during the interviews that this is a 24/7 job. I need to be active in the evenings and on the weekends. I need to be a part of this area. I’m not here to collect a paycheck.
“I have a tremendous team of employees from top to bottom in this organization who have the same goal of making this area better, and my job is to not screw that up.”
As far as bringing his unique tool set to Douglas County, Nichols said he approaches things more with a single lens filtering many different angles.
“Ultimately, I have five individuals I report to in the county commission,” he said. “I need to mirror their vision. I’ll listen and assimilate what others see for the county and hopefully, with the assistance of a lot of great people, help make that happen.
“Just having talked with the commissioners, we’re looking for continued, appropriate, well-timed and well-placed growth. There is a time and a place and an opportunity where growth makes sense. It can’t be willy nilly because part of this county’s charm and appeal is based on the natural appeal. We can’t let folks run rough-shod over that and hurt the essence of what makes us special."
Nichols, an avid New England Patriots and Boston Red Sox fan, said he’s looking forward to getting to enjoy the area’s natural assets himself.
“I’m not a skier, yet, but I’ve been told by many people that I’d better learn. I have a gorgeous bike that is missing being ridden. I haven’t had a chance to get out and ride it regularly in a few years, so I’m really looking forward to that. I love hiking, I’m sure there are going to be trips to the lake.
“Part of the appeal of this area is the natural beauty, and I’m really looking forward to experiencing it. Overall, I just want to get out and be a part of things and learn how things work around here”
Nichols is also a trading card collector, dating back to his childhood, though his collection shrunk substantially with his move back to Nevada.
“I sold over 300,000 cards before leaving Midland,” he said. “I kept a trunk of my most prized valuables. I had a whole room dedicated to my card collection. It had developed since I was 10 years old. I just couldn’t keep doing it. There were cards I’d never even seen before. I figure if you can’t appreciate what you have, then you probably have too much of it.”
He said he kept between 5,000 and 10,000 cards, including his prized Ted Williams rookie card, circa 1939.
Upon moving into his new office, Nichols discovered a letter in his desk from previous Douglas County manager Steve Mokrohisky.
Mokrohisky accepted a job in Oregon last spring.
“He said I was very lucky,” Nichols said. “He told me to enjoy it, that I have a great team and a great board. He said to appreciate them all.
“And I intend to.”