“Buzzworthy Businesses” is a unique, cool talk show that showcases community members and companies making a buzz and giving back. Our goal is to interview guests doing great things in their business and community. Today, our host, Printella Bankhead, spoke with Dave Itwaru.
Dave Itwaru
CEO and Co-Founder of Nova Holdings
Website Address: https://www.novaholdingsnyc.com/
Short company description:
Nova Holdings is a construction management and owner’s rep firm working across the East Coast, plus Chicago and Texas — we represent building owners and developers through their projects, from budgeting and scheduling to code compliance. Our sister company, Nova Design, rounds that out with architecture, engineering, and expediting, so we can carry a project the whole way through under one roof.
If you had one message to get across to future customers, what would it be?
If you are investing in a property or building a business, you should not have to become a construction expert just to protect your investment. Nova exists to give clients a trusted team that brings order to a complicated process, communicates honestly, and stays accountable when challenges arise. Our message is simple: your vision matters, your money matters, and you deserve a partner who treats both with the same care and urgency that you do.
How has your business changed in the past 12 months?
This past year’s been about scaling — a real sales and BD team, expansion into new markets like Chicago and Texas, and recognition as a Top Construction Management Service for 2026. We’re also exploring corporate sponsorships with a few foundations, because the communities we live in and the people we serve are who we do this for.
Describe a Failure in your Career.
I was put into a management role at 19, before I was really ready for it, and I modeled my style after my own manager at the time — who was tough and not very understanding. It cost me team members and created a hostile environment, even though I thought at the time that’s what leadership was supposed to look like. That experience taught me that every leader is a product of the team around them, and that everyone’s a person first with their own life and reasons for being there. It’s why I lead the way I do now — treating people the way I’d want to be treated.”
