February 24, 2010

Family steps forward in faith to start company

By Julie Filby

One evening during their daily Gospel reflection, Joseph and Siobhan Nye meditated on the passage “Do not be afraid” (Lk 2:10). For weeks the couple had been discerning whether Joe should start his own engineering firm—leaving the security of a reputable firm and a comfortable salary.

That was January 2008. The next day they began praying the Seven Sorrows and Seven Joys of St. Joseph, the patron saint of engineers.

“We realized about five weeks through (the devotion) that the only thing keeping us from starting the business was fear,” Siobhan said. “We decided to take the plunge and trust in the Lord.”

In April 2008, Joe founded St. Joseph’s Consulting Engineers. The company, based in Glenwood Springs, provides water and wastewater engineering services including treatment, distribution, collection and storage, as well as construction management consulting.

The firm stands for the dignity of the person—with its highest priorities being to honor God, serve clients and give back to charities.

“I’m not looking for St. Joseph’s Consulting Engineers to be just another business concerned with profits, egos and prestige,” said Joe, a civil/environmental engineer for 15 years. “I want it to be a company that provides for my family—and a tool to do God’s will.

“If we are truly open to his will, I firmly believe that we can give back to his children through this company more effectively,” he said.

St. Joseph’s Web site asserts the firm aims to tithe a minimum 10 percent of its gross earnings to charitable organizations and lists several it says it has donated to.

By 3 p.m. the first day of operation, the firm already had three clients. God continued to provide work to the company when Joe received a call from Posada, a nonprofit organization in Pueblo dedicated to providing housing and support services for homeless and low-income families.

Joe had originally worked with Posada in 2004. In 2009, Posada hired Joe to design the water and sanitary sewer disposal components for the Via Don Carlos (“the Way of Don Carlos”) project. The $7.5 million, 30-unit project will provide housing for up to 150 farm workers in Pueblo County. It was named in honor of late Pueblo Bishop Charles Buswell, based on a nickname given to him by friends.

Kim Bowman, development director for Posada has known Joe for several years.

“When we learned Joe had created St. Joseph’s Consulting Engineers, we quickly sought to enlist his expertise. He was our ‘No. 1 draft pick!’” she said. “His professional leadership has heightened our momentum without question. We have tremendous faith in him and his ability to lead this project to completion.”

The project, which originally started in 2001, has encountered many obstacles and hopes to break ground next summer.

Bowman described Joe as gifted on many levels, but none more so than his focus on faith.

“Joe lives his faith. It’s evident in every component of his being,” she said. “Honesty, integrity, compassion and generosity: all descriptive terms of a man who is led by deep beliefs and an unwavering love of his Church and family.”

The first year of the business involved Joe commuting four hours each way from Denver to Glenwood Springs every week. After a difficult year of family separation, Joe and Siobhan—10-year parishioners at St. Thomas More Church in Centennial—prayed to discern if the family should move. They felt they received their answer after their son flooded one of their bathrooms.

“After the insurance company assessed the damages, we were informed we’d have to move out during the repairs,” Siobhan said. “So we moved—just in time to give birth to baby John.”

The Nyes, with their five children ranging from age 11 to six months, settled into their new home in Glenwood Springs in August 2009.

They chose Glenwood Springs as many of the company’s projects have been in Meeker, approximately 60 miles northwest, and they sought a hometown with daily Mass (St. Stephen’s Parish) and a Catholic school. In addition to being home-schooled by Siobhan, the three older children attend St. Stephen School part of the year.

The company has worked for 13 different clients, an accomplishment in the current economy.

“It’s been incredibly challenging to start the company in this difficult economy,” Joe said. “Clients decide not to move forward with projects due to lack of funding, or because they are afraid of what might happen.”
His relationship with God has led the way.

“When it’s as difficult to get work as it is right now,” he said. “We need to rely on God and stay close to him more than ever. He is the provider of all good things—only through him can we truly do his will and be successful.”

ST. JOSEPH'S  CONSULTING ENGINEERS

For more information: visit www.stjcengineers.com or call 303-483-3185.