The Advantages to Being a Disadvantaged Business

By Julie M. Young, Contributing Writer

Editor's Note: Amy Veltri, owner, Novel Geo-Environmental, LLC, was a 2002 Winner of the WriteIdea Business Plan Competition, presented by Seton Hill University's National Education Center for Women in Business.

Become an engineer, start a disadvantaged business, and work with your brother. It may not be everyone's idea of a good time, but it was Amy Veltri's dream. Veltri is president of Novel Geo-Environmental, LLC,a Bridgeville, Pa. based civil engineering firm. Novel Geo-Environmental, in business since September 2002, provides environmental construction, remediation, and operation and maintenance services.

Staring The Company
Veltri knew she wanted to be an entrepreneur and relied on research to find a niche in engineering consulting. She discovered that not many geotechnical engineering firms have Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) certification. By having her own firm, Veltri would qualify the business for DBE certification, allowing the firm to procure government highway work more easily.

Her brother, John Nottingham, joined the firm in January. Both siblings are civil engineers: Veltri's strengths are in environmental engineering; her brother's in geotechnical engineering - a natural fit. "We've never worked together until now," Veltri said. "We were both a little concerned about how it would work, but we saw strengths in combining our efforts. The relationship is very successful."

Of course, starting the business wasn't without challenges. "Anyone can start their own company," Veltri said, "But after you've done that, it's not easy." Most new businesses close their doors in the first year, and even fewer make it to their fifth anniversary. When Veltri thinks of this dismal success rate, she is proud that her company is still chugging along - she's following through on an idea and sustaining it.

Unlike many small businesses, the biggest challenge for Veltri in starting her business wasn't raising capital. She financed her business with her own savings. In her field, she just needed a computer to get started, and she didn't pay herself a salary for several months. Rather, the most challenging aspect of getting the doors open was dealing with time and resources - everything that goes into a business and everything that the business needs. She spent a lot of her time figuring out registrations, insurance, and financial records. Simply put: hard work.

"There's no magical answer or agency [to help you start your business]," Veltri said. "Sometimes you find good people to help you at agencies, but most of the time you just have to figure it out yourself." Veltri worked with the University of Pittsburgh Small Business Development Center, but found that the real key to dealing with initial issues with starting a business was to find a good accountant, banker, and attorney.

Overcoming Obstacles and Taking Advice
Luckily, Veltri had grown up in an atmosphere of entrepreneurship. Her father owns a similar engineering firm, and he was there for support and advice when Veltri asked. Veltri, who has a BS and MS in civil engineering, is a licensed professional engineer and a Diplomate in the American Academy of Environmental Engineers. She was the only woman in her civil engineering program in college. Now, though, more women are becoming civil engineers. "It's different now," Veltri explains. "There's positive progress with women pursing technological careers."

Now, after two-and-a-half years of being in business for herself, Veltri doesn't believe that she encountered many obstacles in business because she is a woman. "I think anybody who's starting a small business has a lot of obstacles to overcome, whatever their gender," she observed.

But, some of the most helpful advice Veltri ever received came from the 2002 "Building a World-Class Business" conference presented by Seton Hill University's National Education Center for Women in Business. One of the speakers advised business owners to "hire slowly, fire quickly." Veltri employs eight full-time and three part-time employees. She has learned to trust her gut on whether an employee is wonderful or not worth it. "[Employees] cost you a lot of time, money and effort," Veltri said. But then again, employees are part of Veltri's motivation. "I feel a personal commitment to them that drives me," she said. "I have great employees and I do the best I can for them. I try to do well so that they continue to have a job."

Veltri also finds inspiration from her family, her husband, and her children. Her ultimate goal is to provide well for them. By having her own business, Veltri also has the flexibility to be with her small children when they need her. When she becomes frustrated, she thinks about the big picture- and what she's trying to accomplish for her family.

In the long term, Veltri hopes to grow her business to provide jobs for more than a hundred people. While she'd like to see the steady growth of her business, she wants to keep the small-business feel that she loves. "I'm enjoying that part of it too much - to still have fun while you're doing your job."

Her best advice for those starting a business? "Make sure it's something that you're passionate about, that you enjoy and are willing to commit a lot of time to," said Veltri.

May 2005