U.S. Engineering CEO Tyler Nottberg received the 2019 Betsy Vander Velde Award at The Family Conservancy’s Blue Carpet Event in recognition of his work to improve the lives of at-risk children and families in Kansas City.

The Betsy Vander Velde Award is given annually in honor of former Family Conservancy President and CEO Betsy Vander Velde and her legacy of selfless dedication to improving the lives of families and children. Like Vander Velde, Nottberg is an advocate for children and families, championing the importance of early education for the future success and health of the Kansas City community. He co-founded Aligned, a non-profit, non-partisan coalition of business leaders committed to improving education in Kansas and Missouri. With Aligned Nottberg works with policymakers and business leaders alike, urging both groups to use their stature and visibility to support causes that benefit youth and families.

Wendy Guillies, President and CEO of the Kauffman Foundation, and Neal Sharma, CEO of DEG and Aligned Trustee, talked about Nottberg’s work with Aligned:

In his acceptance speech Nottberg thanked his family and colleagues at Aligned and U.S. Engineering: “I also accept this award on behalf of my unbelievable team at U.S. Engineering, an exceptional group of professionals who are staunch supporters of educational achievement throughout Kansas, Missouri and Colorado, and many other places. Actually, at U.S. Engineering, our mission is to ‘Leave a Legacy,’ so what better way to do that than to support the next generation of learners and leaders the best way we can.” 

Each year the Blue Carpet Event raises funds to support The Family Conservancy’s mission. The event also gives attendees a chance to hear from a special guest whose life has been transformed by the high-impact, research-based approaches of The Family Conservancy.

As a company, U.S. Engineering strives to build not only better facilities, but also better communities. We’re proud to have a CEO (& Chief Optimist!) who walks the walk and who understands that giving back to our communities is more than a priority. It’s our responsibility.

Watch audience footage of Nottberg’s full acceptance speech below.