Inspire, Fall/Winter 2010

Putting Training to Work With a diploma in hand, Nick had no time to worry whether his education would stunt his future. He was hired by GM shortly after graduation to work in the safety division. GM was creating an entire air bag product line; the company needed quality engineers. In the late ’90s, Nick was asked to take another step of faith. GM needed a liaison between the company’s engineering facilities in Dayton, Detroit, and a new plant in Matamoros, Mexico. This yearlong assignment would require a move to south Texas and crossing the border into Mexico each day. God used this position to sharpen Nick’s communication and cross-cultural skills. He enjoyed coming alongside the employees — leading, coaching, and encouraging them. During this time, Nick met his future wife, Nancy, at church, where she was involved in youth and music ministries. They married a year later and moved back to Ohio when Nick’s assignment in Mexico ended. Nick’s time in Mexico served him well. When Delphi spun off from GM, they began supplying products to automakers around the world. Nick began working with technical centers in Germany, India, China, and Korea, collaboratively developing products that would be manufactured and sold worldwide. Being able to relate to people from different cultures and backgrounds proved vital to the design and launch process of new safety technology. Starting a New Chapter A few years later, Nick felt he had a secure job. As a manager in an engineering department, he had a good team and strong relationships with his supervisors. But none of that mattered in the spring of 2009 when Delphi decided to discontinue Nick’s product line. Faced with the possibility of losing his job, he began job hunting, but God was already working to provide for him. A vice president at Delphi contacted a friend — the owner of Indiana Mills & Manufacturing, Incorporated (IMMI) in Indianapolis. IMMI is an industry leader in the design, testing, and manufacturing of advanced safety systems, producing hundreds of products for the commercial transportation sector. Would they have a need for highly trained engineers and managers? IMMI interviewed Nick, and he was offered a position even before production ceased on his product line. Since fall 2009, Nick has been an IMMI engineering manager, overseeing a team of 24 engineers doing safety product research and development for commercial vehicles. He shared, “God opened this door. I’m in a new environment but using my background from Delphi.” It was a position perfectly tailored for his capabilities and industry experience. Now with 16 years of work experience behind him, Nick looks back on his Cedarville education with a new perspective. While he had originally questioned the value of a liberal arts education, he has since realized that he does much more than technical work. He reviews reports; he delivers presentations; he interviews future employees; and he interacts with people of many different cultures. His liberal arts classes prepared him for these roles. “Cedarville emphasized relationships with people, and to excel in the workplace, relationships are fundamental,” said Nick. “Because of my education at Cedarville, I was able to take on this kind of responsibility.” God worked out the accreditation factor as well. In 1995, Cedarville’s engineering program became fully accredited, retroactively applying to the class of 1994. His education proved to be a sound springboard for him to earn his Master of Science degree in engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and later complete the Duke Leadership Program at Duke University. Clearly, the young engineering program had passed the test, joining the list of highly respected and challenging majors offered at Cedarville. Today, Nick has only high praise for the school he may have dismissed entirely if God had not prompted him to take a step of faith. Nick Awabdy ’94 was recently promoted to director of engineering at IMMI. He lives in Carmel, Indiana, with his wife, Nancy, and their daughters, Natalie (5), Nicole (3), and Nadia (3 months). You may contact him at nick.awabdy@imminet.com . Cheryl (Warren) Brugel ’90 is a freelance writer living in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with her husband, Steve, and their four children. In addition to writing, she enjoys editing publications, such as The Journal of Biblical Integration in Business . You may contact her at scbrugel@yahoo.com. “Nick looks back on his Cedarville education with a new perspective .” Cedarville University 23