Boston Power Women: 5 Questions With Judith Nitsch

This limited series profiles Power Women who have helped shape Greater Boston’s cities, neighborhoods, businesses and lifestyles. These women will be honored at Bisnow's Boston Power Women event on Dec. 4.

While it may have been out of the ordinary for a woman to own an engineering firm when Nitsch Engineering started in 1989, founding principal Judith Nitsch built her company in a male-dominated industry into what the Boston Globe awarded as one of the top places in Boston to work. With more than 40 years of experience in civil engineering, Nitsch is a registered professional engineer in 11 states and serves on several high-profile boards. 

Nitsch is in her second term on the U.S. Department of State’s Overseas Building Operations Industry Advisory Group. She is also a peer in the U.S. General Services Administration’s Design Excellence Program. She was on the CREW Network board of directors for five years and was the organization’s president in 2014. Nitsch was previously president of the American Council of Engineering Companies of Massachusetts and president of the Boston Society of Civil Engineers Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

She currently is the vice chair of the Boston Architectural College board of trustees. 

Bisnow: How do you describe your job to people who are not in the industry?

Nitsch: My job is to help the firm get new project opportunities to help fill the pipeline. We have a wonderful team of professionals at Nitsch Engingeering who consistently achieve an extremely high repeat work rate with their current clients, and I focus on getting new clients and helping our offices get positioned for new opportunities. That entails identifying and meeting with clients, potential clients and referral sources. I attend events where our potential clients would be in order to get a chance to meet them. I also try to go to our Washington, D.C., office once each month to help them with local business development.

Bisnow: What is the biggest business problem you have faced and how did you solve it? 

Nitsch: My biggest issue when starting my firm was getting bank financing as we grew. I was turned down by several banks. This was the early 1990s when banks were going out of business all around us. My CPA introduced me to Eastern Bank in 1994, and they gave me a working capital line of credit and an equipment loan. I thought I had died and gone to heaven! We still bank with Eastern, and I’ve been a corporator and trustee at Eastern Bank for over 20 years.

Bisnow: What is one thing you think companies can do to address wage and gender inequality?

Nitsch: To start, companies need to know where they currently stand and then regularly monitor how they are doing. For almost 30 years at Nitsch Engineering, we have kept a chart on our employee statistics, showing their degrees, professional credentials, years of experience, position, etc., to compare their salaries. I’ve often said that we have the “fairness gene.” We do this because I once worked at a firm where a man much younger than me made more money than I did. I wanted to be sure that didn’t happen to any of our employees at Nitsch.

Bisnow: What piece of advice do you give others entering the industry?

Nitsch: Making a name for yourself within your firm and also in your industry will be important for your future success. I recommend focusing on becoming a technical expert at the beginning of one’s career, then getting registered (like a professional engineer or architect license), getting management experience and participating in professional/community organizations to both grow and give back. Understanding marketing and business development is key to growing professionally within a firm. 

Bisnow: What do you do to unwind when you’re not working? 

Nitsch: I enjoy entertaining and travel. I am learning Italian now and am trying to go to Italy each year. I host a lot of family, friends and community events in my home, such as the Boston Society of Architects Women Principals and fundraisers. I love going to concerts and shows. I am also trying to read and play piano more.

Meet Nitsch Engingeering founding principal Judith Nitsch at Bisnow's Boston Power Women event Dec. 4 at the Westin Copley Place.