Alumni Profile: John Nott ’07

We recently caught up with our very own John Nott ’07 and had the chance to ask him where life has taken him since ZBT, and his favorite experiences.  Here’s what he had to say:

Where has life taken you since you graduated? Give us a brief recap up to this point including career and family highlights.  

After School, I went to work for the company I interned with for a few summers, Griffith Engineering Inc. It was a small company and as an intern, I was the third employee. I had initially gotten the job through a friend and ZBT alum Jaime Fernandez ’04. I wanted to stick around Atlanta due to connections with other brothers and the fact I was dating my future wife Michelle (our first date was a fraternity date night). I started at the bottom of Griffith when I joined full-time in fall 2007. The company had grown since my first days as intern, and I was 1 of 8 employees. As the company continued to grow, I was given more responsibility. Also, I married my wife in 2008 and we bought our first home, a townhome in Peachtree Corners Circle in 2009. We spent the next 4 years with our cats and jobs, both of us moving up in our careers. In 2013, my efforts to deliver quality work and keep clients happy awarded me the opportunity to buy in a partner at my engineering firm. I consider it part hard work, part good luck with the situation, and part support from my wife that lead me to that opportunity. In 2014, my life changed even more with the birth of my daughter Savannah. She is incredible, smart, and totally a Daddy’s girl. As she got moving around, we realized the smaller townhome we were in was not really big enough for our family. I think at that time, we were down to a couch, TV, and baby things in the living/dining room…nothing else. Luckily, both my career advancement, the economic upturn, and my wife’s transition to the General Services Administration allowed us the means to make that move. In 2015, we purchased a home in Peachtree Corners in a Chattahoochee river neighborhood. It is a great area for Savannah to go to school and gave us the space to do more with our lives. Since then, my daughter and role in my company has only grown. While my company certainly felt the impact of COVID, we have ridden through it fairly well compared to many small businesses. Our family struggled to meet the demands of schooling our daughter with two full-time employed parents, but we made it through. Savannah has started back at school and that has been great for her socially, and mentally…and for us too! On a personal level, I have enjoyed being a part of my neighborhood’s ALTA tennis teams. I had played a lot in high school but let that lapse a bit in college and right after. With my wife, we have taken up a good bit of gardening, both outside and hydroponically in our basement. We also purchased a classic car last year for my wife to use since she is not a full-time remote employee and doesn’t drive much anyway. It has been fun to have the ability to learn new skills as related to maintaining a vehicle like that.  

What are the most important lessons you learned because of Zeta Beta Tau – Phi Epsilon Pi?  

The most valuable thing I learned was confidence. That manifested in a number of ways but really gave me the ability to excel into a management role in my engineering company. I work with so many incredibly smart engineers that are held back in their careers because they lack the people skill to advance to the next level. Additionally, I learned real-world skills through recruiting challenges and pursuits. Recruiting taught me how to sell my organization to others. It taught me the value of believing in what you are selling, and that sincerity is your best tool.  

When you look back on your time in Zeta Beta Tau – Phi Epsilon Pi, what moments do you tend to remember most?  

The people and shared experiences are certainly the most impactful memories. Brotherhood retreats and just hanging out with brothers in the house stick with me. I grew up as an only child so it was very novel to me to have your brothers around all the time. It was such a blessing that no matter what was going on, there were usually at least 1 or 2 guys that were interested in hanging out.  

Can you share any photos of you back at Georgia Tech or today? Photos with fellow ZBT/Phi Ep’s are welcome!

Greek Week Tug 2004 (from left to right – Ben Deneweth ’06, Me, John Strickland ’06, Kent Smith ’06, and maybe Vernet or Jimmy Jiang ’06 peeking on the right side of the photo). GT Basketball game 2004-2005 season I think… (Ben Deneweth, Jimmy Jiang, Me). ZBT date night spring 2007 – my first date with my future wife Michelle Rivero – taken at Loca Luna. We attended Wicked at the Fox afterward. Spring Break Miami 2007 From left to right (Jacob Rossi ’10, Me, William Rather ’09, Ryan Heiser, Andrew Rodrigues ’09, Richard Threlkeld ’12, Andrew’s GF Christi, Richard’s GF Tara, Pepe Fundora. Six Flag fright Night 2006 (left to right, Nick Clift, Michael Kelly ’10, Jacob Rossi (hoodie), Pepe Fundora, William Rather ’09, Me, George Taktikos ’10, Richard’s GF Tara, Richard Threlkeld ’12, Mark Zoller ’08) 

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