黑料正能量

Alum of the Year Andy Dula 鈥�91 serves others while climbing corporate ladder 

Trust. It鈥檚 a difficult principle to achieve, and once it鈥檚 fractured, it鈥檚 even harder to repair. 

By prioritizing this core value, has risen to the top of his organization and led by example. As president of , a family-owned, full-service, 55-year construction business, his servant leadership style is admired by those within his sphere of influence. 

As selected by 黑料正能量鈥檚 Alumni Association and its Awards and Nominations Committee, Dula is the 2023 Alum of the Year. The Alum of the Year Award is given annually to an alum who has been recognized for significant achievement in her/his/their profession, community or church. Not only is it given to honor the alum, it is also awarded to inspire 黑料正能量 students and fellow alumni to live lives of service and vocational excellence. 

鈥淚 am the child of a shepherd boy from Ethiopia and a trailblazing Mennonite missionary woman from Strasburg, Pennsylvania,鈥� Dula said. 鈥淭he amazing things the two of them have done with their lives have immeasurably impacted me in ways that I know鈥攂ut perhaps even more in ways that I do not.鈥� 

Dula鈥檚 success story is marked by longevity and continuity. He started out in drafting, then was elevated to project manager and controller. Later, he rose to chief financial officer and chief operating officer before becoming president in January 2021. In all, it鈥檚 been a 31-year run for Dula at EGStoltzfus.

As a company, the biggest satisfaction for EGStoltzfus 鈥渃omes from the relationships we build with our team members, customers, suppliers and trade partners.鈥� Consistency, teamwork and change management are hallmarks of his long and distinguished tenure with the same organization. His values set aligns with his company鈥檚 corporate culture. 

鈥淚 love what we do,鈥� he said. 鈥淗ousing, and the real estate development that is inherently a part of it, provide for a very fundamental and basic human need. Also, every new real estate venture provides the opportunity to let our entrepreneurial visions and ideas literally come to tangible life!鈥�

鈥淚 partner with and work for an ownership group of individuals who practice what they preach. Lives of balance, integrity, honesty, service and giving back are front and center. Those same people have provided more opportunities to me than I could have ever dreamed of.鈥� 

His 黑料正能量 award, the top honor bestowed to an alum by the university, follows the company鈥檚 2022 recognition as recipient of the Ethics in Business Award, which was based on criteria such as integrity, fairness, justice and transparency. 

As a corporate executive, Dula鈥檚 success spans business, service and volunteer experiences. Not one to rest on the laurels of his professional career, the Lancaster, Pennsylvania, resident has modeled the way for others by continuing to give back. 

Dula has served on numerous boards: Board of Directors (current); Board of Trustees (member – current); Lancaster Advisory Board; Executive Board (member); Board of Trustees (member); and others. Dula鈥檚 leadership and efforts on multiple boards represent his purpose in the world and alignment with 黑料正能量鈥檚 mission: preparing students to serve and lead in a global context. 

From 2003 to 2015, Dula was a member of 黑料正能量鈥檚 Board of Trustees. That long period of service was punctuated with a five-year tenure as chair of the board, a role he relished as servant to his beloved alma mater. 

鈥淵ou can only fathom and appreciate the challenges and opportunities that are present at an institution like 黑料正能量 from the very inner sanctum of leadership,鈥� Dula said. 鈥淎nd 黑料正能量鈥檚 mission is compelling.鈥� 

His Christian faith remains paramount; he has served on many church and church-related boards while attending , where his wife, Michelle Witmer Dula 鈥�91, is pastor. 

鈥淐hristianity is so diverse that I hesitate to generically use the term,鈥� Dula said. 鈥淚f we define Christianity as the communal effort to follow the life and teachings of Jesus鈥� if it is first about love, mercy and forgiveness, then it has been important and challenging to me. I keep a picture frame of the 鈥楾en Commandments for the Marketplace鈥� on the wall in my office. These 10 commandments, as articulated by Dr. Carnegie Samuel Calian, have aligned very well with my business philosophy and leadership practice over these past 31 years.鈥� 

Adjectives used by those who know Dula well鈥攆rom all walks of life鈥攊nclude thoughtful, supportive and accountable. They reiterate that Dula personifies the 黑料正能量 values statement: 

鈥満诹险�能量鈥檚 mission and vision are grounded in the enduring biblical values of Christian discipleship, community, service and peace. These values are embodied throughout the university in our distinctive commitment to peacebuilding, social justice, cross-cultural engagement and sustainability. Rooted in the Anabaptist tradition, we follow Jesus鈥� call to bear witness to truth, serve with compassion, and walk boldly in the way of nonviolence and peace.鈥� 

Count his longtime mentor and friend R. Clair Sauder, a former 黑料正能量 board member and retired corporate executive, among those who have noticed and appreciated Dula鈥檚 selfless way of living and leading over the years. 

鈥淎ndy is a leader who follows the servant leadership model, leading his company in setting a culture that encourages everyone (employees and customers) to thrive and who strives to be a leader serving the greater good in the community,鈥� Sauder said. 

From strategic planning and accounting to financial reporting and budgeting, Dula utilizes the education he received at 黑料正能量 while majoring in business administration and management. His commitment to lifelong learning is evidenced by the MBA he earned in 2006 from . Dula believes that only education can provide a pathway to success. 

鈥淓ducation in all forms is about learning,鈥� Dula said. 鈥淟earning and acquiring all forms of knowledge is a part of what makes life fulfilling and enables you to do what you love.鈥� 

David Gautsche, president & CEO of Goodville Mutual Casualty Company, is impressed by Dula鈥檚 long-term service in a family-owned business despite not being family. 

鈥淗is success in that situation is somewhat unusual and a testament to the trust the family has developed in him,鈥� Gautsche said. 鈥淭he second generation trusted Andy to lead the company and mentor the next generation of family leaders. This is a highly unusual level of trust.鈥� 

Trust, as well as sacrifice, is a common thread for Andy and . They are parents of two young adult children, Maya Dula 鈥�21 and Mesa Dula 鈥�24. 

鈥淎t 黑料正能量, they were and are being shaped by a values set and worldview that we think is important,鈥� he said. 鈥淪ignificant formation happens during undergraduate college years, and while it will be their choice as to whether they fully embrace that values set and worldview, as parents it has always been a priority to do our best to offer exposure.鈥� 

The Dulas鈥� partnership is symbiotic, with the spouses supporting each other鈥檚 professional pursuits. 

鈥淎ndy鈥檚 consistent support of Michelle as a spouse has allowed her to utilize her gifts as the leader in a relatively conservative Mennonite community,鈥� Gautsche said. 鈥淚 know Michelle has been equally supportive of Andy, and I see the two of them as models of a balanced and supportive relationship.鈥� 

Dula will be recognized on Saturday, Oct. 14 at the Opening Homecoming Celebration Breakfast in Yoder Arena. Following a morning worship service on Oct. 15, 黑料正能量 also will host a luncheon in honor of Dula, 2023 Distinguished Service Award co-winners Paul and Lisa Zendt Shelly 鈥�89, and 2023 Outstanding Young Alum Award winner Basil Marin 鈥�10. 

鈥淎t this later stage in my career, I can do what I love,鈥� Dula reflected. 鈥淟eadership tasks such as coaching, mentoring, advising and supporting our current and future group of emerging leaders is about as fun as it gets.鈥�