Engineer of the Year humbled by recognition
Each year, Engineers Week, sponsored by local and regional chapters of the Texas Society of Professional Engineers and the National Society of Professional Engineers, is celebrated across the country, and this year is Feb. 16-22.
In Houston, there will be a full week of activities.
Also during E-Week, the Engineer of the Year is honored. This year, Stephen Costello, P.E., is recipient of the award.
Costello has an MBA from the University of Houston, Clear Lake. He received his bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from the State University of New York at Buffalo, N.Y. Shortly thereafter, in his early 20s, he joined the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
“The Corps of Engineers gave my wife and I a choice of where we wanted to go. We looked at a map, and chose Galveston, somewhat randomly, due to the proximity to the beach,” Costello said.
“My wife and I drove to Galveston in a Ford Pinto with no air conditioning and $500 in our pocket,” Costello said.
Looking back, Costello said it was courageous for him and his expecting wife at the time, both in their early 20s, to move so far from their New York home, where they did not know what to expect, nor knew anyone.
Working in Galveston with the Corps, he saw firsthand the damaging effects of flooding, which has continued to influence his long career.
In 1982, Costello accepted a position with a Houston engineering firm. In his next move, also to an engineering company, Costello was promoted to a marketing position.
In 1991, with seven others, Costello Inc. was born. Due to name recognition in the industry and community, which contributed to his previous marketing position, Costello’s surname was chosen for the company’s letterhead, which he noted was an honor and a sign of respect.
Costello Inc. is a full-service consulting civil engineering and surveying firm serving communities and agencies throughout Texas. Beginning in 1991 as a civil engineering firm specializing in drainage and land development, the firm has expanded its corporate resume to include transportation and municipal engineering.
He has worked throughout his career on storm water management and flooding issues. His interest in improving Houston’s drainage infrastructure led him to work for the passage of the ReBuild Houston program, designed to address the city’s drainage and flooding issues with funds set aside for that purpose only.
Costello is in his second term as a Houston City Council Member, At-Large Position 1. He chairs the City Council’s Budget and Fiscal Affairs Committee and is vice chair of the Transportation Policy Council of the Houston-Galveston Area Council.
On city council, Costello
is focusing on issues related to: improving the city’s long-term financial health; increasing access to fresh, healthy food in underserved communities; upgrading and maintaining the city’s aging infrastructure; and improving transportation and mobility.
Costello has served as chair and longtime board member of the Memorial Park Conservancy and is an avid runner, marathoner and triathlete. He and his wife raised two sons in Houston, and are grandparents of two granddaughters.
Thirty-seven years after arriving in Galveston, Costello is a successful businessman, in a successful business that today employs more than 120 people.
“Houston is a great town, a city of opportunities. Where else could a young 20-year-old arrive from the east coast, start a company, and end up serving on City Council? No place else but Houston. I love this city and am thankful my wife and I came here,” Costello said.
Being chosen for the Engineer of the Year, for Costello, has been a hum- bling experience.
“I know many of those who were selected for this award in past years, and it is truly an honor to be named in the same category, a true honor,” Costello said.