As the newest hire to the Nashville ABES Engineering team, Mustafe Abdillahi brings an international perspective and an enthusiasm for civil engineering.
“I’m very excited and very happy to be joining ABES as an Inspector,” Abdillahi says. “This is a company where I can grow and learn, and I’m excited to get started.”
Abdillahi, who is Somalian, grew up in Ethiopia, Africa. He immigrated to the United States in 2007. After a brief stint in Denver, where he found it “too cold,” he moved to Nashville and began taking courses at Nashville State Community College. Eventually, he transferred to Tennessee State University where he majored in civil engineering.
In 2024, Abdillahi graduated with a degree in civil engineering and began exploring the job market. Through a friend at TSU, Abdillahi learned about ABES Engineering and its CEO, Emmanuel Tuombe, who is also originally from Africa.
“I contacted Emmanuel and we began talking,” he says. “He was so welcoming and a very open person.”
Abdillahi says he liked that ABES is a growing company where employees know each other and work well together. He also liked Tuombe’s philosophy of using engineering to better the community and the world.
“I connected with Mustafe through an ABES supporter who follows us on LinkedIn,” says Tuombe. “This supporter saw our LinkedIn post about the Inspector opportunity and forwarded it to Mustafe. I wouldn’t have connected with Mustafe without that LinkedIn supporter. This experience taught me the power of building relationships and connecting with our partners, clients, team and supporters.”
Initially, ABES didn’t have an opening in the Nashville office, but the two men kept in touch. And in late 2024, a position in Nashville opened up and Tuombe made the easy decision to bring Abdillahi aboard.
Jason Black, ABES Engineering Construction and Engineering Inspection Manager, says Abdillahi is a good fit for the company–someone who is eager to learn and expand their knowledge base.
“I think Abdillahi is going to be a great addition to ABES,” Black says. “He will work as an Inspector in Nashville, helping us to continue growing our business there. He seems like a very determined and responsible person, and I’m looking forward to working with him.”
Tuombe agrees. “2024 was a strong year for ABES, thanks to the great team we’ve built and the communities we serve,” Tuombe says. “We are starting 2025 strong … It’s an exciting time at ABES as we onboard new team members like Abdillahi and new clients.”
Abdillahi lives in Nashville with his wife, Fadumo, who recently graduated from Middle Tennessee State University with a microbiology degree.
