Meet Jacob Niemeier | Founder & Executive Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jacob Niemeier and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jacob, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
This is a worthy question. To me it comes down to, “What makes me tick? What is my x-factor, the reason I get out of bed every day?” The answer to this question is simple, my x-factor is my deep burning desire to see people thriving & living the life they were created to live. I strive to inspire others to pursue their passions & dreams by pursuing my own by being a witness to others in my own life and answering the call to serve people in need. This passion is what drove me, without fear, to take a leap of faith by pursuing the less traveled road with an entrepreneurial endeavor of starting a nonprofit NGO in 2017 by the name of Vera Aqua Vera Vita and devoting my whole life to wholehearted service of others I do believe that my “x-factor” is the reason behind my success!

What should our readers know about your business?
Vera Aqua Vera Vita is a nonprofit international NGO with a mission to “tap into the physical & spiritual nature of water to empower people & communities in developing countries to generate clean drinking water & sanitation solutions that bring True Water True Life!” At our core we are distinctly unique in two keyways: 1.) we see the people we serve not as incapable or powerless to help themselves but simply lacking in opportunity and education. Simply put, we see the potential in each person we serve; we see the dignity of Christ in each one of them; and 2.) we focus on both the physical and spiritual needs of the people we serve because we believe that in order for people to reach their true God-given potential they must be thriving in their body and soul. I am most proud of the work we have already accomplished with our first project bringing access to clean water for 7,000 people in the community of Monte Castillo, Piura, Peru when we turned on the water for a Water Treatment Facility in the community on August 3, 2019. It was our first official project and by default was not easy. We learned that collaboration with foreign partners and motivating the community to take ownership of the solution through training on how to operate, maintain, and manage the facility requires a high degree of patience, humility, and determination to preserve when surrounding forces beckon to take the easy way out and just give the solution as a handout instead of ensuring long-lasting sustainability through empowerment and education. The challenges we have faced programmaticallymirror some of the challenges we have faced operationally as an organization. These challenges have taught us that the best thing we can do when faced with adversity is keep our eyes focused on our purpose and reason for existence as an organization which is fundamentally to be of service to our less fortunate brothers and sisters in need in developing countries who lack access to, arguably, basic rights to life like clean water and improved sanitation services. For us this is our identity, this is our brand, and this is why we exist so that we can do our part to put the Global Water Crisis in the history books by giving the gift of True Water True Life!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I am not native to Dallas or for that matter Texas, but I got here as fast as I could all the way from Indianapolis. However, since I have lived in Dallas for 8+ years now, I can proudly and confidently call it home. I am not so sure that a week-long trip would be enough to capture the essence of Dallas nor especially the greater DFW metro area. However, if I had to choose a 5-day, week-long, travel itinerary for a visiting friend which I have done multiple times, it would look something like the following especially if money wasn’t an issue. I would pick them up from DFW airport and immediately introduce them to Texas Barbeque at Hard Eight Barbeque in Coppell which in my humble opinion is the best barbeque in the metro area. Then, we would head on over to grab a brew at the Flying Saucer in Addison where they have over 100 different beers on tap and probably 300+ different bottled beers. After that we would hit up Cowboy’s Red River Country Dance Hall where we would dance the night away. The next day we would start our site-seeing adventures in Dallas by visiting the historic sixth floor museum downtown. After the sixth-floor museum we would head on over to Avila’s Mexican Restaurant near UT Southwestern where we would dine on my favorite Mexican/Tex-Mex food in all of Dallas. We would end our day hanging out and drinking some super strong brews at the ever popular Peticolas Brewery and eating food truck food for dinner. The next day would consist of visits to the Dallas Aquarium, Clyde Warren Park for lunch at the Food Trucks, and the Perot Museum. We would end the night dining scrumptiously at Trinity Hall Irish Pub at Mockingbird Station. After two days a row in the heart of the City we would take a breather and catch some fresh air by visiting the Dallas Arboretum and doing some fishing at White Rock Lake. The day after that we would brewery hop to as many breweries as we could across Dallas. For the final day of our 5-day tour of the DFW metro we head on over to the other side of the metro area and visit the laid-back cowboy feel of Fort Worth. On our way to Fort Worth we stop and do a tour of the Cowboy’s Stadium in Arlington because it is important to see that everything truly is bigger in Texas. Our time in Fort Worth proper would include visiting the Fort Worth Water Gardens, Sundance Plaza/Square, and having lunch at the original (first-ever) Flying Saucer. Then we would spend our afternoon soaking up quintessential Texas at the Fort Worth Stockyards with dinner at the famous Joe T. Garcia’s Mexican Restaurant and catching a Texas Country concert at the famous Billy Bob’s Honky-Tonk where we would end our night dancing the night away! That is my DFW metro area highlight trip in 5-days!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would love to give a massive shoutout to my parents and my wife who have been bedrocks of support and encouragement, which hasn’t been easy, from day one in the pursuit of my dreams fully utilize my passions, skills, and talents in the launching and now full-time operations of Vera Aqua Vera Vita.

Website: https://veraaquaveravita.org/
Instagram: http://instagram.com/veraaquaveravita
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vera-aqua-vera-vita/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/VerAquaVeraVita
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/veraaquaveravita/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWxgGXMoVAc3GnAfWqIPWRw?sub_confirmation=1
Other: Vera Aqua Vera Vita’s TrueWater Vision News Site: https://www.truewatervision.org/