When Angela Brady, an American, and Vahe Zeynalyan, and Armenian, first met in Lindon, in the US State of Utah, it was due to gophers.

“I’d moved from California to Utah, and rented a home near Angela. Our backyards faced each other, and I had holes in my yard,” Zeynalyan said.

They worked together to figure out the gopher problem and Zeynalyan learned about Brady’s efforts with anti-human trafficking organizations. Brady learned about Zeynalyan’s talent with woodworking, and they decided to combine the two. They created LifeWay Arts; Brady is the marketing and sales and Zeynalyan is the artisan, reported The Daily Herald.

With LifeWay Arts, Brady and Zeynalyan partnered to build a business that supported nonprofit organizations. Currently portions of LifeWay Arts profits go to the anti-human trafficking nonprofits Brady works with, but the duo plans to tweak that as business grows.

“Our goal is to have our own nonprofit, and to share our profits with it,” Zeynalyan said.

The nonprofit will still help fight human trafficking, but will be a more Utah-focused charity. Brady said they plan to focus their aid on local youth who are at-risk, homeless, or aging out of the foster care system.

Zeynalyan’s work ethic and motivation comes from his own upbringing. He is originally from Armenia, where he said “you grow up faster.” He earned multiple advanced degrees, and was an architect in Armenia. But technology growth in the country felt stagnant to him, so he applied for a United States green card. He now runs five businesses in the woodworking and robotics industries.

LifeWay Arts specializes in engraved wooden boxes with a religious focus. On a larger scale, Zeynalyan creates intricately carved wooden doors as well.