Alumni News

ALUMNI PROFILE
AE Newsletter - Fall/Winter 2000
A TALE OF TWO AEs… Or Penn State Meets the Silicon Valley! It is 9:30 PM on a Tuesday night and two Penn State Architectural Engineers, David Kaneda P.E., AIA (AE ’81) and Mark Fisher, P.E. (AE ’84) are discussing strategies for a hotel lobby design in the heart of the Silicon Valley. Close friends since Penn State, they met on Mark’s first day as a freshman at Penn State in 1978, where David was serving as an Orientation Leader in West Halls. David clearly remembers promising Mark’s parents, “Don’t worry, I promise to keep an eye on your son!” Little did they know what they were getting into… David and Mark are both past presidents of Alpha Phi Omega Service Fraternity at PSU, where they started “management training.” It was also at APO that Mark met his future wife Joyce (SpEd ’84.) Mark says, “If it wasn’t for Joyce, I would still be working on my thesis!” After graduation, David pursued an international career working in Tokyo, Chicago, London and Los Angeles between 1981 and 1991. He spent most of that time at Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, where he established two electrical engineering groups, as well as managing projects including the Canary Wharf Development in London, the Asian Development Bank Headquarters and Mickey Mouse’s House at Disneyland. While at SOM, he received his P.E. and architectural registration, as well as a European engineering registration. In 1993, David completed his M.B.A. at the London Business School. After business school, David was the Western Regional Manager for Elliptipar, Inc. and later a principal at American Consulting Engineers, a small mechanical and electrical consultant in the Bay Area. During this time, Mark spent his career in Baltimore, first at James Posey Associates, then at Spears/Votta & Associates. In 1993, Mark completed his M.B.A. at Loyola of Maryland and became an Associate at SVA, taking over the electrical department of this 35-person M/E/P firm. Overseeing a variety of public and private projects, his most noted endeavors include design of the ESPN Zone in both Baltimore and D.C., relighting of Baltimore’s Bromo Seltzer Tower, a complete renovation of Baltimore’s Harborplace, and a corporate campus for T. Rowe Price. From 1987 to 2000, Mark taught both fundamental and advanced lighting courses for the Maryland section of the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES).	In June of 1999, David decided to make the leap and go it alone, and establishing Integrated Design Associates, Inc. or “IDeAs”. He managed to convince Mark to leave his cushy position at SVA and help to start up IDeAs in March of 2000. Their common goal is the desire to have the freedom to create a firm that is both highly innovative and service oriented. “We believe that our great education from Penn State, coupled with our M.B.A.’s give us a higher level of sophistication and creativity,” states David. Both Mark and David also share a passion for lighting design and both are recipients of national lighting design awards from the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA). They are both also leaders in the profession where Mark has served as a President of the Baltimore chapter of the IESNA and David is currently the President of the Santa Clara Valley Chapter of the American Institute of Architect (AIA). IDeAs is still a very young practice, and in the true Penn State tradition, they work hard and play hard. The firm combines long hours of work with fun, like a company-sponsored ski trip last spring and regular company parties. A recent compliment from one of their clients was that while other engineering firms run into roadblocks, IDeAs has a “can-do” attitude and always seems to be able to find a creative solution to a problem. The energy level at IDeAs is electric! (no pun intended) Now one year old, IDeAs has nine employees including Greg Lee, E.I.T. (AE ’99). In true Silicon Valley fashion, you can hear a half dozen languages spoken in their office, lunch seminars are as likely to feature dim sum as pizza, and discussions center around investments in neighbors Intel, Yahoo, Apple and other dot.com companies! To find out more about IDeAs, email David at dkaneda@ideasi.com or Mark at mfisher@ideasi.com.
	THE WHOLE GANG (L-R) Stephania & David Kaneda, Mark & Joyce Fisher, Children: Aaron Kaneda (2 mon.), Stephen Fisher (10), Timothy Fisher (7) and Giselle Kaneda (2)

ALUMNI PROFILE

AE Newsletter - Fall/Winter 2000

A TALE OF TWO AEs…
Or Penn State Meets the Silicon Valley!

It is 9:30 PM on a Tuesday night and two Penn State Architectural Engineers, David Kaneda P.E., AIA (AE ’81) and Mark Fisher, P.E. (AE ’84) are discussing strategies for a hotel lobby design in the heart of the Silicon Valley.

Close friends since Penn State, they met on Mark’s first day as a freshman at Penn State in 1978, where David was serving as an Orientation Leader in West Halls. David clearly remembers promising Mark’s parents, “Don’t worry, I promise to keep an eye on your son!” Little did they know what they were getting into…

David and Mark are both past presidents of Alpha Phi Omega Service Fraternity at PSU, where they started “management training.” It was also at APO that Mark met his future wife Joyce (SpEd ’84.) Mark says, “If it wasn’t for Joyce, I would still be working on my thesis!”

After graduation, David pursued an international career working in Tokyo, Chicago, London and Los Angeles between 1981 and 1991. He spent most of that time at Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, where he established two electrical engineering groups, as well as managing projects including the Canary Wharf Development in London, the Asian Development Bank Headquarters and Mickey Mouse’s House at Disneyland. While at SOM, he received his P.E. and architectural registration, as well as a European engineering registration.

In 1993, David completed his M.B.A. at the London Business School. After business school, David was the Western Regional Manager for Elliptipar, Inc. and later a principal at American Consulting Engineers, a small mechanical and electrical consultant in the Bay Area.

During this time, Mark spent his career in Baltimore, first at James Posey Associates, then at Spears/Votta & Associates. In 1993, Mark completed his M.B.A. at Loyola of Maryland and became an Associate at SVA, taking over the electrical department of this 35-person M/E/P firm. Overseeing a variety of public and private projects, his most noted endeavors include design of the ESPN Zone in both Baltimore and D.C., relighting of Baltimore’s Bromo Seltzer Tower, a complete renovation of Baltimore’s Harborplace, and a corporate campus for T. Rowe Price. From 1987 to 2000, Mark taught both fundamental and advanced lighting courses for the Maryland section of the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES).

In June of 1999, David decided to make the leap and go it alone, and establishing Integrated Design Associates, Inc. or “IDeAs”. He managed to convince Mark to leave his cushy position at SVA and help to start up IDeAs in March of 2000. Their common goal is the desire to have the freedom to create a firm that is both highly innovative and service oriented. “We believe that our great education from Penn State, coupled with our M.B.A.’s give us a higher level of sophistication and creativity,” states David. Both Mark and David also share a passion for lighting design and both are recipients of national lighting design awards from the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA). They are both also leaders in the profession where Mark has served as a President of the Baltimore chapter of the IESNA and David is currently the President of the Santa Clara Valley Chapter of the American Institute of Architect (AIA).

IDeAs is still a very young practice, and in the true Penn State tradition, they work hard and play hard. The firm combines long hours of work with fun, like a company-sponsored ski trip last spring and regular company parties. A recent compliment from one of their clients was that while other engineering firms run into roadblocks, IDeAs has a “can-do” attitude and always seems to be able to find a creative solution to a problem.

The energy level at IDeAs is electric! (no pun intended) Now one year old, IDeAs has nine employees including Greg Lee, E.I.T. (AE ’99). In true Silicon Valley fashion, you can hear a half dozen languages spoken in their office, lunch seminars are as likely to feature dim sum as pizza, and discussions center around investments in neighbors Intel, Yahoo, Apple and other dot.com companies!

To find out more about IDeAs, email David at dkaneda@ideasi.com or Mark at mfisher@ideasi.com.

THE WHOLE GANG (L-R) Stephania & David Kaneda, Mark & Joyce Fisher, Children: Aaron Kaneda (2 mon.), Stephen Fisher (10), Timothy Fisher (7) and Giselle Kaneda (2)