Base Office: Middletown, CT
Email: pmader@hallam-ics.com
I graduated high school uncertain in my career path. My father always encouraged me to explore mechanical engineering, which is what he studied and has a distinguished career in. I agreed to study for an engineering science associate degree, but I did not feel a strong emotional connection to the subject matter. I spent three years at Manchester Community College half-heartedly pursuing something I wasn't passionate in. I did fine in all my classes, but I was lacking the feeling of excitement in my work. It didn't help that most of my classes were middle of the road general education required classes. The last class I was required to take for my associate degree was Thermodynamics 1 taught by Professor Thomas Filburn. In this class, I truly found my passion for the engineering mindset - it was the first time I felt true excitement towards the the puzzle solving process that is Engineering. Anyone who knows Thermodynamics may understand a comparison of the science to Sudoku: You start with a guess and often just a single piece of information, and you pull the string (and sometimes the hair out of your head) until you have the entire problem mapped. I was in love.
With a newfound dedication to learn as much as I could about this domain, I decided to pursue Mechanical Engineering at the University of Hartford with my whole heart. I enrolled and worked hard for three great years, consistently achieving Dean's List status with a GPA above 3.0 each semester. I loved the classes I took and the teachers were always ready to talk about what they were passionate about: Professor Cy Yavuzturk with his Energy Sciences, Professor Akin Tatogulu with his Machine Learning and Control Systems, Professor Ted Diehl with his Mechanisms and Mechanical Designs, Professor Paul Slaboch with his Thermal-Fluid Sciences, and many more. My time at the University of Hartford was spent learning a significant amount and solidifying my passion for exploring the field of engineering. I am forever grateful to the professors who spent the time with me to walk through and answer all of my questions.
Following graduation in May 2021, I secured a position as a Mechanical Technician at EnviroPower in East Windsor, CT. I worked with my team to help build a prototype 6KW Combined Heat and Power Microturbine boiler. I was not around for much of the design, but I was there to help build everything from the piping system that connected the prototype boiler to an outdoor cooling tower to assembling the turbine generator in a room I had laid out and designed for that purpose. After a year doing hands-on work for people who truly appreciated what I was doing, I decided I needed to leave to pursue my dream - the achievement of a Professional Engineering license. Driven by this goal, I left to pursue my career as a mechanical engineer in the consulting world.
Long story short, after working in another small but great engineering consulting company for just over a year, I seized an opportunity to join Hallam-ICS. My father connected me with Mark Felgate, and through him I was fortunate enough to meet with Jamie Spalding. During our first in person meeting, I was exited to see just how closely our values aligned.
Now, I am happily employed at Hallam-ICS, continuing my journey to learn and excited about the possibilities that lie ahead for me to learn from people who are smarter and wiser than myself to achieve the dream: Be the best Mechanical Engineer I can be.
