Our staff was on site at Port Discovery performing some routine maintenance on some exhibits when we first meet Andrew as he crawled out of an exhibit he was servicing.

In 2007 not long after this encounter, Andrew joined our team as a Design Assistant. We thought his experience with exhibit maintenance was perfect training for participation in our collaborative design process. Andrew was a quick study for AutoCAD based on his prior experience with Cobalt, the Mac-based CAD program which he learned as an Industrial Design major at University of the Arts. As Design Assistant at USA, Andrew was also called upon to assist with shop fabrication as a part of his training as an exhibit designer.

Andrew’s easy laugh and calm demeanor are also assets in his current role as Design Coordinator. Guiding our team-based design process begins with early consultations with the construction team to get their opinions on materials and methods right away. You need patience and humility to face our tough crowd of seasoned exhibit fabricators! Continuous in-process reviews with the team ensure that the design vision stays on track in terms of budget and technical feasibility. This process has been crucial in our recent work with the Central Pennsylvania Convention and Visitors Bureau; Andrew participated in the initial site survey and assisted with the demolition plan for the existing structures and efficient installation of the new design.

Andrew was married this past spring in a ceremony held in the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts’ Historic Landmark Building. He and Eliza honeymooned in Hawaii where they went everywhere and tried everything, including: snorkeling, scuba diving, hiking, kayaking, a zipline tour, a slack-key guitar concert, a luau, a catamaran tour, a boat race, and a trip to a day spa with mud wraps! He is also working on renovating his new home; like a thoughtful builder and designer, Andrew is first planning and supplying his personal woodshop where he will build his own custom cabinetry.