Patrick Rose @Chromalloy

HIGHLAND FALLS, NY—Lots of little boys say that when they grow up they want to be train engineers. When Patrick Rose voiced that desire in grammar school he was thinking far beyond locomotives.

“I was always interested in motion,” the 26-year-old offered as the reason for his career choice at such a early age. “My interests were geared to math and science even in grade school. I remember wanting to be an engineer even then.”

Patrick’s career path led him through summers working for his grandfather, Pat Aguanno, who is the owner and president of Fairway Testing Co., Inc., a member firm of the Construction Industry Council of Westchester & Hudson Valley, Inc. (CIC).  Back then, he worked testing soil, asphalt and concrete samples. Both his parents work at Fairway—his mother, Lisa (nee Aguanno) Rose, is a secretary and his father, Pat Rose, is an operations manager.

A civil engineer himself, Patrick’s grandfather early on detected his grandson’s focus and interest, steering him in solid directions, encouraging him to apply for a college grant from the Louis G. Nappi Construction Industry Labor-Management Scholarship Program, which is administered by the CIC in honor of its Chairman Emeritus Louis Nappi. Patrick was one of a handful of students who won a $3,000 scholarship grant toward his studies in 2011.

The scholarship program is designed to inspire students to pursue STEM subjects, and is available to the family members and relatives who are employees of CIC-member companies or members of labor local unions that contribute to the Nappi Scholarship Program.

Patrick graduated from Villanova University with a B.S. in Engineering in 2013, and he stayed on at the university to complete a Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering. One of his most rewarding extracurricular activities at Villanova was tutoring students in physics. As he recalled, “It showed me the value of helping others with my knowledge and experience.”

Now a product engineer at Chromalloy, a global technology company providing integrated solutions to extend the life of gas turbine engines, Patrick’s fascination with motion has found a fitting niche.

“I’ve only been here six months, but I’m really happy in my position,” he said recently from his Chromalloy office in Orangeburg, NY. “I always wanted to work on parts and systems, anything that moves. So working with jet engine parts is a really good fit for me. Getting down on the manufacturing floor is one of my favorite jobs. I see the parts being machined.”

Another good fit for Patrick is his love of music. He owns two solid-body electric guitars: a Gibson SG and a Fender Stratocaster. After a number of years of plugging in and playing guitars made by others, he decided it was time to build one for himself. His woodworking, his electronics, his engineering, his artistry—all packed into his own interpretation of how a Stratocaster should look and sound.

“It’s fun, with an engineering twist,” he said, as the challenges of creating an electric guitar from scratch appealed to him. Made from mahogany, the guitar he’s building has tri-color LED lights for the fret inlays, made by drilling channels through the neck. It’s looking pretty good so he may even make another one.  Look out, Leo Fender.

By SHEILA SMITH DRAPEAU