Image Alumni ’89 Education BFA in Industrial Design Current Career President and CEO of Kablooe Design Location Andover, Minnesota Where are you originally from and how did you hear about MCAD? I'm from the northern suburbs of the Twin Cities, and my high school art teacher arranged a tour of MCAD and recommended it for me. She was a good mentor to me, so I took her advice to heart. What was your experience living in the Twin Cities? Any hidden treasures? Spyhouse coffee, but now it is overly popular. Back in the day that was really nice. The Leaning Tower of Pizza was always great, and I have gone back to the Black Forest Inn several times over the years since leaving MCAD. What was your major and how did you choose it? It started as graphic design, but I took an Industrial Design elective and loved it and made that my major in my sophomore year. Best thing you ever found on the free shelf? Rubber mat with holes in it.... it became part of a cool costume. Describe your internship(s). They were graphic design internships at Edition III printing and Designs LeMousse printing. Did MCAD prepare you for life after graduation? In what way? Yes. Gaining the confidence to handle creative decisions effectively has been something I have been very thankful for. Plus all the standard classroom training has proven to be very practical over the years. Your biggest takeaway from MCAD? Go for it. Just get out there and do it. You can make it happen. Any advice for new students? Necessity drives success. Get hungry like your life depends on it, then achieve. Your life actually does depend on it more than you think. How do you network yourself and your art? LinkedIn and trade/association meetings What inspires you/your work? Knowing my efforts will help improve the lives of others. Describe what you do for work and how your experience with it has been. I design and develop life-changing products and devices used by medical professionals and patients. How did you get your job? After leaving MCAD I decided to start my own consulting firm doing product design work. Over time I realized that I loved designing medical devices and that became the focus of our work here. Current obsession? Solving creative problems. kablooe.com