Our People – Yves Yanuaria | Playmaker
Yves Yanuaria is a Project Manager and Senior Electrical Engineer at iFactor. As a skilled playmaker both in the office and on the basketball court, Yves knows how to bring out the best in his teammates with cool-headed tenacity.
Q: During your career, you’ve served as Project Manager for numerous projects. What is your favorite project you’ve worked on and why? Most challenging and why?
A: My favorite project that I’ve worked on is the Merrill Lynch Orange County Co-Location Headquarters project. The project was high-profile for the client and under tight scrutiny as the space was to serve as its flagship location for the west coast. Through a concerted team effort, including the owner, architect and contractors, we were able to deliver within a very tight design and construction schedule. The owner and client took notice of the high quality and innovative solutions our team provided.
The most challenging project I’ve worked on was the Electrical Distribution Upgrade for Terminal 6 at LAX airport. When we started this project, I was green in my role as a project manager and a lead engineer. The project lasted roughly 4 years from planning, through design, and the completion of construction. Thanks to this project, I really grew as an engineer as the project required carefully managing a constantly revolving door of design scope, construction coordination, and most challenging, the different personalities and expectations of various project members. They say that as a PM, you’re as much a Personality Manager as you are a Project Manager. This project really made me understand the personality management aspect of the position.
Q: What is the greatest work of engineering genius?
A: The Wheel. It laid the foundation for all technological advancements to follow. Whether it’s travel or the transportation of material, the invention of the wheel made existing much easier. It was originally invented in 3500 B.C. to serve as a potter’s wheel. Not until 300 years later was it used in a chariot for transportation. Today, the wheel and its derivative are present all around us.
…or Instagram. Instagram might be the greatest work of engineering genius. I don’t know. Hard to say.
Q: What was the first project you managed?
A: The first project I managed on my own was a ground-up bank project for Bank of America located at La Costa Town Square, Carlsbad, CA in 2014.
Q: What might we find you doing on a typical Sunday afternoon?
A: Sundays are usually my day to take it easy and recharge from the work week or an eventful weekend. You can typically find me playing basketball with my recreation league, watching movies, attending a Los Angeles Rams home game, or catching up with my family/friends.
Q: If you had one superpower, what would it be and why?
A: As cliché as it may be, I would choose the ability to fly as my superpower. Having the ability to travel around so freely while being able to take in all of your surroundings can’t be beat. Plus, I would have such an advantage when playing sports!
Q: What is your biggest pet peeve?
A: Nothing peeves me more than having to wear wet socks. What a terrible feeling.
Q: How many stamps do you have in your passport and what stamps do you hope to add in the next 5 years?
A: I currently have three stamps in my passport – Philippines, Canada and Mexico. I would love to travel to at least one new country every year moving forward. So, I hope to add a minimum of 5 stamps in the next 5 years, with Greece and Thailand at the top of my list. Although, many countries have stopped using stamps and went digital so I don’t how many more I will be able to get. *Thumbs down*
Q: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
A: “With great power, comes great responsibility.” – My Uncle Ben told me that right before he died. That’s right. I’m Spider-Man.
Q: How would you describe your job to a 3rd grader?
A: Think of engineering as the human body. There are different parts of the human body that, when all pieced together, allow the human body to function. Electrical engineering is like the brain, heart, and blood of the human body. My job is to design the electrical system of a building, which provides power and sends it all throughout the building, allowing all the devices in the building to turn on. Similar to the brain/heart/blood, which provides life to the human body, allowing all the different body parts to operate and communicate with each other.
Q: If you had to be shipwrecked on a deserted island, but all your human needs—such as food and water—were taken care of, what three items would you want to have with you?
A: Basketball, iPad full of movies/music, Kindle
Q: What is the coolest sneaker ever created?
A: The Original Nike Air Jordan III. Michael Jordan’s first contract with Nike was nearing its end and Jordan was ready to leave and sign with, at the time, more established rival basketball sneaker companies. After several top executives and lead designers left Nike, the task to design the next iteration of the Air Jordan model was put in the hand of young inexperienced designer by the name of Tinker Hatfield. In a presentation of the Air Jordan III by Tinker to MJ, Jordan was so impressed by the unconventional and radical design that he decided to stay with Nike. The shoe was a mid-cut shoe, departing from the high cut of the Air Jordan I & II, and all other basketball shoes at the time. It utilized premium materials, was the first Air Jordan to incorporate Nike’s visible air cushioning in the midsole, and the first to don Jordan’s new logo known as the Jumpman. The shoe’s presence on the basketball court and in fashion, make it the greatest sneaker of all time.
Q: Who is your role model and why?
A: Kobe Bryant. I grew up loving the sport of basketball from a very young age. When I was 8 years old, my hometown team, the Los Angeles Lakers, drafted a kid straight out of high school by the name of Kobe Bryant. I was immediately drawn to his combination of skill, style, charisma, and showmanship. I attempted to model my game after his, but I think what made me want to be like him more than anything else, was his determination to be the best. No matter what it took. In order to excel at anything you do, you must be willing to work harder than the next person. That’s something in which I pride myself and try to apply in both my professional career and my personal life.