The "I Love Kalihi" FB page and blog aims to promote the rich history of Kalihi, the institutions and businesses, and the people who claim roots, residence, and association to it.
I am happy that our first feature is no other than my friend who embodies many good things about Kalihi and more. He is Engr. Paul Joe M. Alegado.
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| Preschooler Paul Alegado |
It was not too long ago when as
teenagers, Paul Alegado and his cousins Carlo and Darwin Ulep would be popping a
wheelie in their Kalihi neighborhood day in and day out. Today, he often finds himself on a
plane to different destinations popping out multimillion-dollar projects for
world-renowned audio-visual consulting company Engineering Harmonics Inc.
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| Night BBQ with friends at the beach. |
Paul was born in Honolulu and had
kept residence in Kalihi with his parents, Silverio and Mely Alegado until he
moved to Canada to marry Myrtle Obcena in 1999. Like many local boys, he was not strange to the ins and outs
of Kalihi, trekking the Koolau Mountains, including those unpublished
trails. He enjoyed going to the
beach, riding his BMX bike and singing along to local hits as well as his
favorite Beatles songs. As a
member of the famous Honolulu Boy Choir, he spent many memorable moments with
the group in his preteens. In
sports, he was proficient in basketball, bowling, and golf.
"He’s been exposed to the finer things in life and has mingled with influential people yet he has remained a local boy at heart, humble and easy-going, a reflection of his upbringing."
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| Little choir members, Paul with cousins Carlo and Darwin |
Paul was raised in the Iglesia Ni
Cristo (Church of Christ) faith, attending worship services in its house of
worship on Valley View Drive in Kalihi.
He was a member of the choir and held other offices in the church. Paul’s leadership and interpersonal
skills were developed through the functions of the church’s youth organizations.
He studied at the Hawaii Baptist
Academy and graduated high school in 1989. He then left the islands for college and later graduated
with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering degree in 1994 from the
University of Florida. Although he was busy studying on the mainland, he would
still find his way back home during the summers to hang out with his old
friends and family.
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| With Kalihi Valley in the background, Paul is all suited up for worship service. |
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| Me sending off Paul to college. |
Paul is on my short list of guy
friends who I can always reconnect even after years of not seeing each
other. He’s been exposed to the
finer things in life and has mingled with influential people yet he has
remained a local boy at heart, humble and easy-going, a reflection of his
upbringing. His old friends are
still close to his heart and he treasures his family even more, lightening up
the eyes of his grandparents, uncles, and aunts each time he comes home to
Hawaii with his own family.
As an Electrical Engineer, he
specializes in designing audio-visual technology and performance sound of opera
houses, concert halls, multi-purpose theatres, boardrooms, universities and
sports facilities. He has been involved with multi-million dollar projects throughout
the world, including the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia. His latest
exciting ventures include designing the sound, video and broadcast systems of
the Philippine
Arena (touted as the largest domed arena in the world upon its
completion in 2014), as well as the nearby Philippine
Stadium in Bulacan, Philippines.
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| Me and Paul at his latest Hawaii visit. |
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| The Alegado Family |
As much of the world’s economic
growth continues to happen in southeast Asia, Paul will surely be traveling
often to that side of the world - each time dropping by to touch base with his
roots because, after all, this Kalihi boy’s heart still belongs to Hawaii.
Paul Alegado is Manager, Western Canada Region, for
Engineering Harmonics. In this role, he is responsible for managing the
company's client services in British Columbia, Alberta and the US West. In
addition, he carries out senior design and project management services for the
company’s diversified client base in the region.
With more than 16 years’ design and project management experience in the
fields of audio-visual technology and performance sound, he provides
specialized consulting services for facilities ranging from opera houses,
concert halls and multi-purpose theatres to boardrooms, lecture halls, casinos
and sports facilities. He has served as a designer with Engineering Harmonics
since 1999.
He has a unique understanding of each team member’s capabilities and
responsibilities and uses a range of project management methods to ensure
projects are successful. Over the course of his career, Paul has had the opportunity
to experience every facet of a project, from penciling an initial design and
providing precise calculations, to computerized measurement of final system
performance. He is one of our busiest project managers and
designers.
Portfolio
As
project manager and designer with Engineering Harmonics, Paul’s portfolio
includes the Trump International Hotel and Tower, Toronto;
Winspear Opera House and Wyly Theatre at the AT&T Performing Arts Center,
Dallas; Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Theatre; Mazagan Resort, Morocco; Kauffman
Center for the Performing Arts, Kansas City; Broadway Rose Theatre for
Universal Studios, Dubai; Young Centre for the Performing Arts, Toronto; South
Okanagan Events Centre; the University of Delaware’s Center for the Arts; Arts of Collin County, Allen, TX; Overture Center for the Performing Arts,
Madison, WI; James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA; and
Epcor Centre for the Performing Arts, Calgary.
Education
& Career Beginnings
Paul graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering
from the University of Florida in 1994. Like many dedicated engineers, his involvement with electronic
audio/video systems began in his early teens. He has since attained certification for BSS Soundweb and AMX
programming, and his skill set includes computer aided design
(CAD), programming of control systems, acoustical modeling using Enhanced
Acoustic Simulator for Engineers (EASE) and SmaartLive© acoustical measurement
software.
Memberships
A
registered Professional Engineer in the provinces of Ontario and Alberta, Paul is
a member of Infocomm, the Audio Engineering Society (AES), the Ontario Society
of Professional Engineers, and the Order of the Engineer (US).
Publications
As
a project manager and designer, Paul has contributed to a number of technical
articles and magazine features, including “Mandating the House Audio System” (Lighting & Sound America, April
2007), “Overture Center for the Performing Arts” (Professional Sound, February 2005), and “Install of the Month:
Redwood Park Church, Thunder Bay, Ontario” (Sound
& Video Contractor, January 2005).
Here's an article on one of Paul's projects:
