Every Tuesday at 4 PM, I meet with Kipcon’s Vice President of Engineering and Architecture, Mark Yanchuk. When I first started working at Kipcon, Chelsea Brodmerkel (who you might remember from our May blog), our Marketing Director, sat in the meeting with us, showing me the engineering proposal process. I can’t remember when exactly Chelsea handed over the reins, but eventually, I knew the process and Tuesdays at 4 were just me and Mark.
As my role at Kipcon has evolved, Mark has become an unexpected teacher. My official title is Proposal Coordinator and Project Administrator. My success at the former is all thanks to Chelsea, and while she’s also helped me with the latter, as I was learning the ropes of project set-up, Mark would sometimes call and ask me if I knew what I was doing. Sometimes I did and sometimes I didn’t, and when I didn’t, he showed me how it was done.
In this month’s blog, I interviewed Mark and got to know a little more about his history at Kipcon, how he became an architect and engineer, and what he enjoys most about working at Kipcon (besides our Tuesday meetings).
The Only Career Option
“The only career that I ever was interested in was becoming an architect. I locked in on architecture during my sophomore year in high school,” Mark told me. Prior to our interview, I did know this from one of our weekly meetings. “I took a mechanical drafting class as a sophomore at Woodbridge High School. It then led to taking architectural drafting classes as a junior and senior. I loved to draw architectural blueprints by hand.” This, I didn’t know. “Still do, but now it is all CAD. I went to NJIT at the inception of their architecture program in 1974 and have been involved in the design and construction of buildings ever since.”
Over the course of our meetings, I’ve also learned a lot about buildings from Mark. When we review proposals for certain projects, I’ll ask what certain roofing and facade terms mean. (Before we worked on this month’s blog post together, Mark shared his facade knowledge with me.) The chances of me heading out to a site to perform a structural inspection any time soon are pretty slim, but if you happen to call the office with a question, there’s a 50/50 chance I’ll know the answer (or the start of one) thanks to one of my Tuesday meetings.
Architecture led to engineering, as Mark told me, “After obtaining my architect’s license I decided to pursue the engineering license because it was a natural extension of my interests, experience, and knowledge working in an engineering department at the large pharma company.”
The Best Part of the Job
Of course, I know, and Mark knows, that our meetings are the best part of the job. However, all bias aside, when I asked Mark what the best part of working for Kipcon is, he told me, “The diversity of projects and working alongside the talented people in Kipcon. Kipcon’s management and culture are very employee friendly. Staff are highly respected by the leadership team. Kipcon is a mid-size company, so everyone matters. That produces a strong team.”
Everyone at Kipcon does matter. We care about each other not only as coworkers but as people. We’re here to help each other. From answering work questions to asking for a review of a potential structural beam issue in our homes (yes, I did ask Mark to do this for me once), we do what we can, whenever we can, to support each other, because we care.
The First Job and the Latest
When I asked Mark if he remembered his first project or site visit, he told me, “No, not really.” However, “I am currently working on a large condo project in Asbury Park that is quite exciting. The building will be something special, and I feel fortunate to be working with ownership on this remarkable project.“
Behind the scenes selfies from the Asbury Park project Mark referenced above
Joining the Kipcon Team
Mark has worked for Kipcon for the past fifteen years. “I came to Kipcon after a layoff where I worked for 30 years in a large New Jersey-based pharmaceutical company. That company hired Kipcon so that I could work on several projects for them. It was a nice memory to know that my skills were acknowledged, if only after the fact.”
Mark and Kipcon’s President, Seth Frumkin, at Kipcon’s 2025 Holiday Party (where Mark was presented with an award for his 15 years of service)
The Kipcon Difference
“To our clients, we here at Kipcon hold our commitment to you in the highest regard. Speaking for myself, the quality of our product is the most important aspect of the job.”
If you’ve been reading each month’s blog, you’ll know this is also true for every department and individual at Kipcon. We care about each other, and we care about our clients. The work we do for you is our best, because we bring our best to every part of the job. From sending out proposals to performing site visits, we are committed to providing all our clients with the best experience and highest quality work.
Sharing our knowledge with our clients is also important to everyone at Kipcon. Mark has also presented many Kipcon webinars over the years and just might appear in a few more in 2027.
Fun fact… In addition to all of the things I’ve learned from meeting with Mark and attending his webinars, Mark has also taught me how to fold a blueprint, a skill I never thought I’d have.
The Only Role
At the end of each interview, I have asked the same question, “If you could switch roles with anyone on the team for a day, who would you choose?”
After almost three years of working with Mark, Mark’s answer felt very in line with everything I’ve come to know about him. “No switching for me.”
There is only one job for Mark and only one Mark for the job.
Connect with Kipcon
Unfortunately, you can’t sit in on our Tuesday meeting, but if your community needs any engineering services, you can contact us here or call us at (800) 828-4118.