Ethan Hagel’s thirst for knowledge was apparent from a young age – always in search of intellectually stimulating content, he couldn’t keep his nose out of a book and never ran out of questions. His father recognized his analytical nature and suggested he pursue a career in engineering. And he did.
“I wanted to have a certain amount of impact; to really help people, and that’s exactly what electrical engineers do,” Ethan said. “It’s also kind of fun to say you could – if ever the opportunity arose – build robots for a living. Who wouldn’t want a job like that?”
As a full-time Electrical Engineer in our Rochester, NY office, Ethan provides lighting, data, fire alarm, security and communications system designs for a wide range of project types. Whether he’s supplying power to manufacturing equipment, selecting the right generator for a school’s emergency power system or laying out electrical outlet plans for a hospital, he thrives on performing technical analyses and receives a strong sense of satisfaction from creative problem-solving.
When he isn’t hard at work, Ethan enjoys immersing himself in philosophical discussion (ask him about the teachings of Søren Kierkegaard or René Descartes) and reading classic literature – he counts George Orwell’s 1984, Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged and J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit among his favorite stories. Appreciating that physical stimulation is as crucial to maintaining one’s well-being as mental stimulation, Ethan also frequents a parkour gym and practices free running, jumping off walls and performing flips and cartwheels to push his abilities to new heights.
When asked what he most enjoys about his role with CPL, he highlighted the firm’s culture of compassion and cross-disciplinary teams.
“Our cause is noble. We have the capacity and privilege to build structures that aid the public and keep people safe, and we do it because we genuinely care,” Ethan said, adding, “And with architects, engineers and interior designers all in-house, we’re truly a full-service team.”
