NAME: Crystal Vitolo
TITLE: Mechanical Designer
OFFICE: Zelienople, PA
YEARS AT A + S: 10
Tell us a little about yourself. Family, hobbies, etc.
I grew up in the rural part of Cranberry Township, PA (North of Pittsburgh). I went to Butler County Community College for an Associate Degree in Mechanical Engineering Drafting and Design. After I graduated, I started working at Allen and Shariff. For the past 9 years, I worked full time while going back to school to achieve my Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering at Slippery Rock University in May 2023.
I’m a Mechanical Designer during the day and a Homesteader at night. My husband and I have been running a homestead for three years. This includes three dogs (Lola, Dixie, and Bones), 30 chickens, 10 ducks, 7 Nigerian dwarf dairy goats, and soon, an additional 2 Idaho pasture pigs.
In my free time, I run a goat’s milk soap shop (goat’s milk from our own dairy goats) and operate a YouTube channel teaching others how to homestead. I also can food from my garden, make homemade cheese, and focus on living a holistic life center around God.
What’s your favorite part of being a member of Allen + Shariff?
My favorite part of being a member of Allen + Shariff is the core values of the company – Integrity, Quality, Team Spirt, Pride, Growth, Citizenship, and Fun. The firm really stays true to the core values every day. Integrity is very important when it comes to healthcare engineering. We are designing HVAC, plumbing, fire protection, and medical gas systems in hospitals. If a mistake is made, it can have a huge impact. Quality is seen in having quality drawings, calculations, and survey notes. Team Spirt is displayed when we are all working towards our deadlines and helping each other out. We have pride in our team and work. We also have the opportunity for growth in our company, goals, and employees. Citizenship comes into play when the employees help our community in need. Finally, we like to have fun. Even with the deadlines and hectic schedules, we still take time out of our day to have fun and cherish our work relationships.
What do you love most about MEP engineering?
I love that every project we work on is unique and challenging. We may design the same exact cart washes at two different hospitals, yet they will both be two completely different outcomes. Being in healthcare engineering, we design so many different rooms from CT and MRI to cafeterias and lobbies.
Tell us about a time when you really saw the power of teamwork in action at A + S.
The power of teamwork happens every day at the Zelienople office. Our mechanical team is a very tight knit group. We are constantly helping each other out with deadlines, surveying, and coordinating workload through our team. There is not a day that goes by that teamwork isn’t involved at our office.
Do you have any programs that you are currently binge-watching?
Two shows that I have been currently binge-watching are Homestead Rescue and Homegrown. Homestead Rescue is about people who went off grid and are struggling with the infrastructure of their homestead. Homegrown is basically like fixer upper but with gardens. The people on the show want to have a productive garden and are having issues and failing miserably. The owner Jamila Norman worked in the engineering field for 10 years before starting her gardening business.
If you were deserted on an island, what three things (other than family/pets) would you want with you?
I would bring a chicken, axe, and cowgirl boots. Why would I bring these things first? The chicken would forage for food and supply me with protein daily. The axe can be used to cut trees to make a shelter. Cowgirl boots are important for foot protection and ankle stability.
What did you want to be when you were younger?
I used to play Sims on my PC where I would spend hours designing layouts of houses, selecting colors, and creating families. I wanted to be an architect when I was younger, all the way up until high school. Once I got to high school, I went to Vo-tech for drafting and design where I learned a lot about architectural design with Revit and AutoCAD. My senior year I decided architectural design wasn’t for me, but I enjoyed AutoCAD.
What is something unique about you (a fun fact) that few people are aware of?
Last year, I canned over six hundred jars of food. I have also traveled to 21 out of the 50 states.
NAME: Crystal Vitolo
TITLE: Mechanical Designer
OFFICE: Zelienople, PA
YEARS AT A + S: 10
Tell us a little about yourself. Family, hobbies, etc.
I grew up in the rural part of Cranberry Township, PA (North of Pittsburgh). I went to Butler County Community College for an Associate Degree in Mechanical Engineering Drafting and Design. After I graduated, I started working at Allen and Shariff. For the past 9 years, I worked full time while going back to school to achieve my Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering at Slippery Rock University in May 2023.
I’m a Mechanical Designer during the day and a Homesteader at night. My husband and I have been running a homestead for three years. This includes three dogs (Lola, Dixie, and Bones), 30 chickens, 10 ducks, 7 Nigerian dwarf dairy goats, and soon, an additional 2 Idaho pasture pigs.
In my free time, I run a goat’s milk soap shop (goat’s milk from our own dairy goats) and operate a YouTube channel teaching others how to homestead. I also can food from my garden, make homemade cheese, and focus on living a holistic life center around God.
What’s your favorite part of being a member of Allen + Shariff?
My favorite part of being a member of Allen + Shariff is the core values of the company – Integrity, Quality, Team Spirt, Pride, Growth, Citizenship, and Fun. The firm really stays true to the core values every day. Integrity is very important when it comes to healthcare engineering. We are designing HVAC, plumbing, fire protection, and medical gas systems in hospitals. If a mistake is made, it can have a huge impact. Quality is seen in having quality drawings, calculations, and survey notes. Team Spirt is displayed when we are all working towards our deadlines and helping each other out. We have pride in our team and work. We also have the opportunity for growth in our company, goals, and employees. Citizenship comes into play when the employees help our community in need. Finally, we like to have fun. Even with the deadlines and hectic schedules, we still take time out of our day to have fun and cherish our work relationships.
What do you love most about MEP engineering?
I love that every project we work on is unique and challenging. We may design the same exact cart washes at two different hospitals, yet they will both be two completely different outcomes. Being in healthcare engineering, we design so many different rooms from CT and MRI to cafeterias and lobbies.
Tell us about a time when you really saw the power of teamwork in action at A + S.
The power of teamwork happens every day at the Zelienople office. Our mechanical team is a very tight knit group. We are constantly helping each other out with deadlines, surveying, and coordinating workload through our team. There is not a day that goes by that teamwork isn’t involved at our office.
Do you have any programs that you are currently binge-watching?
Two shows that I have been currently binge-watching are Homestead Rescue and Homegrown. Homestead Rescue is about people who went off grid and are struggling with the infrastructure of their homestead. Homegrown is basically like fixer upper but with gardens. The people on the show want to have a productive garden and are having issues and failing miserably. The owner Jamila Norman worked in the engineering field for 10 years before starting her gardening business.
If you were deserted on an island, what three things (other than family/pets) would you want with you?
I would bring a chicken, axe, and cowgirl boots. Why would I bring these things first? The chicken would forage for food and supply me with protein daily. The axe can be used to cut trees to make a shelter. Cowgirl boots are important for foot protection and ankle stability.
What did you want to be when you were younger?
I used to play Sims on my PC where I would spend hours designing layouts of houses, selecting colors, and creating families. I wanted to be an architect when I was younger, all the way up until high school. Once I got to high school, I went to Vo-tech for drafting and design where I learned a lot about architectural design with Revit and AutoCAD. My senior year I decided architectural design wasn’t for me, but I enjoyed AutoCAD.
What is something unique about you (a fun fact) that few people are aware of?
Last year, I canned over six hundred jars of food. I have also traveled to 21 out of the 50 states.