We are bringing you another Q&A session - this time with Conor Clark, a Senior Inspector within Vidaris' Existing Buildings team.
What's your commute like?
CC: My commute is a breeze. I live in the East Village by Tompkins Square Park and typically walk or bike to work each day.
Do you have weird quirks?
CC: I dance a lot. It’s kind of involuntary. Whether at my desk, walking down hallways, or even pouring coffee, I typically have some form of spring or rhythm in my step. Good to keep the spirits up.
What's the one food you can't live without?
CC: Chicken. I tried giving up meat multiple times, and I never had an issue with red meat, but I could never give up chicken.
Tell us about your family:
CC: Mom is from a suburb outside of Flint, Michigan. One day in college she decided she was fed up with the cold and ditched East Lansing for St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands. Dad was born and raised in Georgia, and played football for UGA. He now works for Berry College in his hometown of Rome, GA and volunteers as Special Teams Coach for the football team. My sister Katie is currently in school at Mount Holyoke. She recently had a book of poetry published titled “our own soft.” She’s way cooler than me.
Animal you most resemble:
CC: An otter. I’m not sure why, but I’ve never been able to shake the comparison.
What's the most extravagant thing you've ever purchased?
CC: I once ordered a 7,500 gallon water tanker delivery to my college so we could have a pool party. Public Safety was reasonably upset, however they were impressed at our organization and stealth. Construction was going on in a nearby lot, so I knew a tanker truck could pass through without raising suspicion.
3 Things you can't live without?
CC: Insulin, my family, and a body of water.
Best piece of advice you ever got?
CC: Live your life like it’s the best story ever told.
Favorite building?
CC: 570 Lexington. It has everything, beautiful brick work, ornamental terra cotta, lightning bolts, and huge god-like statues on every elevation. 570 was one of my first projects I worked on when I started at Vidaris, and it really left an impression on me.
Favorite lunch spot?
CC: I There’s a room on the 38th floor of the Waldorf-Astoria with crimson geometric wallpaper and cheetah-print carpet. I like to pack my lunch and eat there. Breathtaking views, and can’t beat the atmosphere.
Favorite TV show?
CC: No shame, my favorite TV show is “The O.C.” Hard to shake early 2000’s nostalgia, and it has one of the best TV soundtracks of all time.
Favorite vacation spot?
CC: Lake Yonah, GA. A hydroelectric project created a number of “power lakes” along the South Carolina/Georgia border. My family used to go almost every summer. There was no access by road or car and you could only get to the house by boat. It was paradise.
Book read over and over:
CC: Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger.
Early riser or night owl?
CC: Night owl
iPhone or Android?
CC: iPhone
Favorite office memory:
CC: I was inspecting a glass installation at Top of the Rock. It was a night inspection and we were in the home stretch, almost 2am. An NBC page steps out onto the terrace looking like Kenneth straight out of 30 Rock. He was carrying a stack of pizza boxes and told us we looked hungry. We had a pizza party on the 70th floor of Rockefeller Plaza. Just one big happy family.
What made you do what you do?
CC: There is so much potential. Every building is an opportunity to build something new, find a new solution, or form new relationships. I find it very rewarding.
Tell us more about your position:
CC: I love what I do. I used to get in trouble for climbing and exploring buildings, now I get paid for it.
Defining moment at Vidaris:
CC: See above.
Why Vidaris?
CC: Stan Chan. I would not be here if not for him.
