David Schaeffer, PE, LEED AP BD+C

Associate, Mechanical Engineer



EXPERTISE

MEP Engineering

I was first attracted to Mazzetti after a compelling internship experience while completing my Mechanical Engineering Bachelor degree at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo. Having been exposed to healthcare design, at the start of my career, I’m fully addicted and continue to increase my knowledge of codes and OSHPD interface.

I love working in this industry because of the infinite opportunities to learn something new coupled with the opportunities to collaborate with and learn from our design partners. I appreciate opportunities to do meaningful work with a positive impact on society — designing healthcare facilities more than checks this box!

In terms of the greatest value that I strive to bring to clients — humility. Everyone in this industry has talent and experience. Yet, I’ve seen talented but arrogant people completely ignore valuable input from other trade partners that would have likely yielded benefit to the overall project. I believe that confidence and humility should go together; the best collaboration happens when egos are non-factors. I’ve noticed that when people lead with humility, it can encourage a culture of humility in the project team. To that effect, I hope to bring a posture of confident humility on every project.

Early in my career with Mazzetti, I was working on a medical office building located in San Francisco. I remember asking a senior engineer, what’s the purpose of the ultrasound rooms? He paused and said, “Well, when you’re expecting a child…” and went on to describe the special moment that parents get to experience when they come into this room and see the scan of their baby on the screen for the first time. Fast forward a few years after the building was opened, my wife and I entered an imaging room I had designed and experienced seeing our first child on the screen. It was a special moment for us, to say the least, and a rewarding full-circle experience, giving me a deeper appreciation for the work we do in healthcare.

My Flipside

I grew up in southern California, went to school on the central coast, and have now resided in San Francisco since beginning my professional career. California has a lot of diverse beauty to offer across the state. When I’m not at work, I enjoy spending casual time with people in my community, my church, and local friends.

I’m thankful to live in the Bay Area where there is always plenty to experience! In my downtime at home, I enjoy studying Spanish or Mandarin, the latter of which I learned while living abroad in China for a year.       

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