Who We Are
"Designers have a moral obligation to craft spaces people WANT to work in."
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Dave Chislett, FCSI Partner |
Who We Are
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Thomas D. Ricca, FFCSI Partner tricca@riccanewmark.com Tom is one lucky guy. He literally stumbled into a profession he loves, and after 36 years, is still good at it, and gets to work with great people, in great places, on jaw-dropping projects. He still draws the old-fashioned way, with a pen and trace, and can do it faster than any computer. “I am lucky I started this company, because I could not get hired today!” For him, the glass is always half-full. He gets to live near his beloved Rocky Mountains, see baseball as often as possible, and be near all of his family and grandchildren. He is still exhilarated every day by helping solve difficult design issues and working on the next great food concept. |
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Kathleen H. Seelye, FFCSI, LEED AP Managing Partner kseelye@riccanewmark.com Our Managing Partner is our very own “first lady." In our specialized field, she has been the first woman to achieve all of the key milestones: First “Young Lioness," first FCSI President, first FCSI “Fellow," First LEED AP foodservice consultant, and the first woman to become Managing Partner of one of the leading firms of our discipline. She is in so much demand for keynote addresses and interest sessions at industry conferences, we are thinking of getting her an agent. She is currently considered the consummate source for sustainability practices in all areas of foodservice. Along with her family, her ranch, and her horses, she still manages to lead selected projects to award-winning completion. |
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Carl J. Newmark, AIA, NCARB Partner cnewmark@riccanewmark.com Carl began his career with a nationally recognized hospitality interior design firm in the mid-70’s. Falling in love with the hospitality industry, Carl continued his passion for design and opened his own interior design firm in 1991. In 2001, Carl merged his firm with a long-time associate and friend, Thomas Ricca, and formed Ricca Newmark Design. For someone who truly enjoys the outdoors, it is appropriate that Carl lives and works in Colorado. From skiing in the winter to golf in the summer, Carl stays quite active through the seasons Colorado has to offer. Carl also loves to travel and see architecture in all parts of the world. When he isn’t busy helping our clients to develop their design projects, he likely can be found fishing in Alaska, touring the Mediterranean Sea or golfing anywhere he can find a tee time… FORE!!! |
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Sean M. Callnin, FCSI Partner scallnin@riccanewmark.com Sean has always loved to draw. As a youngster, he drew castles, forts, and epic battles. Even then, he was planning for functional, efficient spaces that allowed his knights adequate space for proper sword play. Now he draws spaces where chefs with knives can create masterful culinary feasts without wasted steps, where the “mis en place” is convenient, and the guest can be served while the flavors are freshest. He grew up in a hospitality-focused family, went to Cornell, and, for over 20 years, has been designing kitchens for happy clients that span the globe. His range stretches from major stadiums and small coffee cafes to university dining, signature restaurants and high-rise convention hotels in the most romantic of beach resorts. We hope he never outgrows his love for drawing memorable places. |
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Dave Chislett, FCSI Partner dchislett@riccanewmark.com Chef? Designer? Historian? Construction Manager? If a project calls for a different point of view, then we tap Dave. You see, through an ongoing pursuit of his passions, Dave has worn a number of hats. As a new Partner, Dave is part of our next generation of working leaders; engaged, in the field, hands dirty, mentor to the team. Dave brings decades of varied experience to bear on every job. He is a CIA grad, holds advanced degrees, and has taught what he practices. Each day Dave builds solid connections by defying the street definition of a consultant; he listens, he challenges, he surprises, he learns, and he delivers. |
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Leonard D. Condenzio, FCSI Partner lcondenzio@riccanewmark.com How many of us can count Mickey Mouse and Harvard as parts of our professional past? Lenny can! After helping manage the dining programs at Harvard (the largest collegiate food program in the U.S.) for 9 years, he began his transition to the design profession by directing the planning, construction, and opening of the restaurants at Downtown Disney, in Anaheim. Large scale dining, catering, and world-class restaurants, added to first-hand empathy for the staff, management, owner, contractor, and architect, is the perfect recipe for a talented foodservice designer. A true “renaissance man”, Lenny is accomplished in theater arts, performing arts, international cuisine, and world travel. At home throughout his native New England and Manhattan, he is happiest when he is in and about his favorite town, Boston. |
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Erling "Al" Moller, FCSI, LEED AP Principal amoller@riccanewmark.com Most of Al’s clients never realize that when he's not tending masterfully to their needs, he is likely to be on his tractor on his family’s farm in Colorado. Raised in New York, he started his career in the antithesis of his farm; Long Island. But when he joined Ricca Newmark Design ten years ago, he knew that would be the first step in getting him to the love of his life, the great plains of the West. The most fascinating thing about Al is that he tends to his clients the same way he would take care of a new born calf; he never lets them get in harm’s way, nurtures them until they are on their own, and gives them the tools they need for a fruitful existence. |
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Anton Lee Principal alee@riccanewmark.com As principal of our Shanghai operations, Anton is responsible for virtually everything we design in Asia. Balancing a half dozen major flags, in locations that can take up to 6 or 8 hours to reach, with international chefs who come from a myriad of perspectives, Anton has demonstrated an amazing capacity for organization and responsiveness as well as a unique creativity that meets and exceeds expected results. He offers a diversity of experience in designing dining spaces for the healthcare, corporate, education, and restaurant markets, and his engineering-focused training makes him particularly adept at taking care of all the necessary details that make the difference between an acceptable project and a great project. |
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David C. Whitman, FCSI Principal cwhitman@riccanewmark.com Music has been a big part of Chape's life since he was a small child. He started with piano lessons then moved on to violin, drums, bagpipes and finally the guitar, which stuck. Forty years later, he still plays almost every day. To Chape, music is energizing, relaxing, entertaining, sustaining, social and mostly, great fun. The same things are true about food and food places. Food places are about people and how they interact with each other when they break bread. Food places can be as entertaining as a concert and offer the same kinds of opportunities for personal growth. These are the sensibilities Chape brings to both his projects and his clients. We all want to be rock stars. When Chape opens a new dining facility and sees the looks on his customer's faces, he feels like Mick Jagger. |
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Gary Petry Principal gpetry@riccanewmark.com Gary knows equipment. He honed his skills managing restaurants and learning how people in the trenches have to cope with cleaning, maintenance, and failures at peak moments. He then took his experience to the supplier side of the market where he designed, sold and installed equipment that minimized the issues he confronted as an operator. He learned how to best prepare spaces for installation, the art of coordination with architects and contractors, and the options and accessories that make a difference. Now our design principal in Texas, Gary designs and manages major hospitality, healthcare, recreation, and public assembly projects in the Southwestern United States with a unique empathy for both the process of installation and the life of the end-user. |
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Jean-Michel Boulot Principal jmboulot@riccanewmark.com He's a Parisian-trained chef, who started his career in Michelin Star restaurants in France, refined his talent with Asian cuisine in Hong Kong and Singapore hotels, and whet his appetite for design while on the opening team for the inception of W Hotels in New York, San Francisco, and Seattle. We first met Jean-Michel when we worked together in creating the award-winning dining concepts at the University of Washington and we were impressed with his vision, charmed by his French brand of humor, and thrilled with the artistic splendor of the food that enhanced the palette of the designed spaces. What could be better than someone who speaks the language of the kitchen, empathizes with the staff, and has a flair for spacial organization? Jean-Michel, C’est Bon! |
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A Noble Principal Director of Technical Services anoble@riccanewmark.com As a kid he was always curious about how and why things work. In his earlier careers, he's been an accountant, an electrician, a research lab assistant, a plant engineer, head of Facilities Engineering for a NASA facility, a refrigeration technician, and finally a foodservice facility design consultant, now for over 40 years. The curiosity has never stopped and if he wants to know about something, he researches it and finds out; and that’s probably why everyone calls him Pops and goes to him for answers about anything and everything. |
