Spotlight On is a Liollio tradition of interviewing team members to highlight and celebrate them - and to get to know them better as individuals. After a hiatus of Spotlight On Q&A sessions, we are finally returning to form and highlighting Rajan Mistry as our July Spotlight On feature. Raj became a welcome addition to the Liollio studio in 2021 as Contract Administrator. He is a graduate of the New School of Architecture & Design in San Diego. He has a history of construction contract administration and project management from the perspective of the owner, contractor, and architect.
Where did you grow up? Ndola, Zambia – it’s a small copper-mining town close to the Congolese border, and had a great childhood there.
Are you married? Do you have children? Neither
What do you like to do for fun? I love being outside, so it would either be cycling, dog-walking, golfing or hashing.
Do you have pets? If so, tell us a bit about them. I have a Shepherd-Husky mix, named Shaki, and she is an awesome dog. She looks like a German-Shepherd but has gorgeous ice-blue eyes. She has just enough German-Shepherd in her to be obedient, and just enough Husky in her to be independent and love a good run around. Interesting fact about her; she doesn’t bark at all!
Favorite place(s) to go locally? Golf Courses & Breweries
Favorite restaurant? I don’t know if it’s my favorite restaurant, but I love going to Jamaican restaurants and go there most frequently.
Favorite food? Ethiopian and Japanese
Least favorite food? Any food that is a greasy mess and impossible to eat without destroying my beard.
Do you play any instruments? I play the guitar, sitar, and a bit of bass/piano as well.
What song is at the top of your most played list? It’s either going to be Chronixx (reggae & dancehall) or some vocal Drum ‘n Bass mixes.
Favorite musical artist or genre? House Music
Favorite television show? I don’t really watch TV – life itself is sufficiently surreal…
Last book you read? It was probably a Harvard Business Review.
Favorite book? Bhagavad Gita
Favorite author? Jon Klassen writes awesome children’s books, and I highly recommend you investigate them and buy them all for your kids.
Favorite podcast or blog? The Peter Schiff Show – it is primarily an economics podcast, but he also discusses news stories and geopolitics.
Favorite movie or genre? I love a good laugh, so comedy is always high on my list, but it may have to be The Matrix.
Last movie you watched? It was a kids’ movie with my little niece and nephew. There were some magic dragons and I think it was called Raya.
Favorite place you have traveled to and why? Mexico – I have been to 8 Mexican states and have had a great time every visit. You get high-quality goods/services, excellent prices, and the people are all wonderful.
Favorite style of architecture? I do not have a preference. I believe that good design is independent of stylistic choice. Just like how one can have great and terrible movies or songs of a genre, so too can architecture of a style be great and terrible.
What building have you visited that most impressed or inspired you? The Salk Institute – the look and feel of the building, especially with its layout amongst the ocean and vegetation is great. The way the building systems were managed and long-term modifications planned for was extremely insightful.
What would the book or movie about your life be called? Let’s See What Happens
Who would play you in a movie about your life? Like Tyler Perry, I would love to play absolutely everyone, including myself, in the movie.
If you could be any animal, what would you be and why? I was once told by one of my primary school teachers that I was like a hummingbird. Very curious, very active and constantly moving around and engaging with things.
Are you messy or organized? Organized. There are two types of people; Leavers and Putters, and you find that out when you ask them where something is. Some people will say, “where I put it,” and some people will say, “where I left it.”
What’s your pet peeve? Mispronunciation of the word nuclear as nuculer, and the disastrous misuse of the apostrophe.
Guilty pleasure? I’m a sucker for sweet things, and every once in a while, I like to drive fast.
Tell us a random fact. Biologically, there is no such thing as a fish.
Favorite quote? “Rule #1: Work your Butt Off. Rule #2: Break the Rules.” - Arnold Schwarzenegger
If you could interview one person (dead or alive) who would it be? Peter Schiff
If you could witness any historical event, what would you want to see? I would love to see timelapses of ancient construction feats. Too many people tell me they were built by aliens, and discredit sheer manpower.
If your house was burning down, what is the one nonliving thing you would save? My laptop
What three traits characterize you? Intelligent, Playful and Wacky
What’s your astrological sign? Leo – and I would say I am very much the stereotypical Leo.
What is your personal philosophy? Generally, that things fall into place in life. Despite the rollercoaster of life, ride the waves out with a positive attitude – they are temporary – and you will keep the whole thing moving forward.
What’s one thing you couldn’t live without? Outside space
What is the greatest challenge you have had to overcome in your life thus far? I have had many difficult projects, with difficult project teams and difficult bosses. But interestingly, I love a challenge and the constraints that come along with it. It certainly increases the value in your heart when the job is over and done.
What inspires you most? Being at home, coming up with ideas on things to build and how to build them. I am always walking around my house and yard, scheming.
What accomplishment are you most proud of? There are many accomplishments that I am proud of, but none would be categorized as the one I’m most proud of. I have been told that I have beautiful handwriting, so maybe that!
What is your favorite thing about working at Liollio? Liollio has an awesome team of people; hard-working, social and with great communication. I have high hopes that we have many more years of excellent work output for this city, state and region.
What does true leadership mean to you? There are many attributes that constitute good leadership, and all of them are vitally important, but I won’t be listing them all out in this answer. Two of the most important are trust and approachability.
If you could do another job for just one day, what would it be? A crane operator or possibly some sort of earth-moving equipment. Basically a giant toy that a 3 year-old boy would play with.
What would you most like to tell yourself at age 13? I wouldn’t have anything specific to tell myself, but I would love to teach myself projection-planning.
How do you define success? Adequately planning for everything to go well, not being irritated by things not going well, and dragging things to the finish line nonetheless.
Tell us something that might surprise us about you. I write calligraphic poetry art-pieces and they are currently being featured at the Mary Martin Art Gallery on King & Broad.
What is the best advice you’ve ever received? If you show up ten minutes early, you’re already twenty minutes late.
