Victor Zaderej, MBA ’95
Master of Efficiency Inventor designs energy-saving homes
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40 | QUINNIPIAC MAGAZINE | SPRING 2015 2016
Victor Zaderej, MBA ’95, outside the energy-efficient home he built in Oregon, Illinois. The engineer also converted his gas-powered motorcycle to electric.
ing, thermal management and energy conservation. Zaderej never lost sight of his true passion—energy conservation. Following up on an assignment he had in college—to calculate the cost of building a house that uses 80 percent less energy than the average home—he made it his mission to design one. It took 30 years and a lot of research to realize his dream. His goal was to build a home that would cost only 10 percent more than a custom-built home so the average person could afford it. In contrast to homes with traditional heating and cooling systems, a “passive” home relies on solar heating, superior insulation, airtight construction and a ventilation system that exchanges indoor and outdoor air. “It was designed to be a demonstration home for what is possible,” Zaderej said. He and his wife, Polly, and their sons, Misha and
Vika, live in the house, which he named Pura Vida (“pure life”), in Oregon, Illinois. “The true selling point of these homes is not just the energy efficiency, but the air quality and comfort level you get there,” Zaderej said. Reducing energy use is 10 times more effective than any other alternative, and more than offsets the additional cost over the life of the home. He offers seminars for architects and builders on how to design homes more efficiently. “It’s hard to convince people in this country that they should spend an extra 10-15 percent on a home that is truly better to live in,” he said. He and his partner design several energyefficient buildings a year. They are working on a design for a modern day, “off-the-grid” home, which Zaderej says would be considered the ultimate in sustainable living.—Donna Pintek
Photo: Andy Manis
t could be said that Victor Zaderej, MBA ’95, knows how to shed light on things. He is an engineer, an inventor and, for the past three decades, an advocate of energy-efficient living. Besides working in the electronics and lighting field for the past 15 years, Zaderej has designed computers, invented “cleaner” ways to package electronics, and devoted time to his “hobby”—designing and building super energy-efficient homes. In fact, he lives in one. Zaderej studied mechanical engineering at MIT, earning both his BS and MS there. He intended to pursue a career in the energy field. However, when the price of oil collapsed in the early ’80s, interest in conserving energy fizzled, and Zaderej turned his attention to other areas. “Fortunately my degree was pretty broad,” he said. He went to work for IBM in Florida and became the lead designer on the first all-plastic computer. While still with IBM, Zaderej began working for a company in North Haven, Connecticut, which specialized in putting circuitry on three-dimensional plastic. “That became my interest, passion and expertise,” Zaderej said. He moved to Connecticut and decided to pursue an MBA at Quinnipiac to gain a good understanding of how the business world worked. In 1995, he moved to Chicago to start his own company, 3Di, designing three-dimensional molded interconnect devices. The start-up grew rapidly and was acquired by Molex. That segment of the company now produces about $150 million a year. Currently, he is manager of advanced development at Molex, working in the new ventures group. Zaderej has 52 patents for his inventions in the fields of lighting, electronic packag-