a team of experts
Patdo Light Studio began as the dream of a young, recently married couple with roots in the lighting industry. The business plan was created on a coffee stained napkin at an all night diner. With every penny in their savings and a loan from a friend, they opened for business. That was back in 1973 and while the business has experienced many changes over the years, the principles that they believed in remain at the core of our business model today; offer excellent products and unparalleled service at a fair price and stand behind each and every transaction after the sale is complete.
Patdo has evolved over the years into the Tri-state area’s premier source for high-end lighting products and excellence in lighting design. Our extensive credentials include some of the nation’s top architects, interior designers, decorators and landscape architects. We have earned the respect of these design professionals through our hard work and consistently excellent results.
Gary Novasel – Design Principal
gary@patdolight.com
Gary has been a Lighting Designer since 1985. Mr. Novasel’s award winning work has been featured in many national magazines including: Architectural Record, Architectural Digest, Metropolitan Home, Interiors, Interior Design, To The Trade, Landscape Architect & Specifier, Connecticut Cottages and Gardens, The Modern Estate, The New York Times, House Beautiful, Colonial Homes and Gardens, Better Homes and Gardens and Hospitality Design. Gary has also contributed to “The Modern Estate” magazine and teaches Landscape Lighting at the New York Botanical Garden. He has also taught Architectural Lighting at Parson’s School of Design and the University of Bridgeport. Mr. Novasel has been a guest on radio and television shows and has been a guest lecturer for: the Connecticut and New York chapters of the ASID, UCONN’s Bartlett Arboretum, the New York City chapter of the DLF and the International Furnishings Association. Mr. Novasel has a B.S. Industrial Design and an MBA.
Mari-Lou Nania – Showroom Principal
marilou@patdolight.com
Mari-Lou earned her BFA degree from Adelphi University. She began her career at Patdo in 1990, focusing on developing the showroom into the Tri-State Area’s leading design resource. Her keen eye has kept the Patdo Showroom on the cutting edge. Her knowledge of product and design with the belief in customer service has kept Patdo a step above all the others. Mari-Lou works by appointment only and specializes in upscale residential and light commercial projects.
Joshua Diaz
Joshua is a Port Chester Native who strives to be a 21st century renaissance man! How’s this for diversity; Josh has a degree in Paralegal studies, speaks Spanish, English, and Portuguese, worked for the Metropolitan Museum of Art and serves as a part-time assistant for a local Electrician. Now, adding to his diverse experiences he joined Patdo in 2020 where he oversees our on-line marketing programs and is a member of our inside sales, purchasing and customer service team where he strives to take excellent care of our clients.
Elise Benedict
Elise graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2015 with a Bachelors of Architecture and a minor in Lighting. Since then, she has worked in the architecture and lighting industry on projects ranging from private residences to hotels, country clubs, schools, and sports facilities. Since joining Patdo Light Studio in 2024, Elise has expanded her lighting knowledge to include landscape lighting and focusing. Elise believes that lighting is one of the most important components of architectural design because it shapes the way people experience a space. In her free time, Elise enjoys playing hockey, skiing, hiking, and spending time with her husband, two dogs and two cats.
Alexander Jimenez
Alexander is the newest addition to the design team at Patdo. He was a member of the inaugural class at Kean University’s Michael Graves College School of Public Architecture, where he earned both a Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch.) and a Master of Architecture (M.Arch.).
With experience in both residential and commercial architecture, Alexander brings a versatile design perspective to the team as he expands his expertise in the field of lighting design. Through his work at Patdo, he has discovered that lighting design plays a critical role not only in illuminating architecture and enhancing spaces but also draws attention to key design elements, awakens our senses and invokes a variety of emotions.
Outside of work, Alexander enjoys playing video games, reading, and playing guitar. As a habitual tinkerer, he is always modifying and customizing his guitars in pursuit of the perfect sound and setup.
Ian Morse
A jack of all trades, Ian comes to Patdo with 5 years’ experience in bookkeeping, 5 years as a bicycle mechanic, 15 years as a carpenter, 3 years of furniture making, and 5 years as a supervisor preparing displays for auto shows across the country. He likes spending time outdoors with his wife and son. A very hands-on person, Ian says, “the dirtier the better.”
Ian brings to Patdo the ability to self-manage, a sense of urgency, forwardness and dedication to one’s craft. A calm demeanor and an unbreakable pressure vessel, Ian can easily handle whatever life presents to him.
“I am not someone who likes large corporations, that’s why Patdo is such a good place. There is no division into little groups like you would see in large companies, just one happy Patdo family.”
Charlie Wares
Charlie brought over 40 years of warehouse experience with him when he joined Patdo and boy, can he run a warehouse! Always up for a challenge, Charlie has taken our warehouse to a whole new level of clean and organized and our incoming and outgoing deliveries flow seamlessly. Outside of work, Charlie has been collecting old guitars for almost as long as he’s been playing them (that’s 62 years folks!) and he’s been a musician at his church for over 25 years. Charlie is happily married and has six grandkids.
Khai Yon
Khai Yon worked in the hospitality industry before he joined Patdo. He has a degree in Accounting and is interested in all types of Business and Financial matters and he uses his accounting and financial knowledge to run Patdo’s back office efficiently. A news enthusiast, Khai starts each day catching up on the news . In his spare time, he loves to run, hike and read.
