Whenever Alek Mezera ‘04 would drive past the Dayton Arcade in the heart of downtown, he usually thought about the stories from the complex’s glory years that had come and gone before he was even old enough to attend kindergarten.  26 years after the arcade effectively closed to the public, he stepped foot in the vacant, deteriorating building as he prepared to help lead the modernization of one of the oldest and most notable facilities in the region.

“That was an awe-inspiring visit, just being able to see the scale, first and foremost, of all the buildings involved in the arcade development, but also the potential and history,” Mezera said.  “There’s so many old signs and photographs and pieces of Dayton nostalgia you would see around every corner that were really cool.”

As the Director of Client Partnerships at DataYard, an Information Technology provider founded by Alek’s father Dave ‘81 in the mid 90s, Alek helped DataYard earn the rights to be the sole IT provider for the Arcade Innovation Hub, a joint venture between the University of Dayton and the Entrepreneurs’ Center that occupies more than two thirds of the first two phases of the Arcade renovation project’s master plan.  All office space, classrooms, and retail shops on the upper levels of the checkerboard-floored rotunda are connected to the internet through DataYard.  While plenty of typical renovation work, like replacing windows and walls, were needed to breathe life back into the nearly 120-year-old set of five buildings that comprise the Arcade, DataYard had the unique challenge of not only building the first network, but also concealing all of its infrastructure to comply with historical guidelines.

“For any rehab/reuse project happening downtown, there are a lot of tax incentives involved with taking something old and making it new.  In order to do that, there are a hundred different aesthetic guidelines you have to work through.  As far as IT and historic tax credits are concerned, it has to look like it isn’t there.  We had a challenge in adequately hiding the infrastructure behind the scenes in a way that still achieved all of our goals.  We ran miles of rigid steel conduit which has all been painted to blend in and match the brick ceiling and exposed brick walls.  Some of it is hidden in drop ceilings and wrapped around corners.  It was a challenge but ultimately produced the most aesthetically appealing stroll down memory lane.”

Mezera estimates that the Arcade now holds $1.5 million dollars worth of network equipment, including 100 wireless access points, 20,000 feet of steel conduit, and 142,000 feet of ethernet cable, which is enough to stretch from Carroll High School to the Dayton Arcade six times.  At its peak, the network can serve approximately 700 individuals using up to four devices each.  Mezera says the Arcade project is the biggest and most complex in DataYard’s history.  It is also one of the most meaningful.

“One of the things that everybody has as an intrinsic need is the ability to see the fruits of their labors,” Mezera says.  “Unfortunately, our grandparents and great-grandparents built all the churches and all the bridges and those large scale, masonry types of projects where you have a cornerstone with a date on it and get a romantic, emotional feeling when you think about your contribution to a specific project.  We don’t have a lot of those projects going on at the moment and haven’t in quite some time.  To be a part of a rehab/reuse project of a complex of this physical scale brought its own romantic draw for those reasons, something you can drive past and look at and know that your contributions have directly impacted the success of the project, and more importantly, the advancement of the region and our neighbors.”

In an ever-changing field like IT, DataYard relies not only on its teams’ up-to-date technical knowledge of designing and installing networks, but also on their ability to adapt quickly and think critically while working together.  Even though Mezera grew up with computers, the skills Mezera learned during his days at Carroll prepared him to play a major role in the Arcade project.

Learning how to learn was a big part of what I’ve taken from Carroll, my family, and other places.  Extracurriculars really stuck some life lessons and habits in my spirit.  Working with a team, wanting and needing to produce the absolute best work that I possibly could, and feeling a sense of pride in my work and achievements.

Alek Mezera '04, DataYard Director of Client Partnerships

“I did enjoy those computer classes with Mrs. [Diane McNelly] Keller ‘83 back in 2003, and those gave me an opportunity to practice and develop outside the home.  Beyond that, learning how to learn was a big part of what I’ve taken from Carroll, my family, and other places.  Extracurriculars really stuck some life lessons and habits in my spirit.  Working with a team, wanting and needing to produce the absolute best work that I possibly could, and feeling a sense of pride in my work and achievements.  Whether you’re playing basketball or in the marching band or whatever it is, if you’re with a group of people, and you have a goal and something you have to work hard to achieve and you do it together, I learned early on that it was one of the most rewarding experiences.”

Mezera sees the rebirth of the Arcade as DataYard’s role on a team that lays the groundwork for the next generation of Dayton entrepreneurs to succeed.  

“You get a sense of pride and feeling of an ownership stake in the city,” Mezera says.  “We’ve poured so much blood and treasure into trying to make something better for ourselves and neighbors, and to see it come to fruition, watch other people utilize those services to take themselves to the next level and advance the success of their business, and watch people interact in the space on a human level is incredibly rewarding.  The space has so much energy, promise, and potential that it certainly is a much-needed boost to civic pride.”

DataYard provides Dayton's best IT services and technology consulting including solutions for Cloud hosting, cyber security, disaster recovery, IT management, and more.  To learn more about DataYard, contact Alek Mezera at (937) 610-3525 or email alek.mezera@datayard.us.