New design for success

"It's Spinelli!" he said, laughing with insouciant affection, as Spinelli, too, broadened his smile. "He comes to everything. He comes to all of our stuff; he's all over."

Last year, Anderson danced the tango at a student event; Spinelli danced, too.

"I was very bad," Spinelli said, laughing even harder.

"That was awesome," Anderson replied.

Before the fall semester, Anderson was not thinking much beyond engineering.

"A couple of my friends from engineering school started doing just engineering work," he said, "and they felt like cogs in the machine."

How much fun would it be, Anderson thought, if he could turn his own ideas into reality - have that control from the start?

As Spinelli and Anderson stood there, laughing and talking, Spinelli's vision became clear: Empower the Andersons of the world to be creative and in control, from Day One.

Before their impromptu meeting ended, the pair agreed - like any team tackling a problem - that they would find a solution to Anderson's senior-year dilemma.

"We'll figure it out," Spinelli said. Ever the entrepreneur, he added: "He's got an interest, I've got a capability, we're friends, we'll work it out."

Contact staff writer Maria Panaritis at 215-854-2431 or mpanaritis@phillynews.com.