Today we’d like to introduce you to Miquel Lazaro Cordero.
Hi Miquel, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I was born and raised in Barcelona, Spain. During my college years at Barcelona University studying mechanical engineering, I bought my first surfboard on a trip to the Bask Country. That was the beginning of my passion for surfing and opened the doors to waves in the Mediterranean Sea. At the end of college, I decided to do my final degree project about the design of a wave pool. That project defined my future in my current profession and living in California. Currently, I am the lead engineer at American Wave Machines and I am responsible for all the PerfectSwell technology projects and R&D.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I would say it has been a challenging road, but the commitment, the belief in my gut feelings, and the AWM (American Wave Machines) company and technology have made it feel natural. My main challenge has been to learn how to understand the situations and relax. Not only for all the new language, culture, country, and visa work applications uncertainty but also for being responsible and developing first-time real-scale projects. There is no other technology in the world like PerfectSwell®. It is the dynamic wave pool technology AWM has developed over the years and owns all the IPs. I joined the team a few years before the first real-scale PerfectSwell® wave pool in Waco, Texas. It was a challenge to learn how to deal with the unknown (good and bad things) and be flexible and understanding with everything that would happen even if we were not able to imagine it. After that, we continued with other custom wave pool projects that had design differences and we were implementing new improvements on every project. That made me understand and grow my personal and professional foundations which has allowed me to deal and flow with uncertainty.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Engineering and project management is the main part of my work, and it balances with all the other aspects such as wave designing, wave analysis, and the company’s future strategy. For the engineering and the projects part, I am responsible for the constant development and improvement of the PerfectSwell® technology. It usually tides up with the support of the operative pools, where we test and study possible improvements for future and ongoing projects.
However, even if seeing a project building from design to reality is amazing, the main magic happens when we turn on the system and we get to see the first waves being created. Each project is different and includes new improvements, and that creates great excitement to see what comes out. Each project feels like a new swell and surf spot turning on.
From that point, my favorite part begins. We call it Wave Designing. It is the process where I and my colleagues design hundreds of different wave pattern types. From beginner waves to the craziest barrels, peeling, and air section waves. With the PerfectSwell® technology, we have an infinite campus of possibilities. It is like having an instrument and the freedom to compose any song you like. This is what sets apart our technology and company, what brings me the most joy, and what I am obsessed with. Of course, after creating them, we have to surf the waves. I am always focused on ensuring that, as an advanced, but not a pro surfer, I can surf all the waves. This will ensure that most surfers will be able to surf all the waves with a reasonable challenge.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Growing up in Barcelona, I have always been really into sports, Lego, and other similar games. I started playing hockey and skiing at three years old. So, my youth was skiing and playing hokey during winter and at the beach in summer. When I was older, I started to get into windsurfing, skateboarding, and eventually surfing. I have always had easiness in learning sports and all the equipment being used. That combination is what blended during college and clearly defined the professional space I wanted to try to get into. When I arrived in LA, it blew my mind with the respect and the magnitude of surfing, skateboarding, etc. In Spain, when I was growing up, it was mainly all about soccer.
I love this culture and I am so happy to be part of it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://perfectswellsurf.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kmiquelc/, https://www.instagram.com/perfectswell/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/miquel-lazaro-cordero/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@perfectswellsurf
Image Credits
Owner: American Wave Machines Photographer of (#4): Bruno Zanin, @brunozanin (Instagram)
