What are the chances for someone with an engineering degree becoming a purveyor of parties? It must have been fate for Dennis Gaudenzi, EG '98.

Three years after college, Gaudenzi appears to have found his true calling as an event planner for singles in the Philadelphia area. As the co-owner of PhillySinglesConnection.com, he organizes weekly activities for those looking for a mate in the City of Brotherly Love.

PhillySinglesConnection.com events vary from swing dancing parties to trips to the zoo. His company is not a dating service but rather an organization that sets the scene for mingling in a casual atmosphere.

"We provide the easy avenue of meeting someone, and then the rest is up to them," Gaudenzi says.

Almost 10 years ago, Gaudenzi was constructing building models in UD's College of Engineering after transferring there from Millersville University.

The South Salem, N.Y., native says, "I love thinking about buildings and bridges and how they work to stay up. I get a little out there sometimes, but the more you wonder about things that do not need to really be wondered about, the more you master that topic."

"I've always wanted to have a bridge or a building named after me.," he says. "It would be my way of showing myself that I made a mark in the world as people unknowingly used my structure to assist their lives."

Gaudenzi says he enjoyed his time in Newark, often spent in the Carpenter Sports Building. "UD as a whole is a great school. It is beautiful. The teachers are good. The program I was in was good. Overall, a good time with no regrets."

After college, Gaudenzi moved to nearby Philadelphia, taking a job with a computer consulting company called CSC Consulting.

"It was a good first job for me. It was not engineering, but the money was good, and it still allowed me to use my creative thinking skills to solve hands-on problems," Gaudenzi says. "I was creating software instead of buildings. People use software just like they use buildings. They take it for granted, but it makes their day go faster and easier."

Gaudenzi worked at CSC for about three years, and then moved to his current full-time job as an associate for L&N Sales and Marketing.

PhillySinglesConnection.com originated in the fall of 2001, when Gaudenzi met his soon-to-be business partner, Heidi Voelker. The two started talking about different activities in ?the area, how many singles attended and the fact that there was really no service to set up social events.

It was like a light bulb went on in Gaudenzi's head. "My mind always works a thousand miles per hour, so I was already off and thinking about starting a company," he says.

Voelker and Gaudenzi started Philly Singles Connection, LLC. They made an effort to brand themselves with the web because it is their main vehicle of business.

The company started small by gathering friends together for events. Then, via word of mouth, the PhillySinglesConnection.com web site caught on. A distribution list of about 60 people grew to 7,000 names in a year.

PhillySinglesConnection.com promotes events in typical multimedia fashion. Along with the web site, Gaudenzi and his partner spread the word through e-mail, radio stations, print flyers, magazines, weekly and daily newspapers and other major forms of advertising.

The PhillySinglesConnection.com newsletter is entirely free. Every event is announced weekly via e-mail, sent to those who sign up for it. Flyers are posted in collaboration with the venue. If there is a party at a popular hangout, the club may hand out a flyer prior to the event or use it as a listing in an advertisement.

One of the most popular PhillySinglesConnection.com gatherings is Springfest at Chemistry, a dance club located in the artsy city suburb of Manayunk. This all-day event last brought in more than 2,000 guests who grooved to local bands like Mr. Greengenes, The Collective and Steamroller Picnic.

Most of PhillySinglesConnection.com events cost under $50 to attend. By paying in advance, singles can receive a discount and receive a few food/drink tickets. Walk-ins pay a little more at the door.

Some PhillySinglesConnection.com parties give to charity, like the Easter Seals: Ape of Hearts gathering in May at the Philadelphia Zoo. At that event, singles enjoyed an evening of competitive casino, a bachelor/bachelorette auction, live music, a light meal and $20 in play money.

"Promotion, events, a ton of late nights and random e-mails to people I thought my organization should be involved with really made the difference," Gaudenzi says. "There are a lot of singles out there. All we have to do is get them to come to one event--they will come back."

As for the singles scene in Philly, Gaudenzi says he thinks it's thriving, but singles still need a helping hand to mix it up. "In the long run, singles usually meet a partner through a mutual friend, at a gym or sports-oriented activity or through some shared interest--not at bars. We try to make the scene totally different by taking away the uncertainty of whether or not someone is single," he says.

Now, Gaudenzi is planning to target specific age ranges for certain events. For example, the wine-tasting parties are really popular for singles ages 35 and above. Most of the activities on PhillySinglesConnection.com are graded by feedback from participants.

The company reaches out to people all over Philly, and is currently expanding its services beyond the metro area to Bucks and Chester counties.

"The way things have been going, I see this company becoming a full-time job within the year. We have visitors from all over the nation viewing our site and we have not even made any massive effort for national advertising," Gaudenzi says.

While he works hard, Gaudenzi also plays hard, keeping his own social life in mind. "It takes a lot of personal time to start and build a major business on the side while still working a full-time job. I do enjoy skiing, working out, going out to bars with friends, dining out and visiting the beach," he says.

Gaudenzi, who is single, says he is looking for the right girl and he may just be in the right business to do so.

--Melissa Meisel, AS '97