Rani is pleased to announce that Shaluka Samarasena has joined Rani Engineering at our Minneapolis office.  Shaluka comes to us with over a year of experience as a Civil Engineer-in-Training (E.I.T.) at AET.  He has expertise in construction field testing and inspection, and recent accomplishments have included performing full-time testing and inspection for the Thrivent Financial Headquarters building in Downtown Minneapolis, that is still under construction.

Question 1

Q: What attracted you most about working for Rani?

A: The smaller size of the company and the leadership team. I genuinely felt like Rani would be a great place to unleash my full potential.

Question 2

Q: Out of all the projects you have worked on, which one was your favorite and why?

A: I performed full time inspection over the summer of 2018 for the Park 81, warehouse construction project in Maple Grove, MN. I was in charge of making sure that the dynamic compaction process of the site was done according to engineer’s recommendations. This was a really fun project since I essentially watched a 30-ton plate being dropped from a 10’ height every 15 seconds or so for 12 hours a day and occasionally got yelled at by the neighboring businesses for the noise and vibration levels associated with the project.

Question 3

Q: What do you like most about your career?

A: My favorite thing about being a civil engineer is the rewarding feeling after finding a solution to a difficult problem. I also really enjoy the interaction with clients and contractors.

Question 4

Q: What advice would you give to an individual just starting their career as an engineer?

A: Don’t be afraid to ask questions and to take initiative

Question 5

Q: What are three things still left on your bucket list?

A: Skydiving, travel to Kazakhstan and become a P.E.

Question 6

Q: If you could have any one superpower, which would you choose and why?

A: I would choose the ability to predict my future, because I dislike uncertainty

Question 7

Q: Are you a dog or cat person?

A: Unfortunately, I can’t be around neither dogs or cats, since I am allergic to both. If I wasn’t, I’d probably be a dog person.

Question 8

Q: Where is your favorite place in the world and why?

A: New York City. I love the fast pace and diversity of this city. Every single time I come back from a trip to NYC, I get a drive to work harder and enjoy life to the fullest.

Question 9

Q: What movie title would you choose for the story of your life?

A: “Born to Be an Engineer” (my parents had decided that for me from the time I was a baby).

Please join Rani in extending a heartfelt welcome to Shaluka as he begins his journey with us.  We hope you enjoyed learning more about Shaluka, both professionally and personally.