Employees Archives Page 4 of 6 - Rani Engineering, LLC

White House “Champion of Change” for Transportation

Employees, Recognition, Transportation, Updates

On Tuesday, May 13^th, Susan Park Rani was invited to the White House where she was honored as a “Champion of Change” for Transportation Ladders of Opportunity. The White House honored 10 local heroes who are Champions of Change for their exemplary leadership to ensure that transportation facilities, services, and jobs help individuals and their communities connect to 21^st century opportunities.

Created to give the White House an opportunity to feature individuals who motivate and inspire members of their community, the Champions of Change program has been recognizing exemplary leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs for their dedication to making changes within their community.

“I am truly honored to be a White House Champion of Change and to have the opportunity to take part in this event,” Susan Rani stated in her White House blog. Click on the link below to view her full blog post.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/05/20/fostering-partnerships-grow-business-transportation

Rani appointed to Destination Medical Center board

Employees, Updates

Susan Park Rani has been appointed as one of Gov. Mark Dayton’s four delegates to the eight-member Destination Medical Center board, which will oversee the state’s largest-ever economic development project.

The board is responsible for deciding how best to use the state’s $455 million investment in the greater Rochester area – an investment that is expected to leverage an estimated $5.6 billion in local and private investment over the next 20 years. The project is also expected to create tens of thousands of new jobs and secure the state’s competitive position as an international hub for health care and medical advancement.

In making his appointments, Dayton said, “Knowing the great importance and lasting significance of this initiative, I have selected well-respected, effective leaders with proven records of success; people who can see the big picture, and then actualize it. The men and women I have asked to take on this important work are as excited as I am by this tremendous opportunity, and are strongly committed to its success.”

http://mn.gov/governor/newsroom/pressreleasedetail.jsp?id=102-69025

Susan Park Rani takes part in governor’s trade mission to Europe

Business Development, Employees, Updates

Rani Engineering is becoming known around the world, thanks to Susan Park Rani’s participation in Gov. Mark Dayton’s trade missions. In June, she was among a 35-member group of business, education and government officials who visited Germany, Sweden and Norway. Last year, she was selected as part of a trade mission to China.

The European trade mission showcased Minnesota as an outstanding place to do business, raised the profile of Minnesota companies and provided important networking opportunities for the delegates. The group visited business centers in Berlin, Dusseldorf/Cologne, Oslo and Stockholm and met with business leaders and government officials.

Following the trade mission, Dayton announced that Minnesota will open a trade office in the Dusseldorf-Cologne region of Germany. Opening international trade offices is a proven strategy for improving Minnesota’s economic competitiveness. In 2005, when Minnesota opened its first office in Shanghai, its exports to China increased 71 percent during the first year. German companies have already invested $1.4 billion in plants, property and equipment in Minnesota and employ 9,000 Minnesotans.

Rani Engineering Celebrates 20 Years

Awards, Employees, Recognition, Updates

Rani Engineering is celebrating 20 years of business in the Twin Cities.

Founded by Susan Park Rani in1993 with two employees working on water resources projects, the Minnesota-based company has a staff of over 40. Rani Engineering has since added land surveying and rail signal engineering services to complement its civil engineering group.

When accepting the ACEC/MN award as firm of the year in May, Rani said she knew there had been skeptics about a company that was owned by a woman who was also a minority. “That was then, and this is now,” she told the crowd.

Over the years, the company has been involved in a number of high-profile projects, including the expansion of the Weisman Art Museum on the University of Minnesota campus, development and construction of the Hiawatha and Central Corridor light rail projects, reconstruction of the I-35W bridge, and the Maryland Avenue bridge reconstruction across Interstate 35E. In December of 2012, Rani Engineering established an office in Dickinson, North Dakota.

Rani was selected by Gov. Mark Dayton for two international trade missions: to China in 2012 and to Europe in 2013. She has been a speaker at a number of national events, and in November 2012, she was chosen by the National Association of Women Business Owners-Minnesota (NAWBO-MN) to receive its 2012 Woman Pioneer Award.

The company has received numerous awards since its founding, including:

2013: Received ACEC/MN 2012-13 Firm of the Year.
2012: Named Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Contractor of the Year for 2012 by the Minnesota Department of Transportation.
2010: Received Minneapolis – Saint Paul Business Journal Award for Minority Advocate.
2008: Received Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce Award to Celebrate Business Success.
2007: Received ACEC/MN Honor Award for TH-212 Design-Build.
2005: Received the Deubener Award from the Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce. The company was recognized for its business success, for promoting growth, and for handling risk, diversity and innovation in a continuously changing and challenging environment.

Rani Engineering named ACEC/MN Firm of the Year

Awards, Employees, Recognition, Updates

“I never believed we would be standing here.” That was the sentiment expressed by Susan Park Rani upon receiving the 2013 Firm of the Year Award from ACEC/MN (American Council of Engineering Companies of Minnesota) on May 16.

Given annually, the award is presented to the ACEC/MN member firm(s) that, through their activities, have made a significant contribution to the advancement of ACEC/MN and the consulting engineering profession. The selection is based on activities by employees of the firm who have benefited the association and the profession and includes not only activities by the staff, but also general company policy.

“What we’ve done collectively at Rani Engineering is to put our heads down and work real hard, and hope that would translate into (potential clients) trying us out, winning contracts, and getting repeat clients,” Rani said in her remarks. “It did.”

Rani noted that there had been disbelievers over the years. “I know there were skeptics about our firm in its early days,” she said. “ ‘A woman- and minority-owned engineering firm–what was she thinking?’ Well, that was then and this is now.”

Of special importance was “a strong base of talented Minnesota firms that gave us opportunities” to learn from them, continue to grow, enhance areas of expertise and nurture staff, she said.

The American Council of Engineering Companies of Minnesota is the leading business practice and policy advocate for consulting engineering firms in Minnesota. Formed in 1949, ACEC/MN´s 150 member firms, representing more than 6,000 employees, provide services to all segments of society, including federal, state and local governments, private industry and the general public.

Rani participates at national ACEC conference

Business Development, Employees, Updates

Members of the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) learned at the 2013 annual conference from Susan Park Rani about how a small business can be more effective and maneuver its way through often confusing national programs.

Rani, founder and president of Rani Engineering, was a speaker on “Navigating the Federal Credentialing Process for Small Firms” along with Major Clarke of the Small Business Administration and Warren Whitlock, associate administrator in the office of civil rights at the Federal Highway Administration. Issues discussed at the April event included federal programs for small businesses and expected trends in small business participation, along with program statutes and regulations overview, program intent, size standards, program goals and the achievement gap. Success stories and best practices by small and large businesses were also shared.

Rani Engineering, based in Minneapolis with offices in North Dakota and California, has over 40 employees and was founded in 1993.

ACEC is considered to be the voice of America’s engineering industry. The council numbers more than 5,000 firms representing more than 500,000 employees throughout the country.