Rani’s president and founder received a noteworthy Minnesota distinction awarded by the editors of Twin Cities Business. Recipients are recognized for facing challenges in Minnesota’s ever-changing economic climate. Susan is listed in the elite leaders category. Leaders are recognized for “accomplished stewardship over a significant tenure”.
Susan is standing with TCB’s Person of the Year, Omar Ishrak, Chairman and CEO of Medtronic.
Rani Engineering and President Susan Park Rani were honored in the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) on May 29th, 2014. Mr. Ellison congratulated Ms. Rani on being named one of eleven “Champions of Change” by the White House for ensuring that transportation facilities, services, and jobs help connect individuals and their communities to greater opportunities. He also stated that Ms. Rani is an inspiration for women, minorities, immigrants and anyone who aspires to start their own business, and he commended Ms. Rani on her award and her thoughtful contributions as both an entrepreneur and as an excellent member of the community. To read the full excerpt from the Congressional Record, click the link below.
Congressional Record Volume 160 Issue 82 (Thursday May 29 2014)
Susan Park Rani was recognized by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal at the 2014 Women in Business award ceremony. Park Rani was one of 51 women honored as the Twin Cities’ most influential women in business.
The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal has been recognizing “Women in Business” as industry leaders, “Women to Watch”, and inspiring entrepreneurs for 17 years. The Business Journal recognized Susan Park Rani and Rani Engineering for the projects overseen in the Metro area including: the Blue Line (Hiawatha) and Green Line (Central Corridor) light rails, the I-35W Bridge reconstruction and the Weisman Art Museum.
On Tuesday, May 13th, 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 21st 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 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:
“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.
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