Kai Ramer named president and COO; he succeeds Roger Ball, who becomes chairman of the board

SAN DIEGO, CA, UNITED STATES, April 14, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Rick Engineering Company (RICK), a multidisciplinary planning, design and engineering firm with 10 offices in the western United States, announced today that its board of directors elected Kai E. Ramer president and chief operating officer (COO), effective immediately. Ramer, who joined the firm in 1986, has held the position of COO since 2017. He is the fifth chief executive for the 65-year-old company, founded by Glen Rick, the former planning director for the city of San Diego.

Roger L. Ball, who has served as president of the privately held firm for the past 15 years, becomes chairman of the board and will coordinate the leadership transition and provide oversight of the board.

Ball says he and the rest of the board are delighted with Kai?s election. ?Kai has the perfect combination of technical expertise, strategic decision-making ability, business acumen and foresight. He is the ideal leader to spearhead future growth and diversification at RICK,? he said.

Ramer, a licensed civil engineer in California and Arizona and a licensed traffic engineer in California, is active in a variety of civic and professional organizations. He is a former president of the local chapters of the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) and the Highway Development Association. He currently serves on several statewide committees for ACEC California and is active with the American Public Works Association.

His wide-ranging expertise has resulted in political appointments to independent oversight committees for bond and tax measure spending for school districts and regional transportation infrastructure programs.

A graduate of California State University, Chico, with a bachelor?s degree in civil engineering, Ramer served for many years on the board of management of the East County YMCA.

?I am grateful to take the reins of such a well-established and well-loved organization,? said Ramer. ?RICK has an extremely talented team and a history of impactful work throughout the western United States. I look forward to leading our team during this new chapter.?

Ball, a registered civil engineer in California, is a member of Chi Epsilon, a national civil engineering honor society, and has been elected to the national ACEC College of Fellows. He holds a bachelor?s degree in civil engineering from San Diego State University.

Ball joined RICK in 1974 and has held numerous leadership roles in the company and in the industry over the years. A Life Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Ball is a past state president of ACEC California and former president of the San Diego chapter.

Ball is actively engaged in legislative affairs, serving as an ACEC-CA state director, the chair of the Legislative Action Committee, co-chair of the Legislative Committee and also a member of the AGC Governmental Affairs Committee. In 2017 he was honored with a special award for Grassroots Legislative Advocacy by ACEC-CA for his leadership spanning over five years to finally bring about indemnity reform for all design professionals, culminating with the passage of SB 496.

He is a committed volunteer at San Diego Interfaith Housing Foundation, a non-profit affordable housing development and management organization. He serves on the board of directors and the executive committee and chairs the development committee.

Ball is also a member of the Dean?s Advisory Board for the College of Engineering at San Diego State University. He chairs the development committee and he received the 2020 College of Engineering Distinguished Alumnus Award.


About Rick Engineering
Rick Engineering Company (RICK) is an award-winning, multidisciplinary planning, design and engineering firm that has served thousands of public- and private-sector clients across the western United States since its inception in 1955. RICK offers a full range of engineering services, from initial planning and visioning through concept development, final designs and plans, and implementation.

With a broad array of seamlessly integrated design disciplines, RICK provides both public and private clients a suite of services, managed in-house, to assure optimum project quality and efficiency.

Headquartered in San Diego, RICK has a diverse workforce of more than 350 professionals who collaborate and work seamlessly from 10 offices in California, Arizona, Colorado, and Nevada. Regardless of location, clients have access to the RICK network of industry experts and project knowledge. https://rickengineering.com/

Barbara E Metz
Metz Public Relations
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