“I am honored to be named an ASCE Fellow," Rick said. "It is wonderful to look back and see that I have made a difference for so many, but also how so many have made a difference in me. raSmith represents the collective results of many professionals who are constantly contributing to its success.”
Rick has been a licensed Professional Engineer for the past 45 years and has been an ASCE member since 1981. Rick established his professional consulting engineering firm, raSmith, in 1978 with three founding principles: stability, quality, and innovation. This vision was based on his belief that you should treat people the way you would like to be treated and that the emphasis should be on long-term relationships. With just 10 employees at that time, raSmith provided civil engineering and land surveying services primarily to local government entities in southeastern Wisconsin.
In November 2020, Rick sold raSmith to his son Richard A. Smith Jr., P.E., (Ricky), President. Rick currently serves in a part-time advisory role as Chairman. The company has over 220 employees with seven office locations in Wisconsin, Illinois, and California and provides a range of consulting engineering services to both the private and public sectors. raSmith has completed projects locally and across the U.S. in the areas of site planning and design, structural engineering, municipal engineering, transportation and traffic, surveying, development management, ecological services, landscape architecture, LiDAR (3D laser scanning), UAS (unmanned aircraft systems), construction services, and geographic information systems (GIS).
“I want to thank ASCE for taking the time to recognize my father’s extraordinary contributions to the civil engineering industry," Ricky said. "Tens of thousands of lives have been impacted in such a positive manner by my father’s work — whether it be those of raSmith’s public and private sector clients or our employees and their family members over the last 43 years. I am incredibly proud of all his accomplishments.”
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Rick’s accomplishments and contributions to the civil engineering profession over the last 45 years are many. Significant projects Rick has contributed to include the Pabst Farms Development, Oconomowoc, Wisconsin; City of Whitewater Wastewater Treatment Facility, Whitewater, Wisconsin; Franklin Business Park, City of Franklin, Wisconsin; Water System Master Plan, City of Oak Creek, Wisconsin; and the City of Kenosha Industrial Park Development, Kenosha, Wisconsin. Rick earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from Marquette University in Milwaukee.
Rick has held leadership positions with several associations including the Management Resources Association (Board Member, 2004-2013), Xaverian Missionary Fathers Board (President, 2004-2020), Wisconsin Policy Forum (Board Member, 2004-2022), and Waukesha County Economic Development Corporation (President, 2006-2015).
In addition to ASCE, Rick has also been a member of several other organizations, some of which include the American Water Works Association, Wisconsin Wastewater Operators Association, American Council of Engineering Companies, Institute of Transportation Engineers, National and Wisconsin Society of Professional Engineers, and the Transportation Development Association. Since 2016, Rick has also been a member of Woodstock, a group of business leaders who meet on a monthly basis to discuss economics, leadership, operations, and other issues that face each business.
