Ron Schneider thrives on challenges – from establishing and expanding his own structural engineering firm to flying and building airplanes.
He grew up in the dense city of New York, moved as a teenager to the open skies of Tucson, then studied architectural engineering at California Polytech State University in the secluded Central Coast of California. He joined a large firm as a structural engineer and worked on projects throughout the United States, in Taiwan and Thailand. Then he opened his own firm in Tucson in 1999, expanding to Anchorage in 2003 and Phoenix in 2007.
He has built a collaborative team of experienced engineers who share his mission to research emerging technologies, find creative cost-effective design solutions that are easy to build and provide the highest level of client service.
Ron combines 22 years of engineering experience with a passion for problem solving. He introduced fly ash into concrete to reduce the carbon footprint of a university research building by 40 percent. He used pre-cast concrete to expedite the timeline and reduce construction costs on a prison. He has engineered hospitals for high seismic regions, medical facilities on Native American reservations and numerous earth-friendly LEED® certified projects.
Other innovations include post-tensioned concrete foundations and vibration-sensitive floor systems, rammed earth and adobe construction and structural insulated panels. His depth of experience extends from industrial clean rooms, resorts and schools to municipal and military facilities.
Ron is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and serves on its forensic engineering committee. He is past president of both the Southern Arizona Chapter and the Arizona Chapter of the Structural Engineering Association. He is currently the Arizona delegate to the SEA Western Council.
He enjoys bicycling, hiking, traveling, hanging with his family – plus flying a Cessna 172 and building his own airplane.
“I always was amazed by the buildings in Manhattan. I would watch buildings while they were being built and be mesmerized. I also enjoyed building things and architectural drafting – so I went to a school of architecture to study architectural engineering and pursue my dream of designing building structures.”
— Ron Schneider