After a few years working for someone Brad got the entrepreneur urge and he decided to go into business for himself. In 2005, at the age of 23 Brad opened his own independent repair shop in Overland, MO and after a month in business convinced one of his friends from Ranken to join him in the venture. Business was good, but realizing that many of their customers were from St. Charles County, they decided to move their business. They eventually ended up in Moscow Mills, MO, where they found a good deal on the building they still own and onto which they recently added 4500 square feet. Today, Certified Performance and Auto Repair Inc. is a respected and successful business.

While at Ranken, Ignatius has been very busy making the most of the opportunity, “I work for two Microenterprises, GWR Seat Belt Manufacturer and BioMerieux. I also will be working this year as an RA in the dormitory, which will provide me with a free room and a meal plan.” This, combined with the Alumni Scholarship and the RTC Donor Scholarship, will enable Ignatius to attend Ranken during his second year with very little expense. Ignatius has also landed an internship for the summer at Paynecrest Electric. “Ranken took us on a tour of Paynecrest. . . they mentioned their summer internship. I wanted to go home for the summer, but this sounded like a great opportunity. I applied and got the job. This position has given me the opportunity to work at GM and at the construction site of Centene’s new facility in Clayton.” Ignatius credits Ranken with restoring his love for learning, “While a student at Ranken, on top of learning my trade, I have grown in every way. I have an overwhelming appreciation for Ranken.” After graduating, he hopes to work at either Paynecrest or with his uncle at Bell Electric.

The Alumni Scholarship she received helped her in this pursuit. Being a single mother, she says her main goal is to be successful not only for herself but for her child, and Ranken gave her that chance. After Ranken, she plans to continue her education by pursuing a bachelor’s degree. “I would recommend Ranken to anyone, especially to women who are interested in IT.” Shelbie tells people that, “The instructors are great, and learning hands-on is the best way to actually learn what you will be doing in a real-world job.” Shelbie’s keys to success, “Hard work and dedication will get anyone where they really want to be in life.” Shelbie is currently working at All Steel Products, Inc., and has one semester left at Ranken. I am working to get a few more certifications that I will need in order to be considered for any networking position.”   Shelbie is one of a growing number of females at Ranken – now nearly 8% of the total student body.

Unfortunately, when Nick graduated, the country was coming out of the recession, and there were not many plumbing jobs available, so he took a job with a backhoe company. While doing a job for a plumbing company, Nick’s boss mentioned that he had studied plumbing at Ranken. “Performance Plumbing hired me soon after this. I think my old boss was sorry he mentioned that I went to Ranken.”

Nick stayed with Performance for six years and was then hired by Integrated Facilities Services to help launch their residential service division. He was soon joined by another Ranken grad and classmate, Ariel Lunn (another Success Story). Ariel speaks very highly of Nick and values the opportunity to work and collaborate with someone she has known and respected for years. “Having someone like Nick to talk with is a game changer,” Ariel says. “He helps me on difficult jobs and is a great person to share ideas with.  One day, we were working on a job together, and he said to me, ‘I love plumbing,’ I told him that I do too.” Nick’s positive attitude and enthusiasm for his trade makes him a valuable employee at IFS. Nick has this advice for people considering the trades, “I think Ranken has helped me get my foot in the door. I would encourage people to go to Ranken.” Nicks’s Supervisor, Christina Schafer, had this to say about Nick, “The quality of Nick’s work is second only to his work ethic. He has turned a lot of heads since starting at IFS, and our team will benefit greatly from his input and skill.” With regard to his Ranken education, she added, “Thanks to the extensive training that Ariel and Nick have received, we are able to offer new services and improve on the services we currently provide.”

My Mom asked who fixed it, and I told her it was me. I remember a sense of pride knowing that I fixed something and helped my family.” Upon deciding to leave her Pre-Med program, Ariel contacted several plumbing companies asking for a ride-along. “Realizing that your opinions can change as you grow, I wanted to see what a day in the life of a plumber was like and if it was still something that still interested me. After the ride along I was convinced that this is what I wanted to do and, the gentleman I rode with told me [that] when I graduate, I had a job.“

When asked why she chose Ranken Ariel had this to say, “I wanted people to know that I was a serious professional and Ranken had the reputation of being an excellent school. I knew that having Ranken on my resume would open doors for me.” After graduating in 2011, Ariel went to work for A and G Plumbing and then Roto-Rooter for six years. In March of 2019, Ariel was hired by Integrated Facilities Services (IFS) to start and lead their Residential Service Division along with another Ranken alum and former classmate of Ariel’s, Nick Binsbacher (another Success Story). “I enjoy working at IFS because it is a local company, and as a result, I am able to have a bigger impact. They respect my opinion and have given me the freedom to develop the Residential Service Division. I set the pricing, manage inventory, and order tools necessary for residential jobs. I even created a flier, which they have used to promote this new division. One day, Nick and I were on a job, and he told me, ‘I love plumbing.’ I said that I did, too. It is rewarding to have a job you love and to be able to help people. I am fortunate to work with the staff at IFS. They are supportive and helpful. I feel like we are a family.” Her Plumbing Manager, Christina Schaeffer, mentioned that Ariel has been selected as Employee of the Month and, also had this to say. “Ariel’s reputation for exemplary service and unparalleled dedication in the plumbing industry preceded her to IFS.  We are proud to have her with us and look forward to the growth and improvement she will bring to our residential plumbing division.” With regard to her Ranken Education, Christina added, “Thanks to the extensive training that Ariel and Nick have received, we are able to offer new services and improve on the services we currently provide.”

His parents supported his decision. Jeff met with an admission counselor at Ranken, “I told the admissions counselor that I wanted to be ‘a machinist or something,’ The counselor asked him what he meant by, ‘or something,’ and Jeff described what he did as a maintenance man. The counselor told him about Ranken’s Industrial Technology program and it was a perfect fit. “Ranken felt like home from the minute I walked in the door. Seeing all of the old-world craftsmanship in Finney hall made me feel at home.” When asked why he chose Ranken, Jeff said, “Ranken is the be all and end all. If you talk to people in the trades, they will tell you to go to Ranken. There is weight and trust behind the Ranken name. It is a great place to be from. There is a legacy behind Ranken. I will be forever grateful for what Ranken did for me. That is why I wanted to teach there.” After graduating, Jeff had a couple of jobs in his field when a teaching position came open at Ranken. Having an opportunity to teach in the trade he loved and give back to Ranken checked a lot of boxes for him and he took the job. Jeff taught at Ranken for ten years. He is now at Ameren Missouri, where he has been for one year as a Training Supervisor for Ameren’s Machinist Apprentice program.  Jeff was honored with the Ranken Distinguished Young Alumni award in 2011.

Mathew Martin hoped his son would join him in the shop, but Dan Martin had another calling. His uncle lived next door and sometimes worked on cars. Every time the garage door went up, Dan wandered over. “I was fascinated to look at the parts when he had a car taken apart and I tried to understand how everything worked,” he said. “I’d ask questions, hand him tools, pretty much got in the way. I just gravitated toward cars.” Because Dan’s father valued the education he received at Ranken, he encouraged his son to enroll there. “I didn’t think I was college material,” said Dan, “but I was wrong. It turned out to be the most important two years of my life. Everything I learned at Ranken shaped my career.”

Dan graduated in 1970 with his degree in automotive maintenance. He was ready to enter the workforce, but the Army got to him first. he was drafted and spent two years in the Army before resuming his career as a mechanic. When he returned home, he found work in local auto repair shops doing what he loved. In 1978, Martin saw a newspaper ad seeking mechanics at UPS.

“It was during the Carter Administration when the economy was really bad,” he recalled. “I walked into the UPS office and saw more than 80 people lined up for two jobs. I put in an application but figured I didn’t have a chance.” Two weeks later, he was hired. “The UPS bosses told me the main reason they hired me was because of my Ranken diploma,” he said. “That meant the world to me at the time.”

UPS spotted Dan’s leadership potential quickly. After three years as a mechanic, the company promoted him to fleet supervisor and then fleet manager. “I never would have been promoted without my Ranken training. At Ranken, I learned to do more than work with my hands. I learned to work with people. I learned about management and financing. Ranken gave me a great foundation.”

UPS then promoted Dan to district automotive manager and moved him to Orlando, Fla., Washington, D.C. and finally to San Antonio where he retired in 2005. Retirement, however, may be too strong a word to describe his golden years. He opened a Corvette restoration business for vintage Vettes – models 1953 through 1982. He created a web domain to promote his business but never launched a website because word of mouth advertising brought him more business than he could handle. Most of his customers are in the United States but he’s had clients from Sweden, Canada and Australia.

Martin also maintains and shows the five Corvettes in his personal collection at events throughout the country. He is a master judge of vintage Vettes for the National Corvette Restoration Society and he helps to coordinate an annual car show in San Antonio that raises up to $90,000 for St. Jude’s Ranch for Children.

“The technical training” was excellent but I was more impressed with the instructors. They were seasoned professionals who had successful careers in the military or at Boeing and McDonnell Douglas. They reinforced in me what I learned at home: work hard, work with integrity and take pride in my work.”

Tom said this philosophy has served him well both in his life and career. Just as he was graduating from Ranken, the electronics industry was moving from vacuum tubes to solid state devices. After Ranken, Tom continued his education earning an associate degree in electronics technology from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale in 1971.

It was time to get a real job and Tom received two job offers: one from General Telephone & Electronics and the other from Cable Information Systems (CIS) -a New York-based cable company that was building the cable system in Carbondale.  “I made my career choice literally by flipping a coin,” he said. It landed on cable. Tom started out as a video engineer and became the system’s regional chief technician. Over the next five years he helped the company build new cable systems, maintain existing systems, and design, construct and implement operations.

“I was on the ground floor of a new industry,” he said. “I had plenty of room to explore my interest and skills.”

After leaving CIS, Tom moved to Continental Cablevision where he was responsible for the technical integrity of cable systems in Illinois, Iowa and Missouri. By then, his innovative ideas and skills at implementing and deploying cutting edge broadband services were well known within the cable industry and he was in demand as a speaker and consultant across the country. He was asked to serve a two-year stint as an executive-on-loan with Cable Television Laboratories in Boulder, Colorado, where he evaluated standards for the cable industry and competing approaches to digital video compression methods.

In 1994, Tom was asked to join Charter Communications, a St. Louis-based start-up, which, at the time, had no customers and no revenue.

“It was my job to create the structure and build from scratch the engineering, technical operations, purchasing and inventory management functions,” said Tom, who helped the company become the fourth largest cable operator in the United States with 4.7 million customers in 25 states.

He was lured from Charter Communications by Broadbus Technologies in 2002 to help develop video­on-demand solutions for cable and telecommunications service providers.

In retirement Tom has pursued passions which he had put on hold. He took piano lessons in his St. Louis home from legendary organist Ernie Hayes. He has set up a ham radio station in his home and routinely makes contacts with other ham radio operators worldwide.  He has also traveled internationally and especially enjoys travel to Africa for hunting, fishing and photography.

Tom gives Ranken credit for much of his good fortune and continues to encourage young people searching for career opportunities to strongly consider Ranken.  “Ranken was the best choice for me, and I’m sure it could be for others as well” said Tom.

They took the bus to campus every day for two years. “In those two years I learned the basics required to prepare me for the next 45,” Rueckert said. When Rueckert graduated from Ranken in 1956 the country was in a recession and he couldn’t find a job in automotive maintenance. Thanks to the comprehensive training he received at Ranken, however, he did find a job as a draftsman designing food service equipment, including steam tables and cafeteria counters. A year later, McDonnell Aircraft Corporation hired him away to work as a machinist on jet fighters and the Mercury and Gemini space capsules. “They were great jobs,” said Rueckert, who kept his automotive skills sharp by restoring, rebuilding and racing cars and motorcycles. “I enjoyed them both, but my calling was cars. The average person behind the wheel has no concept of what’s going on beyond the foot pedals and the shifter, but I couldn’t live like that. I wanted to get under the hood and know exactly what was happening.” In 1963, Rueckert spotted a small classified ad in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch seeking a clerk in the warranty department at Volkswagen Mid-America, Inc. He was hired on the spot.

Volkswagen quickly recognized Bill’s talents and he rose through the ranks. He became manager of the warranty department and eventually district service manager. For six years he also held the position of technical instructor, teaching mechanics from throughout the Midwest to service Volkswagens. Rueckert said he patterned his teaching style after Paul S. Hayden, one of his most beloved Ranken instructors. “If you asked him something he challenged you to figure it out for yourself,” he said. “He taught you to stand on your own two legs and that served me well for years.”

As a manager at Volkswagen, Rueckert was in a position to hire people for his team and he always looked to Ranken. He has been both mentor to and employer of four successful Ranken graduates who built successful careers of their own.

Rueckert was with Volkswagen Mid-America for 25 years until the St. Louis office closed. He was hired immediately by American Suzuki Motor Corporation where he spent the next 15 years of his career.

Before retiring in 2002, Rueckert had 35 years of continuous membership in the Automotive Technicians Association, including 12 as president. He was also an A.S.E. Master Registered Technician for 30 years.

Bill has worked hard for what he has but he said none of it would have been possible without the professional foundation learned at Ranken. He has referred at least five students to Ranken who have since graduated and gone on to successful careers. Twice he has delivered Ranken’s commencement address and in 2007 during Ranken’s centennial celebration, Rueckert was named one of the college’s 100 most outstanding alumni. “I have many trophies and certificates but this, by far, is my greatest honor,” he said. “I will be forever grateful to Ranken.”

After graduating from Ranken Gene worked at Western Cartridge in East Alton, Illinois and Curtis Wright in St. Louis as a tool and die maker.

Gene was drafted into the US Navy in 1942.  He scored 100% on the mechanical aptitude test and, as a result, instead of finishing boot camp, was assigned to Pearl Harbor where he served as a submarine mechanic until December of 1945.

After completing his service, Gene shipped back to San Francisco where he caught a train to St. Louis.  Gene said that, “If you wore your uniform you did not have to have a ticket.”  Gene also noted, “There were ladies at each train stop with coffee and sandwiches so that’s how I ate.” Gene went to work as a tool and die maker in shops around St. Louis for two years then in 1947 went to work for McDonnell Aircraft in St. Louis.  In 1967 he continued working as a tool and die maker for McDonnell-Douglas.  He retired in 1977 and he and his wife Lydia moved to Lake Havasu City, AZ.  Lydia died January 31, 1997.

In his retirement Gene began making reproductions of famous violins, though he is not a musician. Gene started his first violin in 1986 and finished it in 1987. Gene didn’t want to go into business, but he stated that he did, “want to get them out into the world, so I just give them to young people.”  Violin #2 went to his brother Ralph who gave it to a family member.  He has given every one of his violins away; giving them to family and friends.  He only asks that the recipient take at least one year of violin lessons. Gene has a musician come over and tune/test each violin as it is completed.  He just recently put the varnish on #205! Gene also restores and repairs old violins so they can be put back into service.

Gene married Nelda Sollars Drury January 1, 2002 in Lake Havasu City, AZ. Together they have numerous grand and great grandchildren.   Gene and Nelda are active members of St. Michael’s United Methodist Church.

In January 2012 Gene had open heart surgery.  The doctor wasn’t too keen on doing the procedure on a 93-year-old until he met Gene.  Gene was an ideal patient and was religious about rehab and exercise.  The results of that surgery speak for themselves as he remains an active 100-year-old.

Gene’s older brother Ralph is 101. His Aunt Ada Cox Osmon lived to 108 so he is determined to live “at least that long”.  Gene continues to work daily in his shop making violins. His generosity is an inspiration to us all.