Ben Krause, PE is one of the founding members of RRC and is responsible for managing the structural engineering group. His engineering background has been primarily involved with the execution of industrial-scale wind turbine foundation designs. He is a registered PE in 9 states across the country and has experience with the design requirements for over 25 turbine manufacturers and approximately 115 different turbine models.
Ben started his career at HDR in Golden Valley, MN (a suburb of Minneapolis) after graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil (Structural) Engineering from North Dakota State University in Fargo, ND. He also has a Master of Science degree in Structural Engineering from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, MN.
Looking back on 10 years at RRC, Ben highlights the Alta wind projects in California as a significant milestone. The company was involved with phases 2 through 11 between 2010 and 2013. In total, RRC helped design the foundations for nearly 500 turbines on that project. The Alta Wind project still holds the title as largest wind project in the United States.
When asked what inspired Ben to help the co-founders start RRC, he replied “What inspired me to help start RRC was the desire to help create something from our own vision and create our own standards of what an engineering consulting work environment could be. It was the opportunity to start with a blank slate and create whatever we determined was best for ourselves, our employees, and our clients. I’ve personally found it very intriguing to challenge some of the conventions of how a typical engineering firm operates. It was also an exciting opportunity to be on the forefront of renewable energy creation in the U.S. It’s been very fulfilling to feel like we’ve played a significant role in building momentum toward cleaner energy production for future generations to benefit.”
When describing what sets RRC apart in the industry, he adds that “some of the services provided at RRC are more established than others and have come to be recognized as industry leaders, so what I hope to see in the future is that we become recognized as industry leaders for all of the services we currently provide. As long as we’re able to adapt and continuously raise the bar of what should be expected from the services we provide, then the only limits to what we can create are the limits we place on ourselves.” Ben is proud to say that he’s personally been involved in approximately one-third of all the wind power currently operating in the United States. “It’s been a very unique opportunity to be able to focus and specialize in an emerging industry for this long and I hope to continue leaving a mark in the wind industry long into the future.”
In his free time, Ben tries to make a regular habit of seeing numerous movies a month in theaters in addition to regularly watching movies at home. He is an avid baseball fan and regularly attends Minnesota Twins games having been a season ticket holder for 10 years. When the Minnesota weather cooperates, he enjoys playing disc golf, which he started playing in college. Recently, Minnesota had the 3rd most number of disc golf courses in the country. Photography, particularly sports photography, has been a big part of his life for the last several years in his spare time. He feels fortunate to be one of the team photographers for the Minnesota Vikings since 2013. “I’ve had the opportunity to photograph every home game from the sidelines since 2013 on behalf of the team,” Ben adds. “It’s been an incredible experience especially as the Vikings transitioned between 3 stadiums in that time period culminating in the opening of the spectacular U.S. Bank Stadium this past season.”
