Todd Kenner is the CEO of RESPEC, a company that, as Todd puts it, “is a family of very talented professionals focused on solving complex problems.” After sharing this pithy summation of the organization, he says with a laugh, “I’m probably the dumbest one here.” Todd, a very bright person with extensive experience in leading and developing solutions to complicated issues, is making a point about the outstanding capabilities of the 500-plus technical professionals at RESPEC.
With 26 offices across North America, this 53-year-old Rapid City company has become a world authority in mining, energy, water quality, data management and other complex ventures. Where do a lot of these extremely talented and intelligent people come from? Look no further than RESPEC’s own backyard — South Dakota Mines.
SD Mines is producing some of the best and most capable thinkers in the world of science and engineering. Todd explains the challenge of producing so many capable people: “I was born and raised in Rapid and went to Mines. There weren’t a lot of opportunities when I came out of school, so we had to go to other places.”
And that was one of the original driving forces behind the founding of RESPEC in Rapid City — to give engineering graduates high-quality local opportunities with the ability to work on national and international projects.
This self-proclaimed Rapid City homeboy is thrilled to be living out his dream in his old stomping grounds. He says, “It’s fun to live out your dreams, but it’s even more fun to go way beyond anything you could dream.”
3824 Jet Dr
Rapid City, SD 57703
respec.com