experience

 Eric grew up on a farm in SE Iowa and was engaged with machinery from a very young age.   

After graduating high school, he attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, earning a BS in Mechanical Engineering in 2002.   He specialized in HVAC related courses and worked in a refrigerants research lab throughout much of his time at UIUC.

After college, he moved to Chicago to pursue a career in building systems engineering. Starting at Kent Consulting Engineers, he gained experience in the professional world learning about airside systems layouts in commercial renovation projects throughout many of the high rise buildings in the Chicago Loop.

Seeking more engineering experience, he moved to Holabird & Root and then to OWP&P, gaining experience in hydronic systems, laboratory HVAC design, data center cooling, and other more complex engineering project challenges for a wide range of markets.

During the 2008 recession, Eric moved to Affiliated Engineers in Chicago to gain experience in healthcare facilities design and spend 5+ years involved in the design and construction of a 25-story high rise ambulatory care center in River North, among many other healthcare and higher education projects.

In 2015, feeling burned out by the pace of projects in the MEP industry and general lack of competent and strategic leadership, he co-founded a new engineering firm called Virtual Energy Solutions with the goal of providing the best quality service utilizing technology tools to increase efficiency and bring the focus back to the customer. 

Finally after 10 years helping to build and grow VES to a stable and successful firm, it was again time to make a career change to align with personal and professional goals moving forward – thus the founding of a new firm called Ranaverde Consulting.

“With the founding of Ranaverde Consulting, I am able to fully align a firm’s strategy with my own values and passion, and incorporate all the hard-won lessons with the goal of helping our clients achieve the most successful project outcomes.”

Eric Person

Founder and President Ranaverde Consulting