Mr. Raanes (Gene) is Principal and Senior Mechanical Engineer of Encotech Engineering Consultants, a Central TX boutique MEP and Structural engineering firm that delivers professional services ranging from design to consulting.

Gene is a Mechanical Engineer with more than 40 years of experience in the design field. Drawing upon extensive project experience, he successfully delivers results on time and within budget. He prides himself on establishing long-lasting relationships with clients. He credits an early career mentor with crucial advice: “This brilliant colleague taught me to think outside the box, trust in my engineering skills, and approach projects and problems with reason and sound engineering principles. This guidance has taught me to be self-reliant, independent, and creative. Clients know that when they have issues, they can rely on me to find the solution to their problems.”

When Mr. Raanes joined Encotech as a Senior Engineer, he was tasked to run the company’s head office in San Antonio, a job for which he felt uniquely prepared as his contacts in this community ran deep. It has been more than five years since Mr. Raanes has been at the helm of this branch. In his own words, Encotech came into his life when “I was 35 years into my career and looking to continue my journey in a company culture that promoted good values and most of all, operated with a high level of integrity.”

Gene began his career 41 years ago with a consulting engineering firm that offered him what he most desired: the ability to participate in diverse project types. Over the years, he has contributed his expertise to various ventures in the governmental, institutional, educational, commercial, industrial, and residential sectors, excelling at taking projects from inception through design and completion. His technical expertise is vast and includes experience with air-conditioning systems, chillers, steam, and hot water boilers, dust collection, temperature controls, sanitary sewer, waste, ventilation, and medical gases.

Mr. Raanes has tackled diverse projects and systems, approaching every project with logic and sound engineering principles. Gene has experience with complex projects, including water boilers, air handling units, zone pressurization, chillers, heat pumps, dust collectors, steam humidifiers, air scrubbers, and hazardous exhausts.
Gene recalls one project, for which he was Engineer of Record, which included replacing a 30K CFM air handling unit above an auditorium, “in a building built around the unit with no thought made on how to replace it in the future. I came up with a plan, worked with the equipment manufacturer to make equipment breakdown points on the air handler, which would facilitate the unit to be disassembled at the site, installed through the door, and re-assembled inside the existing mechanical room. The plan worked flawlessly and saved the Owner and contractor a significant amount of cost for the project!”