Ruby+ Associates Founder David Ruby Retires After 60+ Year Career

Ruby+Associates, a Degenkolb Company, is officially announcing that the firm’s former Chairman and Founding Principal David I. Ruby, PE, SE, has retired. 

Mr. Ruby’s structural engineering career spans over 60 years working for steel fabricators, erectors, contractors, and architects, all the while developing his passion for constructability. His professional journey led him to founding Ruby+Associates in 1984 to fill a gap by providing structural engineering services to the construction industry, a firm mission which remains today. With an impressive resume of high-profile projects, articles, presentations, and as the author of the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) Design Guide #23, “Constructability of Structural Steel Buildings,” Mr. Ruby is a sought-after expert in steel construction. With many articles in between, Mr. Ruby also wrote a six-article series in the 2010s entitled, “But it Worked in the Model!” for Modern Steel Construction magazine, communicating to readers, particularly young engineers, that models aren’t infallible but require the application of sound judgement and experience to reach their full potential as powerful tools for designing structures. Even late into his career, Mr. Ruby continued to share his constructability philosophy with the industry by presenting at national, regional, and local conferences and seminars.

Recognized internationally as a structural steel expert, he was a registered engineer in 36 states.  Mr. Ruby provided steel erection and stability analysis, value engineered solutions, design consulting and constructability reviews on such notable projects as: State Farm Stadium, Glendale; Bradley Center, Milwaukee; Comerica Park and Ford Field, Detroit; US Cellular Field (now Guaranteed Rate Field), Chicago, and Miami Marlins Park (now LoanDepot Park), Miami.  

Prior to founding Ruby+Associates in 1984, Mr. Ruby worked for the American Bridge Division of U.S. Steel, serving as structural project engineer for the John Hancock building, Sears Tower, and Standard Oil building in Chicago.  He also served as Chief Structural Engineer for John Portman and Associates in Atlanta. In these endeavors, he left his mark on Detroit’s Renaissance Center; Bonaventure Hotel, Los Angeles; Embarcadero Center Hyatt Regency, San Francisco, and Peachtree Center, Atlanta.  

Mr. Ruby was active in ACEC’s Council of American Structural Engineers (CASE), serving on the CASE National Guidelines Committee, the CASE Board, and as its Chairman. He was a founding member and president of the Structural Engineers Association of Michigan (SEAMi). In 2009, he was appointed to the Construction Science Research Foundation Board of Directors. Mr. Ruby was a member of the AISC Code of Standard Practice Committee; the Committees on Research and Education, and he was past co-chairman of the AISC Blast & Impact Resistant Design Task Group. He served as chair of the Lawrence Technological University Civil Engineering Advisory Council for four years

He has received numerous awards and honors from industry groups, including induction into the Michigan Construction Hall of Fame in 2023; the AISC 2022 J. Lloyd Kimbrough Award; the 2019 ACEC/M Felix A. Anderson Award; the AISC 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award; and the Structural Engineers Association of Michigan 2010 Outstanding Structural Engineer of the Year award, among others.

Mr. Ruby recently remarked, "My work has always been a fascinating game where we're constantly presented with challenges and opportunities to implement new ideas. Our overriding goal is always to find innovative and cost-effective solutions for our clients and we've had a lot of success doing it. I thank my clients, my family, and the team at Ruby – who are often one and the same – for their incredible enthusiasm and dedication to getting the job done right. Working alongside all of them has been my greatest reward."

Visit Mr. Ruby’s bio page on the Ruby + Associates website for more information about his career and accomplishments: David Ruby, PE, SE.