Former Ramtech Building Systems VP of Design and Development Roland Brown addresses the crowd at his induction into the MBI Hall of Fame.
At last month’s 2023 Modular Building Institute World of Modular Conference, Ramtech’s Roland Brown was inducted into the MBI’s Hall of Fame for his contributions as both an innovative designer of modular buildings for the public and private sectors, along with his career-long efforts in shepherding and helping to define the building codes in support of the commercial modular industry.
Roland began his career as a draftsman for a mobile home company in Silver City North Carolina. After an initial stint at PFS Corporation in Dallas where he honed his skills on structural design calculations, he then moved on to PBS Building Systems where he had the opportunity to help develop the structural concepts required to meet the more complex designs that the burgeoning modular building market was starting to demand. Over the course of his career, he became known for his ability to analytically solve problems and to develop the structural design solutions required to meet the challenges required to construct complex modular building projects. Many of these innovative and unique designs went on to make significant contributions to the technical evolution of the commercial modular building industry. These innovations include: the development of a system consisting of steel-trussed frames with panelized roof and wall panels; Type II building designs utilizing steel deck horizontal diaphragms and light gauge shear walls to allow for large open areas without columns; and Ramtech’s award winning slab-on-grade permanent modular construction process, a grade-level permanent modular building approach which allows for the modular sections to be set and attached directly onto a conventional concrete slab foundation.
Initially hired as Ramtech’s engineering manager, Roland was elevated to the Vice President of Design and Development in 1998, leading Ramtech’s engineering department for all of his 34 years with us. Over the course of his five-decade career, Roland became the first modular building industry representative to become the presiding officer for the Texas Industrialized Building Code Council, the advisory board to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation on issues related to the regulation of the industrialized housing and commercial modular building industries. He also previously served as the Government Affairs Chairman and the President of the Board of Directors of the Modular Building Institute, the international nonprofit trade association that serves the commercial modular construction industry. Roland was also a member of the International Code Council where he was an active advocate for addressing code and compliance issues that affected the commercial modular building industry.
Former Ramtech VP of Design and Development receives the 2023 MBI Hall of Fame Award from Executive Director Tom Hardiman
Prior to his enshrinement into the MBI Hall of Fame, Roland was the recipient of MBI ‘s outstanding achievement award in 2018, joining long-time Ramtech colleagues Linc Moss, Mike Slater, and Bob Houchin with the prestigious award. At his Hall of Fame introduction, Ramtech President Matt Slataper stated, “Roland has been a mentor to me and for years has invested in the next generation of industry leaders. It has been driven by his passion for our company, his undeniable love for the modular industry, and above all else, a servant’s heart.”
You can read more about Roland and his exemplary career in this article on the MBI’s website here.
