who we are
Ruark Construction & Engineering was created in response to the market need for higher-level technical expertise in the local construction industry. Modern facility requirements, advancements in materials and construction techniques require a higher knowledge level than ever before. By constantly striving for technical improvement, RCE will achieve its goal of providing innovative industrial and commercial solutions at the best cost for its customers.
Unlike most construction service providers, RCE’s principal and employees are licensed professional engineers. This additional designation binds RCE to a higher level of integrity, honesty and commitment to the client’s best interest. A professional engineer must conform to the Code of Ethics as defined by the National Society of Professional Engineers, not merely the statutory requirements for General Contractors.
Our superintendents have direct hands on capability, and RCE can self perform portions of the project scope as needed. This ability increases our flexibility and allows us to leverage the capabilities of our subcontractors by providing technically skilled supervision.
Regardless of the size of the project, we strive to apply the construction techniques and attention to detail that ensures success. Our suite of tools includes advanced estimating, accounting, scheduling, computer aided design and drafting, local area and virtual private networking, a relational database for project, client, prospect and subcontractor information and tracking.
RCE obtains work by competing primarily for Design/Build projects, while looking for opportunities in the traditional bid market requiring a high level of technical ability.
Our team
Ed attended the Florida Institute of Technology, and graduated from the University of South Florida, College of Engineering. Prior to creating Ruark Construction & Engineering (RCE), Ed was a partner and Vice President of The Perry Company (1993-2000) and held the position of Assistant Vice President of Engineering Services for R.R. Simmons Construction (1987-1993).
As a registered Professional Engineer and Class A General Contractor, Ed's responsibilities include all phases of schematic drawing and construction document delivery, project scheduling, and overall project engineering design and coordination, technical assistance for industrial and manufacturing clients in all aspects of material, production flow and plant layout as prime professional. He has routinely produced computer aided design drawings for industrial plants, office programming and space planning.
Ed is a past President of the Florida Engineering Society Tampa Chapter, past chairman of the Ethics Committee, and is an active member of the National Society of Professional Engineers, Oldsmar Chamber of Commerce, past Commodore of Davis Island Yacht Club, and past President and current board member of the Nathan B. Stubblefield Foundation, license holder for WMNF 88.5 a Tampa community radio station. He is a graduate of Leadership USF (class of 1992) and Leadership Hillsborough (class of 1996).
Javier Fuentes, Vice President
Javier joined Ruark Construction & Engineering in 2007 and he is a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of Florida. His responsibilities included overseeing multi-discipline construction and engineering projects from conception through completion and providing expertise in structural design, analysis, and detailing. He routinely conducts residential and commercial plan reviews for zoning and building code compliance as well as specialty requirements such as ADA, Life Safety, Product Approval, Floodplain, Factory Mutual, and NFPA.
Javier received his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in both Civil Engineering and Industrial Engineering from the University of South Florida (USF), graduating magna cum laude in both majors and completing the USF Honors College program. During his tenure at USF, he was a fellow and later project manager of S.T.A.R.S., a National Science Foundation funded program aimed toward infusing engineering and science into elementary curriculum. Javier concluded his education at USF as a Doctoral Candidate.