Ranken Program Recognized for Making St. Louis a Better Place to Live

Online, July 2, 2013 (Newswire.com) - Recently, Ranken Technical College received an award from the DeSales Community Housing Corporation, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting investment in Fox Park and Tower Grove East neighborhoods in St. Louis. The organization's Better Neighborhoods Award, which recognizes organizations and individuals that make St. Louis a better place to live, was presented to Ranken Community Development Corporation (RCDC) for work on its most recent development, Samuel Moore, Sr. Estates, in the nearby Lewis Place neighborhood.

"When we started the Ranken Community Development Corporation we had two major goals in mind; first to create the best possible learning environment for our construction division students and second to revitalize the neighborhood surrounding the College," said John Wood, Ranken's vice president for student success. "With over fifty homes completed and sold in our community, I am proud to say that we continue to improve on both of these worthy goals. We are thrilled that DeSales has honored us with this prestigious award."

The program purchases vacant lots from the St. Louis City Land Reutilization Authority and builds high quality two-story residences on the property. Students and faculty members from architecture, carpentry, plumbing, electrical and heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration use their skills to build these houses. This gives students the hands-on experience in construction and renovation that they will use when they enter the workforce. Each home has 1,500-1,800 square feet, three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, and well-sized garages. Once completed, they are sold and proceeds are used to build more homes and involve future students in home building projects.

Since the fall of 2010, RCDC has participated in an Energy Star home inspection by Applied Science Energy Ratings. The purpose of the inspection is to benchmark how energy efficient the home is and allow RCDC to learn how to build more energy-efficient homes. RCDC recently received its most impressive Home Energy Rating System (HERS®) Index rating of 51 on a scale from 140 (least efficient) to 40 (most efficient), with 100 being the typical rating for new homes.

About Ranken Technical College

With its main campus located in St. Louis, Missouri, Ranken Technical College is a private, non-profit institution of higher education. Rich with history, Ranken has provided students with top quality educational programs for more than 100 years. Ranken Technical College's primary mission is to provide the comprehensive education and training necessary to prepare students for employment and advancement in a variety of technical fields. Throughout its long history as a St. Louis College and trade school, Ranken has been an excellent training and educational center for professionals looking to start or advance in their careers. Ranken Technical College's success in job placement is well-documented, with traditionally 96-98 percent of Ranken graduates finding gainful employment in their chosen field within six months of graduation. For more information about Ranken Technical College, please visit www.ranken.edu.