{"id":46974,"date":"2017-10-04T16:34:19","date_gmt":"2017-10-04T20:34:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/?p=46974"},"modified":"2017-10-04T16:34:18","modified_gmt":"2017-10-04T20:34:18","slug":"niagara-construction-icon-to-receive-honorary-degree-at-brocks-fall-convocation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/2017\/10\/niagara-construction-icon-to-receive-honorary-degree-at-brocks-fall-convocation\/","title":{"rendered":"Niagara construction icon to receive honorary degree at Brock\u2019s Fall Convocation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Take a drive around Niagara and it\u2019s easy to see the impact Tom Rankin has had on the region.<\/span><\/p>\n

From parking lots to bridges, from the Meridian Centre to components of the Welland Canal, Rankin\u2019s construction company has built much of the infrastructure Niagara residents rely on.<\/p>\n

But as much as Rankin Construction is synonymous with major civil projects, the man behind the brand has had just as much of an impact on the community. The annual cancer run bearing his name, for example, draws around 13,000 people each year and has raised $7.5 million for local cancer care facilities.<\/p>\n

On Friday, Oct. 13, Tom Rankin will be recognized at Brock University with an honorary doctorate during the school\u2019s Fall Convocation ceremony.<\/p>\n

Born in Kirkland Lake, Rankin worked as a development and construction engineer for the Ontario Department of Highways, and the cities of Niagara Falls and St. Catharines in the 1960s and \u201970s. In 1978, he launched the company that would become Rankin Construction Inc., and it has continued to grow ever since.<\/p>\n

Rankin Construction and its related businesses now employ about 500 people in Niagara, Hamilton and Kincardine.<\/p>\n

A former Board of Trustees member for Brock University, Rankin has often been recognized for his professional accomplishments and philanthropic work. Most recently, he was the recipient of Niagara\u2019s 15th T. Roy Adams Humanitarian Award.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt means a lot to be honoured by the University,\u201d said Rankin, who has also received an honorary degree from his alma mater, St. Francis Xavier in Nova Scotia, and was named an honorary graduate from Niagara College. \u201cIt\u2019s a privilege and an honour when a university bestows that on an individual.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very proud because I think Brock has come to the forefront so I\u2019m proud to be associated with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brock\u2019s Fall Convocation on Friday, Oct. 13 will see more than 1,000 graduates cross the stage during ceremonies at 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Rankin will be conferred and will deliver the convocation address during the afternoon ceremony.<\/p>\n

Rankin said he plans to remind the graduates about the importance of hard work and getting involved in their community.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to tell them some of the things I\u2019ve learned as an individual,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ll tell them about some of the things that helped me, and that they have to get more involved today in politics. They can\u2019t just sit back and leave it to others.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of all the projects his companies have been involved in over the years, Rankin said the Meridian Centre is the one that stands out the most.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can build a sewer or water main, but they\u2019re in the ground and you never see them again. But I can sit in the Meridian Centre \u2026 it just means so much,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Convocation ceremonies will be held inside Ian Beddis Gymnasium in the Walker Sports Complex and are open to the public. Tickets are not required. A reception for graduates, family and guests will follow each ceremony.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Take a drive around Niagara and it\u2019s easy to see the impact Tom Rankin has had on the region.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":46975,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[119,36,39,40,7,3319,4052,55,37,41,1,4,38],"tags":[156,4157,3716],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46974"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46974"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46974\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46976,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46974\/revisions\/46976"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46975"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46974"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46974"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46974"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}