Always Up for A Challenge

Yaser Abu-Renneh loves a challenge, and one of the most exciting challenges in his life began in 1998 with his Canadian immigration application. The next four years were the genesis of Yaser’s career as a Structural Engineer in North America. After working within the steel and automotive industries, in engineering and quality control, he then trained with a highly-respected consulting firm. Subsequently, he became recognized, established, and respected by the Association of Structural Engineers. In 2007, Yaser entered the overhead crane industry, which he considers a milestone in his career, and he joined IIA in 2012.

As IIA’s Senior Structural Engineer and Engineering Manager, Yaser knows how important communication is. He starts his day by meeting with his team of engineers, where they discuss the day’s projects, the plans for those projects, and answer any questions they may have for Yaser or each other before heading out to their respective project sites. Yaser says, “Communication is the key to a successful project,” and he shares that it’s also important to communicate openly with customers and potential customers.

He explains that it’s important to ensure we can deliver exactly what customers need and asking questions and discussing details of the project are all important aspects of that process. Yaser also makes sure he is readily available to communicate with his team in case they have questions, need extra support, or if any problems arise in the field.

His most interesting and challenging tasks are forensic engineering projects. Yaser is considered a Crane Industry Expert and is sometimes called upon by The Court to take part in overhead crane arbitrations where he investigates and gives his expert opinion regarding crane malfunction and accidents.

Knowing Yaser loves a challenge, it’s not surprising he is enticed by this work. He pours over thousands of documents, photos, blueprints, statements, NDE reports, drawings, and more in an effort to discern exactly what took place during the malfunction, error, or accident. He says he “loves chasing every detail involved in the situation” and is “focused on finding the issue that brought the problem to light.”

Another part of his job he truly enjoys is being exposed to new capabilities in the crane industry. Yaser tells us, “I always want to learn more and provide input for this industry.” By being a manager, he can provide exponential input since he is exposed to many different areas of engineering: Mechanical, Metallurgical, Welding, Civil and Structural.

What makes him very happy in his work is to receive Thank You letters from his customers. “The goal is to make sure the planning, fabrication and installation all go seamlessly, and we deliver exactly what our customers need.”

A 2013 project that not only made Yaser happy, but also the residents and visitors of Toronto, was a 3D sculpture called Forever Bicycles designed by renowned Chinese artist Ai Weiweian. Yaser was the Structural Engineer involved in providing drawings to suit the fabrication and process for the superstructure of 3,144 bicycle frames.

“This was a very unique project with interesting challenges. Seeing the finished product makes you feel proud to be involved.”

Yaser’s advice to others is to “dedicate your life to your work, and when you do that, the outcome will be beyond your imagination and beyond your goals.”