Ryan Edward Rock is the president of Empire Ag, an agro-industrial general contractor based in Ankeny, Iowa. For a young guy who has always worked hard to serve his country and various employers, the transition into business ownership was a logical evolution. Rock, a Midwesterner at heart, has settled near his old home and established a life, a business, and his own family.

Current Role and Responsibilities

He was able to strike out on his own after years of working in the agricultural industrial industry. He established Empire Ag to design and build agricultural and industrial infrastructure. Rock works with excellent business partners and a top-notch field crew, fully realizing that success is better with others. They collaborate to construct high-quality facilities across the United States to process and store the grain, feed, and flour that help feed America and the world.

Rock believes Empire Ag can give the finest building experience possible and increase client happiness by lowering overhead and keeping a close eye on consumer requirements.

Career Background

Ryan Edward Rock has worked his entire life and has never been unemployed. Growing up, his family rented a 160-acre farm from his grandmother, so Rock was exposed to farm management responsibilities and the demands of an agricultural community at a young age. Rock acquired dedication through Boy Scouts, competitive sports, and church membership, and they were reinforced by active participation in the local 4-H club.

He enlisted in the Army National Guard at the age of 17 and planned to attend Iowa State University in Ames. The Army National Guard allowed him to serve his country while also helping to support his undergraduate degree without the long-term burden of student loans.

He remained committed to this throughout college, working as a resident assistant in an ISU dorm in his junior year before being summoned to active military at the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Rock was sent in February 2003 and spent 15 months in Iraq.

While finishing his final year of college after his deployment, Rock pursued his passion in building and hands-on projects by working as a handyman in Ames. One assignment introduced him to the proprietor of Todd & Sargent, a local firm specializing in agricultural and industrial construction.

Rock began his career with the corporation as an assistant superintendent at a new ethanol facility in Nevada, Iowa. When the project was completed, he relocated to the main office and began working as a project estimator, a position he held for two years before transitioning to his actual passion, operations and project management. Rock might use his military expertise, career experience, and education to good use in this field.

He handled contractual projects from start to finish, from design and engineering to commissioning and punchlisting.

Ryan was promoted to Senior Project Manager and given stock in the company after a few years. The new role included even more monitoring of project managers, project engineers, and others. He went on to oversee the Purchasing Department and the Safety Department before being promoted to vice president. All of these abilities culminated in Rock launching his own business in the same field.

For the businessman, this provides a chance to deliver greater client focus while still having the time to focus on his family and further expand his Ankeny, Iowa, home property into the ideal spread for his wife and children.

Academic Background

He devoted himself as a high school student with an eye toward the future to completing as many college-credit classes as possible during high school. He earned enough college credits in his junior and senior years to complete basic training for the Army during the fall semester of 2000 and begin matriculating at ISU on time the following spring.

Rock's battalion returned to Ames just in time to see his younger sister graduate from ISU after his tour of duty in Iraq. He soon caught up and finished his degree in two semesters with a hefty academic load of 18 credits each. In the spring semester of 2005, he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the university.

Personal Hobbies and Interests

Ryan Edward Rock is devoted to his wife of more than ten years and their three daughters. The family resides on a four-acre tract in Iowa and is currently constructing a new home to better meet their family's needs.

When Rock isn't spending time with his family, he's either helping friends with building projects, working around the house, or working on hobby vehicles.