Meet the Speaker: Rashod R. Johnson, PE ’08 MBA

Rashod R. Johnson, PE ’08 MBA is President and CEO of Ardmore Roderick, which he transformed into one of the largest Black-owned infrastructure engineering and construction firms in the US. For four consecutive years, the firm ranked in the top 20 on Crain’s Chicago Business list of the 50 fastest-growing companies in Chicagoland.

Rashod founded The Roderick Group, Inc. in 2005 and acquired Ardmore Associates, LLC in 2017, forming Ardmore Roderick, a full-service infrastructure firm with 300+ employees. Under Rashod’s leadership, Ardmore Roderick has evolved from a local leader to a multi-state, multimillion-dollar powerhouse with offices in several states and Puerto Rico.

Demonstrating Rashod’s commitment to creating diverse and inclusive workplaces, almost 60% of Ardmore Roderick’s workforce and leadership is diverse—35+ points above the industry average.

Ardmore Roderick is actively involved in large-scale public and private contracts, with Rashod serving as Project Executive for prominent projects for VIP clients, including the Chicago Department of Aviation, Lockheed Martin, Chicago Transit Authority, and the Obama Foundation, currently overseeing over $20 billion in construction.

In pursuit of continued success, Rashod has established an external Advisory Committee and an internal Strategic Planning Committee to develop aggressive plans for Ardmore Roderick’s national expansion through organic growth and strategic acquisitions. In 2008, as President and CEO of The Roderick Group (now Ardmore Roderick), he acquired Material Service Testing Laboratories, a union construction material testing, engineering, and research firm. Within three years, he grew it from a one-million-dollar business to a six-million-dollar business and sold the company in 2018 for ten times the purchasing price.

Devoted to serving African American communities, Rashod is currently a member of the African American Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida; the Illinois State Black Chamber of Commerce; a member of the Board of Trustees for St. Ignatius College Prep; and a member of the Board of Trustee for the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago. Additionally, Rashod serves as a Board Member of the Illinois Road and Transportation Builders Association – Planning and Design Division and Government Affairs Committee; he is a graduate of Leadership Orlando Class 100; an active member of the Commercial Club of Chicago; and the Young Presidents Organization (YPO), Chicago. Rashod’s past community and association involvement includes Year-Up Chicago, YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago, South Side YMCA of Chicago, National Society of Black Engineers, and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

Rashod earned an MBA from the University of Notre Dame, an MS in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and a BS in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. In his free time, Rashod enjoys being a #GirlDad to his teenage daughter, Leila, and teaching her to share in his passions of faith, live music, travel, cars, and sports.