Brian Rener

SmithGroup recently named principal and electrical discipline leader Brian Rener, PE, as the firm’s Mission Critical leader. Rener will partner with Ed Burton, SmithGroup’s Science & Technology Practice director, to enhance the firm’s position as a national leader in the design and delivery of data centers and high-performance computing facilities. Rener brings more than 30 years of experience in the design of critical electrical systems for institutional clients and science & technology facilities across the country. He has designed mission critical systems for a variety of the Department of Energy’s national laboratories and other government agencies including the Social Security Administration. Most recently, he oversaw the design of a new supercomputing facility, the Dwight and Dian Diercks Computational Science Hall at the Milwaukee School of Engineering. Prior to joining SmithGroup in 2014, Rener led mission critical projects for clients including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Pennsylvania and Microsoft.

A nationally recognized expert in data center engineering, Rener has authored many articles and frequently presents on a range of topics influencing electrical engineering, data center design and mission critical projects in association with partners such as Argonne National Laboratory and the Electric Association of Chicago.

Rener graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from Michigan State University. He is a registered professional engineer in Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and 15 other states and is a LEED accredited professional. He serves as Co-Chair on the Village of Lake Bluff Sustainability committee and sits on the editorial board of Consulting-Specifying Engineer magazine.