Glen's NetworkEngineeringRocket LeagueDoubles Partner

Nick Rankin, E.I.

Project Engineer at Chastain & Associates LLC. Building infrastructure that makes communities work. University of Wisconsin-Platteville. Greater Chicago Area. Also: the guy I play Rocket League with.

236 connections on LinkedIn • 248 followers

The Arc

Nick Rankin is the kind of engineer who actually means it when he says he wants to make a difference. Not in the LinkedIn-platitude way — in the “I'm going to design the infrastructure your kids drive on” way. Civil engineering at UW-Platteville, then straight into project work at Chastain & Associates in the Chicago area.

His own words tell you everything: “Through my technical and software knowledge, I'll make strides to completing civil related work on time and to the fullest. Through my social interactions, I'll make strides to forming long lasting relationships.” Most engineers talk about concrete and rebar. Nick talks about relationships and community. That's the difference.

He's an Engineer in Training (E.I.T.) working toward his Professional Engineer license — the kind of milestone that separates people who studied engineering from people who are engineers. Nick's on that path, and knowing him, he'll get there ahead of schedule.

Career Timeline

2015 - 2019

Bachelor of Science, Civil Engineering

University of Wisconsin-Platteville

Studied civil engineering at UW-Platteville — one of the top engineering schools in Wisconsin. Built the technical foundation that would launch his career in infrastructure and community development. Also probably played an alarming amount of Rocket League in the dorms.

2019 - Present

Project Engineer

Chastain & Associates LLC

Currently serving as a Project Engineer at Chastain & Associates in the Greater Chicago Area. Works on civil engineering projects that directly impact surrounding communities — infrastructure, site development, and the kind of work that literally builds the ground people stand on. Making strides every day.

What Nick Brings

Civil Engineering

The real deal — designing and building the infrastructure that communities depend on. Roads, utilities, site plans, drainage. The stuff that makes civilization work.

Project Management

Managing timelines, budgets, and stakeholders on civil projects. When you're coordinating subcontractors, reviewing plans, and keeping a project on schedule, you learn to manage chaos.

Technical Software

Proficient in the engineering software stack — AutoCAD, Civil 3D, and the tools that turn blueprints into reality. The bridge between design and construction.

Community Impact

Nick's not just building projects — he's building communities. Every road, every drainage system, every site plan has real people at the other end who depend on it being done right.

Rocket LeagueDoubles Partners

The Rocket League Bond

Some friendships are built on shared experiences, deep conversations, and mutual respect. Ours is built on flying rocket-powered cars into a giant ball. Nick and I are doubles partners in Rocket League — which means we've shared more “What a save!” moments than most married couples share meals.

Duo Partner

bradford86

That's Glen

Game Mode

Ranked 2v2

Doubles or nothing

Comms Style

"Nice shot!"

Mostly sincere

Rotation

Chaotic

But it works

Greatest Hits (and Misses)

The Double Commit

Both going for the same ball. Every time. "I got it!" "I got it!" Neither of us got it.

The Overtime Winner

Nothing bonds two people like a last-second goal in ranked doubles. The screaming. The replaying. The "Nice shot!" spam.

The "Calculated" Whiff

Missing the ball completely, then watching it roll in anyway because the other team also whiffed. Calculated. Calculated. Calculated.

The Carry

Some games Nick carries. Some games Glen carries. Most games the ball carries itself into our own goal and we both blame lag.

Playable Game

Rocket League: Aerial Challenge

Score as many goals as you can in 60 seconds. Aerial goals are worth 3x. Dedicated to every doubles session with Nick where we swore “one more game” and played twelve.

How I Know Nick

Rocket League — doubles partners

I met Nick through Rocket League. That's it. That's the origin story. No conference, no LinkedIn connection request, no mutual friend. Just two guys who ended up on the same team in ranked doubles and realized they had actual chemistry. The kind of chemistry where you know where your teammate is without looking, where rotations just work, where a well-placed center turns into a goal before you even call it.

What I learned about Nick through gaming is what his LinkedIn profile only hints at: he's reliable, he communicates well, he doesn't rage-quit when things go sideways, and he gets better every session. Those are the exact traits that make a great engineer. If I needed someone to manage a project that mattered, I'd want someone who shows up consistently, stays cool under pressure, and actually enjoys the grind. That's Nick.

He's also the kind of person who writes “Congrats on the Promos! Well deserved!” on other people's posts — and means it. You can tell a lot about someone by how they celebrate other people's wins. Nick celebrates them the same way he celebrates a teammate's goal: genuinely and loudly.

Why He Matters

Nick is early in his career, and that's exactly what makes this page worth writing. He's not a VP yet. He's not running a company. He's a project engineer working toward his P.E. license, building real things for real communities, and getting better every single day. The trajectory is obvious to anyone paying attention.

In a world full of people who optimize their LinkedIn profiles instead of their skills, Nick is heads-down doing the work. Civil engineering isn't glamorous. Nobody makes TikToks about drainage design. But the roads you drive on, the utilities that work when you flip a switch, the sites that get developed safely and correctly — that's people like Nick. That's the work that actually matters.

Also: he's a Platteville Pioneer. Respect. Go Pioneers.

🏆

Want to Play?

Glen plays Rocket League as bradford86 on Epic Games. Check out the full stats page for rank history, car rankings, and a deep dive into 3,000+ hours of car soccer.

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