The Rotary Club of Edina will welcome Ravi Norman as the program speaker at the Thursday, Nov. 16, meeting. Norman is the CEO of THOR Companies. He will speak about "Build/Transform/Sustain."Rotarian Mark Stageberg will give his Classification Talk at the meeting.
Ravi Norman serves as CEO of THOR Companies, providing strategic leadership to the THOR family of affiliates/subsidiaries: THOR Development, THOR Design Plus, THOR Construction, THOR Consulting and THOR Energy w/JIT. He joined THOR in 2005 as CFO, overseeing the firm’s financial strategies and operations. During his tenure as CFO he helped steer the company through the 2008–2009 economic downturn that brought the U.S. building industry to a near-standstill.
Promoted to THOR CEO in 2009, Norman directed the company along a strategic growth process that led to the 2017 formation of THOR Companies, a turnkey real estate development company with an expanded palette of integrated service offerings. He describes his leadership style as an optimal mix of macro business strategy, management and organizational theory and operational execution, formed through more than 18 years of corporate executive-level experience in areas such as strategic management, organizational development and commercial finance.
Under Norman's leadership, THOR Companies has positioned itself to serve as a strategic real estate and construction partner for clients seeking innovative and sustainable solutions in the built environment. THOR optimizes initial cost capital expenditures, ongoing operating expenses, and human satisfaction and well being.
Norman emphasizes that THOR, as one of the nation’s largest black-owned private companies, brings a unique understanding of emerging communities, diversity and social inclusion as an additional value-add to their customers.
His formal education includes economics and finance degrees from the University of Minnesota. He has worked previously in executive positions for Norwest Bank, Wells Fargo & Co. and Highland Banks in the Twin Cities. He has received many awards and accolades, including being named as one of Minnesota’s Most Admired CEOs of 2016 by the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal. He also serves on numerous local and regional boards.
The Rotary Club of Edina meets at 12:15 p.m. Thursdays at the Edina Country Club. All are welcome. Cost for lunch and the program is $20 for adults, $12 for kids. Cash, check and credit card payments are accepted.