William L. Rammes

For his outstanding accomplishments as an industrial engineering leader and corporate executive, the Schools of Engineering are proud to present the Distinguished Engineering Alumnus Award to William L. Rammes.

Vice President, Operations
Anheuser-Busch, Inc.
BSIE '63


Rammes bust

After receiving his industrial engineering degree from Purdue in 1963, Mr. Rammes spent one year as a production engineer for McDonnell Aircraft Corporation and two years as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army, serving in Vietnam. Since 1966 he has worked for Anheuser-Busch, Inc., which ranks 49th in the Fortune 500.

At Busch he has been an industrial engineer; manager of operations, standards, and cost control; director of plant operations; and vice president and member of the Board of Directors.

In his current position as Vice President of Operations, Mr. Rammes is responsible for all policy decisions and plant operations of the company's 12 breweries. His responsibilities include engineering, packaging, business administration, labor relations, quality assurance, and environmental issues.

  • "One time a professor told me, 'RTP. Read the problem.' That has always been good advice for me. You have to take time to understand a problem before you react."
  • "Purdue is a fantastic school. I don't think anyone could come away from Purdue with a degree and not be satisfied that they had one of the finest educations in the world."

Young Rammes bust

Advice for students:

"A base understanding of your individual discipline in your chosen field of engineering is essential. That knowledge and the problem-solving techniques you've learned can be applied across a large spectrum of work, responsibility, and authority that you may be given."