Conrad, John R.
John R. Conrad Soundex Code C563
John R. Conrad (1915-2005), longtime president and chairman of the board of S&C Electric Company, died of complications from Alzheimer's disease in his home on Tuesday, August 30, 2005, at the age of 89. Over his 50 years at the helm of S&C, Mr. Conrad shaped the Chicago-based company into a global supplier of switching and protection equipment and services. An incisive analyst of industry trends and a stubborn proponent of private ownership, Mr. Conrad was a nationally known leader in the electric power industry.
Born in the Ravenswood neighborhood, Mr. Conrad spent his teenage years on the North Shore before attending Yale University, his wife said. He returned to the city without a degree from Yale, choosing instead to complete his college education at the University of Chicago.
After a rapid rise in management at Douglas Aircraft during World War II, Mr. Conrad joined S&C in 1945 as a Vice President at the behest of his father, Nicholas J. Conrad, co-founder of the company. Under John Conrad's leadership, S&C developed a broad line of innovative products and grew from 125 employees to its current workforce (2005 numbers) of 2,000 worldwide, including 1,600 in Chicago. The company has wholly owned subsidiaries in Canada, Mexico, China, and Brazil.
John Conrad became President of S&C in 1952, Chairman and CEO in 1988, and Chairman Emeritus in 1997. He rose to prominence and became a highly regarded spokesperson for electrical equipment manufacturers. Well known for his aversion to Wall Street and the pressures it creates on publicly owned companies, Mr. Conrad steadfastly maintained S&C as a privately held firm and a specialist in electric power switching and protection. To give S&C an edge, he reinvested profits for the long term. And he built a remarkably loyal workforce by shunning layoffs and providing good pay and benefits. In recent years, he turned over leadership to current president John W. Estey, who is similarly committed to private ownership of S&C.
Under the direction of Mr. Conrad, S&C developed a range of breakthrough products including an array of power fuses, overhead and underground switches, intelligent switching systems, and power quality products. One very personal accomplishment was the construction, over five decades, of a model industrial facility on Chicago's north side. While other manufacturers moved to lower-cost locales, Mr. Conrad bought up small parcels of land around S&C and invested in modern equipment, employee training, and R&D. The resulting 46-acre facility, now called the John R. Conrad Industrial Complex, earned Plant Engineering magazine's "Top Plant of 2004" award.
Mr. Conrad was active in many industry organizations including the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA). In 1994, he was the recipient of the "Award for Excellence in Power Distribution Engineering" from the IEEE Power Engineering Society. He received the "Washington Award" from the Western Society of Engineers in 1998, joining such luminaries as Henry Ford, Enrico Fermi, and Neil Armstrong. This was a particular honor for Mr. Conrad since he was not an engineer by training. He received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics from the University of Chicago in 1937, after one year there and two years at Yale. The balance of his expertise-from industrial architecture to power engineering-came from his hard work at the head of S&C Electric Company.
John R. Conrad was the son of Nicholas J. Conrad and Irene Conrad nee: Irene Billups,
John's sister was Jane Conrad.
John's wife was Arlys Conrad, nee: Arlys Streitmatter.
Children:
Lynn Conrad Armstrong, nee: Lynn Conrad.
In his Chicago Tribune obituary, it was reported Mr. John R. Conrad is also survived by three daughters from a previous marriage, Joanne Herrick, Catherine and Lynn; two grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. This requires additional research.
Photos
RPWRHS photo S013-2069, Rogers Park/West Ridge Historical Society, 6424 N. Western Avenue, John R. Conrad Dedication Plaque Monday, December 9, 1996.
RPWRHS photo S013-2070, Rogers Park/West Ridge Historical Society, 6424 N. Western Avenue, David Torrey, John R. Conrad, Mary Jo Doyle, Tuesday, December 10, 1996.
RPWRHS photo S013-2071, Rogers Park/West Ridge Historical Society, 6424 N. Western Avenue, John R. Conrad and Bernard L. Stone, Tuesday, December 10, 1996.
RPWRHS photo S013-2073, Rogers Park/West Ridge Historical Society, 6424 N. Western Avenue, John R. Conrad and Sister Sue Kilduski, O.S.B., Tuesday, December 10, 1996.
