PennAir founders Jim and Mary Conrad. The letter from Norgren that provided the impetus for Jim to found PennAir reads in part, “Jim Conrad, of course, has a most enviable sales record and I think it would be accurate to say he could have his pick of most any competitive distributor in the area.”
The industry grew, and so did we. In 1988, again with Norgren’s encouragement, we expanded our territory and I started my full-time job with the company, working with my husband, Bob Rhein (today’s president), who joined in 1986. In 2000, we bought our largest competitor. We went from 400 to 24,000 ft2 to our new space today, a 116,000-ft2 distribution and assembly facility, where we work with pneumatics, hydraulics, electro-mechanical products, and robots.
This facility reflects one of the biggest changes in modern distribution. We no longer simply stock and sell product—we are an engineering firm. We have a team of mechanical, electrical, and structural engineers on staff and employ experts in robotics and IT, all to help customers make machines and plants safer, more efficient, and more productive.
Today, for the first time in our history, we have as many associates aged 50-65 (two of our associates have been with us 42 years) as those 20-35 years old. The knowledge and experience of our seasoned employees is immeasurably valuable, as is the curiosity and innovation of our newer ones. The combination moves us from “we’ve always done it that way” to “what would happen if we tried it this way?”
This assemblage of experience, expertise, creativity, and innovation will carry us through our second 50 years. The next generation includes our COO (and son-in-law), Seth Bray. With a background in business and finance rather than fluid power, he brings a fresh perspective.