Conrad, who accepted the position March 18, will succeed chief executive officer Dalph McNeil, who is retiring from the Pennsylvania company after 33 years of service.

Conrad joined Brookville Equipment in 1979 as a design engineer; The 1975 Penn State University graduate was the company’s eighth employee. Prior to Brookville, he worked in the engineering department of McCreary Tire and Rubber.

“He interviewed with Dalph McNeil to fulfill the company’s desire to build underground mining equipment, which was McNeil’s vision,” company officials said.

In his first year, Conrad was involved with designing a shaft-driven locomotive which Brookville marked as a “technological leap” from its previous standard of chain-driven yard locomotives.

Over his tenure with Brookville Equipment, his career would be highlighted by more than a dozen major equipment advances across four sectors of industry.

Two of those include the mid-1990s design of powerful underground battery locomotives featuring solid-state IGBT controlling and regenerative brakes, and BEC’s expansion into manufacturing rubber-tyred mining and aviation ground support equipment.

“Conrad’s new role as president will allow him to continue leading the company’s focus on providing superior products that offer added value to BEC customers,” the company said.

“[His] vision for Brookville Equipment’s future is to continue careful and controlled growth by following the company’s core competencies and by challenging the Brookville team to grow and innovate.”