Alumnus is senior business and development manager

"The convenience and flexibility of evening classes helped me obtain a Purdue degree."

Purdue University Calumet alumnus Conrad Heisner visualizes solutions to problems for Republic Systems in Calumet City, Ill.

As senior business and operation development manager, Heisner designs the management systems installed in customer facilities.

"Part of my job is to go into a customer's facility and evaluate their process, and then I find a solution to their problem," he said.

He adds that the net result is that the customer saves a lot more money than what his company's service would charge.

Heisner, a Highland resident, earned his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue Calumet in 1989. He worked as a process engineer at Dyanagel, Inc. during the day and attended classes in the evening.

Heisner joined Republic Systems three years ago after a 22-year career at Dynagel, Inc. At Dynagel, he designed a new product called Hydrolysate, a hydrolyzed protein used in both the food and pharmaceutical industries.

His interest in engineering began when we was young, he said, thanks to encouragement he received from his uncle, a nuclear physicist.

Purdue Calumet was a good fit for him, he says, because the course schedule was flexible.

"I was married, raising a family and working full-time," he said. "The convenience and flexibility of evening classes helped me obtain a Purdue degree."

Heisner said he also appreciated the professors from the Department of Engineering who taught him, because many of them came out of industry and offered real world experience, not just theoretical.

"Conrad was one of three students who were in the first design team class," Professor of Mechanical Engineering Harvey Abramowitz said. "All three were working full-time and going to school part-time."

Abramowitz said that Heisner exercised good time management skills and understood what it took to complete a project.

"He was a very dedicated student," Abramowitz said of Heisner. "I'm always impressed with people who work full-time and go to school."

Heisner also believes in giving back to Purdue Calumet. In 2001, he helped influence his company to sponsor a scholarship for the university's School of Engineering, Mathematics and Science.

He says that having a well-rounded education is a key to success. Heisner's advice to students: "Take the time to study, finish your degree and make it well-rounded."