Focus On: Craig Conrad
After many influential years as an electronics industry visionary, Craig Conrad has retired from TTI—sort of. He continues to advise the company, acts as a spokesperson from time to time, and continues to have a meaningful impact on the industry. His colleagues admire his knowledge and his ability to see the larger picture that informs and influences our industry. He’s been through many industry ups and downs, and even in retirement, he closely follows the connector world, especially at TTI, where he “drops in occasionally, usually unannounced, to make sure we’re still doing things right. But he still does it with a smile on his face,” says Tim Scott, director of marketing, TTI.

Name: Craig Conrad
Current position: Retired, but still advising TTI Inc. in Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.
Previous industry positions: I’ve had almost every job in electronic distribution. I came through the ranks at Schweber, Avnet, and TTI. My career was pretty well split between sales, product management, and marketing.
Industry affiliations or organizations: Former chairman of NEDA and former president of EDS. I was on a variety of university boards throughout my career.
Accomplishments you’re proud of: Being married for 35 years despite my many flaws; having two great daughters who make me proud every day; hiring and mentoring many of today’s electronic distribution executives throughout my career; and participating in the sale of TTI to Berkshire Hathaway.
First job: I mowed many lawns.

Favorite website: CNN.com
The last book I read: The Millennium Trilogy: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, etc., by Stieg Larsson.
Why did you choose this industry for your profession? I answered an ad in the paper for a sales trainee that happened to be at an electronic distributor in Chicago. I was addicted quickly to the industry’s pace.
If I knew then what I know now, I would have: I wouldn’t change much. I moved all over our country, from Chicago to Atlanta to Chicago to New York to Los Angeles to Fort Worth, Texas. I should’ve moved internationally earlier in my career.
The best advice anyone ever gave me was: Have diversity in your jobs and geographic locations. Be open-minded on all fronts. Show trust in others and they will trust you back. You can be successful and keep your integrity. Work your butt off!
What trend in the industry is affecting your job and what would you like to do about it? After many mistakes, it appears our industry is being much more deliberate about how and when capacity is added. In the past we would chase the up-cycle and extrapolate the good times. This led to excessive capacities being added throughout the supply, on all fronts. Ultimately, the optimistic market share forecasts would be wrong, and just when capacities came on line, the forecast would come down to reality. This would crash lead-times, prices, and ultimately, industry profits.

This cycle, the supply chain is being much wiser with how it’s managing the chaos and it’s not chasing market share to the same extent as it did in the past.  

Other comments: I’m more excited today about the electronics industry than I’ve been in many years. The world is getting smaller and everyone in the world is craving electronic gadgetry. The potential for India and China as users of electronics is our industry’s biggest opportunity ever. Electronics is now embedded in everything that we do, from flying planes to driving cars to protecting our country, and we can talk to anyone in the world on a pocket-sized cell phone while we’re playing golf! The rate of innovation is multiplying at breakneck speed. Just think, a few short years ago we didn’t know what an iPod was, much less an iPhone or iPad.

The supply chain appears to have learned many lessons over the past boom and bust cycles and is being much better managed than in the past. The industry’s financial health has never been better than it is today. Most industry balance sheets are flush with cash and ready to invest.

Despite all of the negativity you read in the papers, I’m confident that the future for electronics has never been brighter. My prediction is that the next 10 years will be dramatically better for electronics than the last 10! Enjoy, but don’t be content.