Gene Conrad Brings Decades of Sport Aviation, Lakeland Airport Management Experience to Aerospace Center for Excellence

Last December, John 'Lites' Leenhouts, soon-to-be former president and CEO of The Sun 'n Fun Aerospace Expo and its governing organization, the Aerospace Center for Excellence, told Aero-News the search was on for his eventual replacement.

Running the ACE is a demanding job, requiring equal measures of business experience, management ability, leadership talent, - and most importantly - passion for all things aviation. The search is over, with the incoming head, Gene Conrad, set to take the wheel on April 11, 2022. As the industry digested the early bird news, we've had a chance to dig a little deeper and see where the future captain of SnF comes from. 

Conrad hails from the infamous Oshkosh, Wisconsin, but has lived in Florida as Director of the Lakeland Linder International Airport since 2010. Lakeland has been an integral, fundamental part of the Sun 'n Fun Expo since the very beginning, being the site of the yearly fly-in to enter the running for the biggest aviation event of the year. His leadership at the airport put him into constant contact with ACE, building up the necessary relationships, rapport, and understanding of the sport aviation landscape.

Each year, he managed the airport while hundreds of thousands of visitors flocked to the "spring break for pilots' '. That familiarity with the Ace and SnF family will be vital, even more when it's combined with his 34 years of volunteer experience with EAA AirVenture, another integral part of the hobby and general aviation calendar. His work on the 'fun' side of aviation isn't all he brings to the table, however. During his tenure at Lakeland, he managed a $200 million capital improvement program, finagled a 50-year lease with Amazon Air Cargo amid serious competition for their business, and successfully brought the NOAA's Aircraft Operations Center to the airport complex.

The board of directors has full confidence that Conrad will safeguard the momentum that ACE and Sun 'n Fun has built up. It's apparent that he recognizes the work done throughout Leenhouts' tenure, and he intends to maintain that upward trajectory. “I am both humbled and honored to be given the opportunity to lead such an incredible organization that just within the last several years has evolved from not only a major aviation expo, but now a nationally recognized Aerospace Youth Education Complex, educating thousands of students annually. I am anxious to join the team and share in my passion for aviation," said Conrad.  

By taking the controls, he's placing himself in a place of immense influence in the aviation industry at large. The effects of ACE efforts, leadership, education, and safety programs, are felt throughout the industry, staying with future generations of pilots for generations to come. “I am both humbled and honored to be given the opportunity to lead such an incredible organization that just within the last several years has evolved from not only a major aviation expo, but now a nationally recognized Aerospace Youth Education Complex, educating thousands of students annually. I am anxious to join the team and share in my passion for aviation,” he closed. 

Conrad's first day with the ACE team is March 7 as he takes to the field alongside Leenhouts to begin learning on the job and learning from the best before the final CEO transition. He'll officially take charge as CEO after the 2022 Sun 'n Fun Aerospace Expo on April 11.

FMI: www.flysnf.org