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Henry T. Nancrede, PE
Henry T. Nancrede was born in February 1905 and spent his career doing what engineers of his era did best, solving practical problems with sound thinking and hard work. After earning a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Rose Polytechnic Institute in 1929, he went to work as an engineer for the State of Illinois before turning his attention to the private sector.
In 1932, in the middle of the Great Depression, Henry founded Nancrede Engineering Company in Indianapolis. This decision that took either courage or conviction, and probably both. The company was built around the design and sale of mechanical equipment including boilers, feedwater heaters, and water softeners, with a particular focus on power plant applications. In the late 1940s, the business narrowed its focus to softeners and water purification for clients who depended on clean, reliable water for boiler and power plant operations.
Henry was a licensed Professional Engineer and was recognized multiple times as a top sales representative in his field. He was widely respected not just for his technical knowledge, but for his integrity. In the early years, he didn’t charge clients for service calls. That wasn’t an oversight; it was simply how he did business. Henry passed away in 1978, leaving behind a company, a reputation, and a standard that the next generation would carry forward.
David Nancrede, PE
David Nancrede was born in 1943, and grew up watching his father build something worth inheriting. Like his father, he earned his degree in Mechanical Engineering from Rose Polytechnic Institute, now Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. He then served two years in the U.S. Army, including time in Vietnam, before joining Nancrede Engineering Company in 1967.
He moved the company to focus on service of water systems and the company began charging $25 an hour, the first time the company had ever charged for service, and that shift turned out to be one of the most important changes in the company’s history. David understood early on that selling good equipment wasn’t enough. Clients needed someone who would show up, troubleshoot, and stand behind the work. He built the service side of the business from the ground up, and it became a critical part of the company.
David became a licensed Professional Engineer and took over leadership of Nancrede Engineering Company in 1975, guiding the company through a period of significant growth as industrial water treatment and water softening became increasingly critical across a wide range of industries outside boilers and power generation. He led the company for 35 years before retiring in 2010, long enough to see his own son step in and carry the work into its third generation.
When David retired in 2010, he passed the reins to his son Chris Nancrede, EIT. Chris is a mechanical engineer who had grown up around water systems his whole life and would go on to found Legionella Control Systems, which has become one of the leading independent Legionella control firms in the country. In 2023, Chris divested the industrial water business to concentrate resources on Legionella control.
