Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure and Environment (ESSIE) alumnus and repeated Gator 100 nominee, Jay Conroy, will take on another prestigious affiliation this weekend-this time as the University of Florida’s Outstanding Young Alumnus.
Conroy is no stranger to success in business. In the fifth grade, he developed and effectively led his own “candy cartel,”, buying candy from his local supermarket and then selling to fellow students at his elementary school. Once he hit it big, he recruited students from the grades above and below him to help with sales.
It was all fun and games until Conroy’s school opened up their own candy store and Conroy was forced to close up shop.
Conroy later attended the University of Florida, earning dual Bachelor of Science degrees in environmental engineering sciences and business administration.
Not long after, at the age of 23, Conroy opened up his own business, Hydro-Dyne Engineering, a company that designs and manufactures screening, handling and grit-removal equipment for municipal and industrial water/wastewater treatment.
The company Conroy had been working for, Wiesemann-another wastewater screen manufacturer, had recently shut down, so he saw this as an opportunity to grow the business into what Hydro-Dyne is today. He learned how to run the business the hard way, referring to his strategy as “trial by fire.” With a solid foundation and good products, Conroy had nothing to lose.
Conroy currently serves as the president of Hydro-Dyne, which has experienced double-digit growth almost every year since its founding in 2002. The company has also grown from one to 80 employees and holds the No. 97 spot on UF’s Gator 100, a list of the 100 fastest-growing companies led by talented Gator alumni.
Conroy describe himself as “determined, deliberate and enterprising.” He expects to see continued growth from his company.
“Once a big ship starts, it’s hard to stop,” said Conroy.
Conroy will receive his UF Outstanding Young Alumni Award on Saturday, April 14th at the Orange and Blue Spring Debut football game held at 3pm at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
For more information on Jay Conroy’s successful business ventures, please visit http://www.hydro-dyne.com/wastewater-treatment-solutions/.