Name: Jacob Keal
Company: IGE Fans (Industrial Gas Engineering)
Position: CEO
Supplier to the Industry
Years in Industry: 3.5

Jacob Keal took an unconventional path into the heat treat industry, bringing with him a combination of engineering knowledge, operational strategy, and business leadership that has helped reshape a century-old company.

His introduction to thermal processing came as a validation engineering intern at Hendrickson International while earning a mechanical engineering degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Before returning to the industry, however, Jacob spent nearly a decade with Bain & Company, advising clients on operational excellence, predictive maintenance, sales and operations planning, and value creation strategies. During that time, he also earned an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

When Jacob joined Industrial Gas Engineering two years ago, he brought those experiences to the family-owned business with a clear vision for modernization. His career history, though short, highlights a series of accomplishments that have strengthened the company, including establishing a partnership with KCF Technologies to introduce predictive maintenance solutions, implementing a cloud-based ERP system to improve data-driven decision-making, reducing standard lead times to six weeks, updating the company’s branding, and leading capital investments that support future growth. Under his leadership, the company has also achieved double-digit year-over-year sales growth while continuing to strengthen its reputation for responsive application engineering and client support.

In addition to those achievements, Jacob’s colleagues place equal emphasis on his leadership style, describing him as a servant leader who prioritizes the growth and well-being of his team while bringing an optimism that inspires those around him. As Industrial Gas Engineering enters its second century, Jacob is helping position the company for the future by combining modern business strategy with a deep appreciation for the industry’s technical heritage.

Nominated by: IGE Fans (Industrial Gas Engineering)