# Concepts NREC
Concepts NREC is a turbomachinery (Machines like pumps, compressors, and turbines that transfer energy via rotating blades) engineering and software company headquartered in [White River Junction, Vermont](https://www.edgepedia.org/white-river-junction-vermont), formed in 2000 when Concepts ETI acquired manufacturing and software assets of the Northern Research and Engineering Corporation (NREC).[1](https://www.conceptsnrec.com/milestones) It is not a person: no National Academy of Engineering (NAE) member bears this name. The company's founder, Dr. [David Japikse](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-japikse), is a member of the National Academy of Engineering.[2](https://www.conceptsnrec.com/hubfs/Diffuser_Consortium/Diffuser-Consortium-Phase-VII-Key-Personnel-Bios.pdf) • [3](https://engineering.purdue.edu/Engr/People/Awards/Institutional/DEA/DEA_2002/japikse)
| Key fact | Detail |
| --- | --- |
| Subject type | Turbomachinery software and engineering company, not an individual[1](https://www.conceptsnrec.com/milestones) |
| Corporate lineage | NREC incorporated 1956 (Cambridge, MA); Ingersoll Rand subsidiary 1978; Concepts ETI founded 1980; merged as Concepts NREC in 2000[1](https://www.conceptsnrec.com/milestones) |
| Founder | Dr. David Japikse, NAE member, Chairman of the Board[2](https://www.conceptsnrec.com/hubfs/Diffuser_Consortium/Diffuser-Consortium-Phase-VII-Key-Personnel-Bios.pdf) |
| Chief executive | Sean McDermott, CEO since January 1, 2023[1](https://www.conceptsnrec.com/milestones) |
| Patents | Over 54 granted, more than 25 pending, as of 2025[1](https://www.conceptsnrec.com/milestones) |
| Size | About 189 employees; reported revenue USD 15.1 million[6](https://www.linkedin.com/company/concepts-nrec) |
| Recent expansion | Acquisition of RBTS, Inc. (rotordynamics and bearings software), January 2024[1](https://www.conceptsnrec.com/milestones) |
## What is Concepts NREC? Untangling a name
The string "Concepts NREC" names a company, not an elected individual, and the NAE roster anchor must be resolved before the subject can be described accurately. The company's own personnel documents and [Purdue University](https://www.edgepedia.org/purdue-university) identify Dr. David Japikse, the founder and Chairman of Concepts NREC, as a member of the National Academy of Engineering and of the Vermont Academy of Science and Engineering.[2](https://www.conceptsnrec.com/hubfs/Diffuser_Consortium/Diffuser-Consortium-Phase-VII-Key-Personnel-Bios.pdf) Purdue's biography adds that he is an ASME fellow and describes Concepts NREC as an engineering firm working in turbomachinery design and development since 1980.[3](https://engineering.purdue.edu/Engr/People/Awards/Institutional/DEA/DEA_2002/japikse)
Japikse's credentials fit the Mechanical-section profile. He holds a B.S. in Engineering from Case Institute of Technology and M.S. (1967) and Ph.D. (1968) degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University, with expertise spanning pumps, compressors, turbochargers, turbopumps, and gas turbines.[2](https://www.conceptsnrec.com/hubfs/Diffuser_Consortium/Diffuser-Consortium-Phase-VII-Key-Personnel-Bios.pdf) • [3](https://engineering.purdue.edu/Engr/People/Awards/Institutional/DEA/DEA_2002/japikse) His honors include the ASME 1992 Potter Gold Medal in [Thermodynamics](https://www.edgepedia.org/thermodynamics), awarded to the organization, the SAE 2008 Cliff Garrett Turbomachinery and Applications Engineering Award, and the ASME 2010 Henry R. Worthington Medal.[1](https://www.conceptsnrec.com/milestones) • [2](https://www.conceptsnrec.com/hubfs/Diffuser_Consortium/Diffuser-Consortium-Phase-VII-Key-Personnel-Bios.pdf)
## History: from NREC to Concepts ETI to Concepts NREC
**Northern Research and Engineering Corporation (NREC)** was incorporated in [Cambridge, Massachusetts](https://www.edgepedia.org/cambridge-massachusetts), in 1956 with a charter to engage in scientific research and engineering in all fields of endeavor.[1](https://www.conceptsnrec.com/milestones) In 1978 it became a wholly owned subsidiary of [Ingersoll Rand](https://www.edgepedia.org/ingersoll-rand).[1](https://www.conceptsnrec.com/milestones)
Two lineages converged in 2000. Concepts ETI was founded by Japikse in 1980, eventually locating in [Norwich, Vermont](https://www.edgepedia.org/norwich-vermont), with an initial focus on education and technology for industry.[1](https://www.conceptsnrec.com/milestones) In 2000 Concepts ETI acquired certain NREC assets from Ingersoll Rand, including the manufacturing and software businesses; in recognition of the shared expertise, combined assets, and history, the new organization took the name Concepts NREC, headquartered in White River Junction, Vermont.[1](https://www.conceptsnrec.com/milestones)
The founding record contains one disagreement. The [Better Business Bureau](https://www.edgepedia.org/better-business-bureau) profile states the business was established in 1926 and incorporated in 1956 in Massachusetts.[5](https://www.bbb.org/us/vt/white-riv-jct/profile/industrial-supply/concepts-nrec-0021-25612) The company's own milestone history records only the 1956 incorporation and gives no earlier establishment date.[1](https://www.conceptsnrec.com/milestones)
## Products and engineering services
Concepts NREC's software offering centers on the Agile Engineering Design System, a suite of turbomachinery design codes. The version 2025.2 release introduced a new approach to volute modeling focused on watertight 3D models and robust tongue geometries, and expanded secondary leakage path capabilities in the 1D thermodynamic cycle calculation.[4](https://www.mmsonline.com/products/concepts-nrec-software-suite-enhances-turbomachinery-design-manufacturing)
The January 2024 acquisition of RBTS, Inc. added a rotordynamics and bearings software line, extending the design system into the analysis of shaft dynamics and bearing behavior that turbomachinery designers must address alongside aerodynamics.[1](https://www.conceptsnrec.com/milestones) No retrieved source provides head-to-head comparisons with alternatives such as ANSYS CFX, SoftInWay AXSTREAM, or PCA Engineering tools, so this article makes no comparative ranking claim.
## Who uses it and why it matters
Its most visible recent engineering deliverable is a key subsystem for the main engine of [United Launch Alliance](https://www.edgepedia.org/united-launch-alliance)'s Vulcan Centaur Stage 1 rocket, which Concepts NREC designed, engineered, manufactured, assembled, and tested; the rocket launched successfully in January 2024.[1](https://www.conceptsnrec.com/milestones) For mechanical engineers designing pumps, compressors, and turbines, the practical meaning of the subject is a combined toolchain and service provider covering preliminary sizing, detailed blade geometry, cycle analysis, and, since 2024, rotordynamics, backed by in-house fabrication and test capability.[1](https://www.conceptsnrec.com/milestones) • [4](https://www.mmsonline.com/products/concepts-nrec-software-suite-enhances-turbomachinery-design-manufacturing)
## By the numbers
As of 2025 the company holds over 54 patents with more than 25 pending.[1](https://www.conceptsnrec.com/milestones) The LinkedIn company profile reports about 189 employees and annual revenue of USD 15.1 million,[6](https://www.linkedin.com/company/concepts-nrec) while the BBB profile recorded about 70 employees at an earlier date,[5](https://www.bbb.org/us/vt/white-riv-jct/profile/industrial-supply/concepts-nrec-0021-25612) so employment figures should be read as time-specific. Japikse personally is credited with ten books and more than 300 publications and reports on turbomachinery design and development.[2](https://www.conceptsnrec.com/hubfs/Diffuser_Consortium/Diffuser-Consortium-Phase-VII-Key-Personnel-Bios.pdf) No source in the evidence gives software license counts or textbook sales figures, and these are omitted rather than estimated.
## Recent developments
Leadership passed from founder to successor at the end of 2022: Japikse retired as CEO effective December 31, 2022, and [Sean McDermott](https://www.edgepedia.org/sean-mcdermott) became CEO on January 1, 2023, with Japikse remaining Chairman of the Board.[1](https://www.conceptsnrec.com/milestones) In January 2024 the company acquired RBTS, Inc., and in the same month the [Vulcan Centaur](https://www.edgepedia.org/vulcan-centaur) rocket carrying its engine subsystem launched successfully.[1](https://www.conceptsnrec.com/milestones) On the software side, release 2025.2 of the Agile Engineering Design System brought the new volute modeling approach and expanded leakage-path cycle calculations.[4](https://www.mmsonline.com/products/concepts-nrec-software-suite-enhances-turbomachinery-design-manufacturing) The company was also named one of the Best Places to Work in Vermont in 2023, 2024, and 2025.[1](https://www.conceptsnrec.com/milestones)
## References
1. Corporate Milestones, Concepts NREC. https://www.conceptsnrec.com/milestones
2. Biographies of Senior Concepts NREC Design Staff, Concepts NREC. https://www.conceptsnrec.com/hubfs/Diffuser_Consortium/Diffuser-Consortium-Phase-VII-Key-Personnel-Bios.pdf
3. David Japikse, Purdue University College of Engineering. https://engineering.purdue.edu/Engr/People/Awards/Institutional/DEA/DEA_2002/japikse
4. Concepts NREC Software Suite Enhances Turbomachinery Design, Manufacturing, Modern Machine Shop. https://www.mmsonline.com/products/concepts-nrec-software-suite-enhances-turbomachinery-design-manufacturing
5. Concepts NREC BBB Business Profile. https://www.bbb.org/us/vt/white-riv-jct/profile/industrial-supply/concepts-nrec-0021-25612
6. Concepts NREC LinkedIn company profile. https://www.linkedin.com/company/concepts-nrec
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Technology and the built world › Engineering and manufacturing › Computer-aided engineering and EDA*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Sep 30, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license