Biography
Chemical engineer Norman Sedelbauer founded Bauer Products with his son-in-law Charles Bacon, a mechanical engineer.
“Those two knew how to make things,” said Bruce Bacon, Bauer Products’ president of engineering and Charles Bacon’s son. “I’m an aeronautical engineer, and a bad one at that because I am making locks all day, not airplanes.”
After working as a civil engineer on the Air Force F22 Raptor’s propulsion system for six years, Bacon’s dad, who was considering retirement, asked him to come be the family business’ engineer.
“I was second choice,” Bacon said. His older brother, also an aeronautical engineer, turned down the job to work at NASA. Bacon said he was excited to have a say in the family company.
“When you work for a big organization like the Air Force, you have to have a meeting to decide when to have a meeting,” Bacon said. “It drove me crazy, being young and stupid. That was a great job though, I got to work with so many different companies and meet smart people, lots who I am still in contact with.”
Today, Bacon lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He said he is proud to enjoy his job every day and that his major accomplishments include the ability to eat more chocolate chip cookies than anyone he knows.
