People of Grayhill: Jamie Dobravec

At Grayhill, people are at the center of everything we do. Jamie Dobravec, Vice President of Solutions Manufacturing, has helped Grayhill transform and expand our manufacturing capabilities over his 38 years with the company. In a recent conversation, Jamie shared stories about himself and Grayhill.

Jamie has always been an engineer at heart. He developed this passion as a child, learning how to fix cars with his dad. At 17, when Jamie needed money to fix his own car, he started working at Grayhill as an operator on the production line. Jamie’s career at Grayhill and education grew in parallel. Jamie took an uncommon path to earning his undergraduate and graduate degrees. Instead of spending years as a full-time student, he took two or three courses each term and worked simultaneously. This strategy allowed him to develop a unique perspective toward his work. Jamie immersed himself in industry learning. He went to trade shows, mastering emerging and traditional technologies. He learned from Gene Hill, the son of Grayhill's founder and our company’s second CEO. “Nobody other than my parents has had such a dramatic impact on my life,” he said.

In 1991, Jamie helped Grayhill become highly proficient in circuit board assembly. After learning everything he could about the technology, he stepped up from his role as a technician and led the replacement of our 1980s-era pick-and-place machines. These vital machines pick and place electrical components onto circuit boards. Jamie understood that the market for this technology was moving in a new direction, and after a thorough analysis, he secured new state-of-the-art machines giving Grayhill a competitive advantage. 

In 2014, Jamie helped the company expand by acquiring our 69,000-square-foot production facility in McCook, Illinois. Jamie oversaw the construction and move to the facility, considering every detail from the layout of the production floor to determining the optimal location for loading docks. Throughout his time at Grayhill, Jamie has been at the forefront of our progress by pioneering technology and advancing automation.

Jamie still has a passion for working on cars and even racing them. He has won many races with his customized 2006 Mustang. You can see him racing his black convertible here.