Ken Greber

JVS Graduate is CEO of Greber Machine Tool Inc.

Ken Greber, Precision Machine Technology, Class of: 1988
Ken Greber learned to tool around in go-carts from his father, Kenneth, while growing up in Elyria.

But the 1988 Elyria High School graduate said the training he received through the Lorain County Joint Vocational School gave him the real tools he needed to be successful.

"I always wanted to own my own business, even when I wasn't sure what I wanted to do," said Greber, President and CEO of Greber Machine Tool Inc. on Clark Street in Elyria.

Greber began racing quarter midget go-karts when he was five-years-old, competing in Ohio, Indiana and Florida.

"I put the pedal to the metal, but I never made a metal part until I went to the JVS," said Greber.

Retired Tool & Die Program instructors Joe and Bob Blaner, and Gene Fenik, who taught at the JVS at that time, helped make Greber’s decision easier.

"My JVS teachers were respected and well known with established ties in the business community," Greber affirmed. "They were really interested in helping students learn. They bent over backwards in helping us find work."

Greber worked as an apprentice at Phoenix Mold and Die through the JVS job placement program during his junior and senior years. He was hired full-time after graduation.

Business has always raced through the Greber family's veins and continues under the same roof today because of the JVS, Greber said.

Greber’s grandfather, Walter, opened Greber's Garage in 1945, followed by his father, who renamed it Greber's Garage and Camper Sales. Greber bought the building from his parents in 1996, and in 1998, after leaving Phoenix Mold and Die, opened Greber Machine Tool.

"This never would have happened without the training I received at the JVS," said Greber, whose company manufactures suspension products, such as brake rotors, front axles, spindles and hubs for companies across the United States and Australia.

Greber prides himself on hiring JVS graduates and currently employs three JVS grads from the Precision Machine Technology Program.

"They're dependable, well-rounded mechanically, responsible, and have good work ethic,” he confirmed.

The knowledge Ken Greber gained at the JVS gave him the confidence to attend Lorain County Community College, where he received an Associate's Degree in Computer Numerical Controlled Machining in 1992. The following year, he attended the University of Akron, where he completed a one-year course in plastic injection mold design.

"For many students the JVS isn't just about learning a trade. It’s really the beginning of their training because so many continue on with a college education or apprenticeship," Greber affirmed. “It's a great place to get a head start on your career.”