Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

Material Insight: David Griesel: Career Success Requires Tenacity, Flexibility

David Griesel, CEO of Sunrise Group, has been in the PCB industry for nearly 50 years. “I didn’t even have a desk when I started,” says David, who, as a fresh college graduate, got his start at Norplex, a company in Wisconsin that made plastic. “At that time, I had no idea what plastic was even about.” But it gave him an opportunity to learn the business from the ground up. He worked in customer service, followed by technical sales and marketing through several iterations of the company, including as Isola.

I hope you’ll enjoy this interview with David as much as I did. As a scientist who is somewhat new to the PCB industry and searching for a job where I can best put my skills to work, there is much value in hearing from industry veterans and their advice for those of us who are just getting started.

David, what first drew you into this industry?

David Griesel: To be honest, I wasn’t drawn into the industry; I was just looking for work. I received a job opportunity at a plastics company called Norplex, and I had no idea what plastic was even about. But I learned, interviewed, and had the opportunity to join the company in customer service.

It was a funny start. I didn’t even have a desk when I started. They had to bring in a desk and put it in an empty doorway. That’s where I sat. My job entailed interfacing with everything from production to finance, sales, and data processing. I got to learn the business from the ground up. They saw something in me that I didn’t even know about myself, and offered me a chance to move into sales, working out of Chicago. Away I went, and that’s how I started my career. Forty-six years later, I’m still in the same business.

I would like to hear more about your role as vice president of technical marketing at Isola. What were some of your accomplishments and challenges?

Yes, but first let me share some history of the company. Norplex was a copper-clad laminate (CCL) manufacturer owned by UOP, which eventually sold to a company called Signal. Signal was sold to Allied Signal. Allied Signal owned Norplex, and bought another competitor called Oak, and the company was called Norplex Oak. Allied Signal also bought Westinghouse and Fortin (another laminate manufacturer), and the name changed to Norplex Oak Westinghouse Fortin. Allied Signal then bought a competitor called Polyclad (which owns ADI), and finally bought the technology of another competitor called Mica. Then it vertically integrated to become joint venture partners in copper foil (Mitsui), glass yarn (PPG), woven glass (Asahi Schwebel), and resin (Ciba). On top of that, they decided to do a joint venture with another CCL in Korea called Doosan.

Guess who was involved in all of this? Me—to some capacity.

Eventually, Honeywell bought Allied Signal, then sold the business I was involved with (all of these) to Rütgers (Germany)—which owned Isola. Isola owned Mas (another CCL) and a joint venture CCL called Sumisola. So, now there were 10 to 15 companies that were all part of Isola. Rütgers sold Isola, and it became owned by a venture capital company. Now this huge company of 10 to 15 companies and joint ventures was all rolled into one big ball called Isola.

My accomplishment was that I somehow lived through all of that and it was a very interesting working education. It was like working for 10 to 15 companies in slightly related but different industries.

In terms of the challenges I faced, I was involved in technical marketing, which included both the customer and the customer’s customer: the PCB fabricator, EMS provider, and OEMs. At this point, I had the entire food chain under my hat, from the raw materials to the finished product.  

Can you compare the PCB industry from your early years at Isola to what it’s like now?

When I first started in the industry, the OEMs were the leaders: companies like Western Electric, GTE, and Sperry-Univac. As the years passed, the power was transferred to independent merchant shops such as Photocircuits, Diceon, etc. These shops could build the PCBs for the OEMs at a much lower cost, and that transformed into outsourcing to the rest of the world. That’s when Asia became more competitive than the U.S. independent shops. We saw the U.S. independents shrink while Asian markets grew. Now there’s talk of OEMs coming back, but that’s the transition I saw happening during my 46 years.

What are your thoughts on the future of American manufacturing and nearshoring?

I have a feeling that, from a strategic standpoint, it is inevitable and a must that nearshoring occurs. From a commercial standpoint, it is an incredible—if not impossible—mountain to climb. Besides the capacities, the capabilities in Asia are quite amazing. If you are considering getting into the commercial field against the Asian competition by nearshoring, just know that it will be tough.

Tell me about your current role as CEO of Sunrise Group.

The basis of my business involves a lot of secrecy. I keep everything I do with my customers under a strict NDA, because it involves many key decisions they make in their businesses regarding sourcing of both products and technology. I’m involved in those two aspects of the business: the products and the technology encompassing both the raw material supplier and the PCB manufacturer.

So, it’s high-level consulting on supply chain and technology?

Exactly. I’m normally dealing with CEOs or CTOs who look at it from a different point of view than just “we need a cheap replacement.” They are making a strategic move with a new or current product they want to make. I try to understand what they’re looking for and give them options. They may not be perfect options, so it’s a bit of give-and-take on what is available and what you truly need.

What advice would you like to share with the youngsters in the PCB field?

You must be extremely flexible. Don’t expect the organization to be flexible for you. You may be gifted and have a lot of good qualities, but the organization is bigger than you, so be flexible and do your best. I started in sales, but it ended up being more technical. All my dealings now (and probably most of them over the past 46 years) have been technical even though I’m not an engineer or a PhD. That’s why I primarily deal with engineering, technology, and upper management. My advice is to get in touch with all areas of the organization. If you desire to lead the company or to be in some kind of leadership role, you have to know about the other areas, not just your own.

Is there anything you’d like to share with our readers?

Actually, I have some exciting news to share: I’ve been asked to join the directors of a startup company that will bring a very advanced piece of PCB fabrication technology to the United States. I’ve been working with a global group, and between the five of us, we have more than 200 years of experience in this industry. I can’t say much more than that, but I can disclose that you will see much more momentum regarding this in the next six months. It’s very exciting.

This column originally appeared in the October 2024 issue of PCB007 Magazine.