Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Dominick graduated from Boys High School in 1961 and attended Brooklyn College, where he majored in Mechanical Engineering. Throughout his career, he continued his professional education with night courses at New York University and Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey.
Dominick and his wife, Joanne, have been married for 60 years and are the proud parents of three married daughters, eight grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. They have called St. Lucie West home for the past 25 years. He was first appointed to fill the remaining three-year term for Seat #2 on the St. Lucie West Services District Board in 1999 and was re-elected in 2022.
From 1962 to 1971, Mr. Graci worked as a design draftsman and supervisor on projects for Western Electric, Bell Labs, and IBM. During the Vietnam War, he received U.S. government secret clearance for his work on missile guidance system circuitry with IBM. He also received a special award from Bell Labs for designing a compact telephone switching system later installed on every ten floors of the original World Trade Center towers.
Between 1972 and 1977, he worked in New York on mechanical design layouts for 22-story high-rise construction projects, developing systems for pumps and piping supporting heating, chilled water, fire mains, and wastewater systems.
From 1978 to 1998, Mr. Graci was employed by a major chemical manufacturer in Linden, New Jersey, where he advanced from pipefitter to Assistant Plant Manager. He oversaw production scheduling for more than 80 million pounds of finished products annually, along with storage, shipping, and logistics for raw materials and finished goods at an 87-acre facility employing over 300 union workers.
Career highlights include:
- Supervising ten crafts and 135 maintenance workers.
- Negotiating mechanical craft contracts with the United Steelworkers Union, earning special recognition for successful outcomes.
- Obtaining a New Jersey Master Plumbing License in 1987 and serving as the licensed Master Plumber for all company facilities statewide.
- Receiving the 1987 Manufacturing Award for Excellence within the company’s Chemical Products Division.
- Developing innovative production and storage methods in 1997 that doubled capacity and enabled relocation of operations to West Virginia.
- Serving on the company’s Special Response Team for product spill management along the East Coast from Maine to Virginia.
After a distinguished 20-year career in manufacturing, Mr. Graci retired at the age of 55. His lifelong dedication to technical innovation, community service, and leadership continues through his ongoing commitment to the residents of the St. Lucie West Services District.