Greetings! My name is Dayonte Grimes and I’m the Director of the Lapeer Advanced Manufacturing Training Center at Lapeer (MI) High School. I’m 33 years old and have been a robotics programmer and systems integrator for nearly six years.

I worked full-time as a robotics programmer for Henshaw Custom Automation in Romeo (MI) and now still do jobs for them part time to make sure that I keep my feet in the industry. I like to keep those industry connections for my students and I also like to stay up to date on the upcoming new equipment on the market.

I went to Macomb College for Mechatronics while I worked as a Deputy for the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office. I have extensive experience with robotic programming, plc (controls) programming, machine vision programming, material handling robots, vision guided robots, arc-welding robots, spot welding robots, safety systems design and CAD design.

I took this position in Lapeer because I know how desperate the industry is for highly-skilled young people, and I know how lucrative jobs in this industry can be. I wanted to show the students how easy it can actually be to acquire these skills and how much self-satisfaction they can have by learning these new things and achieving new goals.

There are a ton of students that love to work with their hands and work with new technology, so why not get them started in high school so they can make a great living immediately after graduation!

If you are interested in learning more about this program, I would love to hear from you. I’m very approachable and I’m passionate about what I do!

On a personal level, I love warm weather, boating, sports, and sweets! In my free time I enjoy spending time with my family, coaching wrestling, coaching and competing in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, as well as learning new skills. I’m a lifetime learner and try to convince my students (both in class and in sports) to continue to learn new things throughout their lifetime.

Contact me at Dayonte.Grimes@LapeerSchools.org.