In 1976, CEO Jerry Mohney started MJS Designs from his kitchen table. Fifty years later, that one-person operation has grown into a trusted electronics manufacturing partner, evolving alongside an industry that has changed significantly over the past five decades. Jerry’s commitment to quality, innovation and building relationships with customers has remained constant from the beginning. His willingness to grow, take calculated risks and adapt to new technologies and services has helped propel MJS Designs forward. Today, Jerry continues to play an important role in guiding the company and looking toward what comes next.
“Almost all my working life was electronics,” shares Jerry.
Growing up on a farm in Michigan, Jerry learned the value of hard work and tenacity from an early age. His family raised cattle, and much of his childhood was spent working with his hands, a hands-on mindset that would later become an important part of his approach to his work. He also discovered an early interest in drawing, particularly comics. In high school and college, he expanded on that interest through drafting classes, developing skills that would ultimately prove valuable throughout his career.
The beginnings of MJS Designs were somewhat unexpected and everything changed within the course of a week. After being let go from a job on a Tuesday, Jerry received a call from a former colleague just two days later, asking if he could help with a project. By Friday, MJS Designs was born. But while the company may have come together quickly, Jerry’s career in design and electronics had been developing for years. His first job was with an ornamental iron company that needed rail designs for projects in Florida. About a year later, he moved to another Florida-based company, continuing to work in design. From there, his career took him to Detroit for a contract, or what was then known as a “job shopping” position, followed by another opportunity in Pennsylvania. Throughout these early years, Jerry’s work was primarily mechanical, but he continued to gain experience with electronics along the way. Eventually, Jerry made his way to Arizona, where he took on several contract positions. When an opportunity arose to design printed circuit boards, he recognized a chance to put his growing experience to work in a new way. That opportunity ultimately became the foundation for MJS Designs.
“I did have a really good reputation in this valley. When I didn’t have a job, I was getting phone calls from people who wanted me to go to work for them,” shares Jerry.
For the next 10 years, Jerry ran the business from his home, primarily from word-of-mouth referrals, and an unlisted phone number. In the beginning, his workspace was a 4-by-4-foot glass dining room table. He placed a lamp underneath it to create a makeshift light table, allowing him to work on his designs. Eventually, he purchased a professional light table and moved his operation into a spare room. From that home workspace, Jerry designed circuit boards by hand, taking tremendous pride in the craftsmanship behind each drawing. His projects became his artwork, and that attention to detail helped him develop a strong reputation within the industry. At the same time, Jerry was constantly looking ahead, keeping up with the latest technologies and learning from friends and colleagues who brought him new challenges and ideas.
“I wanted to grow from the design into assembly,” shares Jerry. We had customers that were having a difficult time getting good boards built. So, we bought equipment to assemble our own boards.”
In the spring of 1987, Jerry took the next big step, moving MJS Designs out of his home and into its first office. Around the same time, he hired his first full-time employee. Before the move, Jerry had occasionally brought in people to help with specialized tasks such as taping. Now, the company had two full-time employees, including Jerry, along with a part-time employee who helped with schematic capturing. The following year brought another important expansion: MJS Designs began taking on assembly work and also adding additional space to the office. As customers were looking for quality-built boards, Jerry saw this as another opportunity for the company to grow. This set the stage for the full-service electronics manufacturing company it would become.
It was around this time that Dawn Northrop, now President of MJS Designs, joined the team, which had grown to approximately 10 or 11 employees. As Jerry continued to expand the business, both in the services MJS offered and
the size of the team, the industry itself was changing. Board design was beginning to shift from a highly hands-on, manual process to digital CAD systems and computer-based technology, and Jerry’s role evolved along with it. While he has always maintained a hands-on approach and remained closely connected to the work, Jerry gradually shifted his primary focus toward sales and building relationships with customers. He enjoyed connecting with customers the “old-school way”: visiting their companies, finding the people he needed to speak with, taking customers to lunch and, above all, building relationships. For Jerry, those personal connections were an important part of doing business. Today, his responsibilities have evolved again, with a greater focus on overseeing the company’s finances and helping guide the business from a strategic level.
“He’s the risk-taker”, shares President Dawn Northrop. “He’s very methodical in how we bring in equipment, but is also the one that pushes the next step.”
It is this willingness to take calculated risks that has allowed MJS Designs to grow in so many ways: in technology, in equipment and even in the physical size of the company. Jerry has consistently looked for opportunities to take the next step, and it is this combination of forward-thinking and methodical decision-making that has helped drive MJS Designs’ success. One of the company’s first major technology investments came in 1994 with the introduction of ball grid arrays (BGAs). Jerry recognized that customers were beginning to demand this technology, so MJS Designs adapted its capabilities to meet that need.
The investment that would truly take the business to the next level, however, was the purchase of its first pick-and-place machine. Until then, components were placed on circuit boards by hand. One employee was exceptionally fast, placing approximately 300 parts per hour, but even that pace could not keep up with growing demand. The new automated pick-and-place machine could place approximately 3,000 parts per hour, dramatically increasing MJS Designs’ production capabilities. While setup time and efficiency still required careful consideration, automating the placement of components was a true game-changer for the company.
“All I wanted to do was work and get work and keep working,” shares Jerry.
It’s Jerry’s determination that has given MJS Designs the opportunity to be part of a vast array of important and memorable projects over the years. One, however, stands out in Jerry’s mind immediately: the Curiosity Rover. Being involved in a project of that significance remains one of the highlights of his career. Beyond individual projects, Jerry is particularly proud of the growth MJS Designs experienced after Dawn joined the company in 1991. Building out the manufacturing side of the business, expanding the engineering team, offering four different design tools and, ultimately, seeing the greatest growth in manufacturing have all been significant milestones throughout his tenure.
Although the industry has changed significantly since Jerry first started MJS Designs in 1976, with components becoming smaller, computers becoming more sophisticated and production becoming faster and more automated, one thing has remained consistent: a commitment to producing high-quality work. That mindset has been part of Jerry’s approach from the very beginning, and it continues to be a driving force behind MJS Designs today.
“Jerry and I have really complemented each other over the 35 years I have been with the company,” says Dawn. “We have agreed on most of the decisions and the direction of the company over the years. Our different strengths have allowed us to work effectively as a team. Our clear separation of responsibilities allowed us to support each other without getting in each other’s way.”
“Jerry’s foresight into always staying up with the latest technology has been a critical component of the business moving forward for 50 years. And early on in my career, he empowered me to make my own decisions and stood behind me when others questioned my abilities because I was younger than most everyone around me.”
“Above all, the greatest strength of our partnership has been the complete trust we have in each other. Whether facing good times or difficult challenges, we always know we can rely on each other. It was a great honor when he asked me to purchase a majority ownership of the business in 2003. And I have been working hard since then to ensure he never regrets his decision.”
For over 50 years, MJS Designs has been a trusted leader in PCB engineering, CAD Layout, assembly and test driven by a commitment to delivering exceptional quality and precision. We partner with industry leaders in the semiconductor, agriculture, medical, commercial, aerospace, and military sectors, providing reliable PCB assembly solutions that bring their projects to life. Learn more about how MJS Designs can support your next project by visiting our homepage here.
