It has been an honor for Empowering Pumps & Equipment to spotlight the professionals who keep our essential industries running and to share their stories with our #PumpTalk community. We’re proud to feature Tomas Dobrovolskis as our next #PumpTalk Celebrity. Recently, at the Empowering Pumps & Industry Conference, we had the privilege of recognizing Tomas as our Mentor of the Year — a well-deserved honor for the impact he continues to make.
Q: How did you get started in your field?
Tomas: After finishing my mechanical engineering degree, I applied to anything and everything. I really wanted to get into automotive, but a pump company was the first to call me back. That’s how I ended up here—and I’ve been in the pump industry ever since.
Q: What do you love most about your job? What are you most proud of?
Tomas: I love the people. I get to work with some of the sharpest minds in the business, and I’m always learning something new—it keeps every day interesting. I’m most proud of how far Hidrostal has come in the U.S. since I joined almost 11 years ago as the second employee here. Starting with practically no marketing budget, we’ve turned Hidrostal into a well-recognized name in the industry.
Q: What advice would you give to someone considering this line of work or new to the field?
Tomas: Just go for it. Water and wastewater services will always be needed, so the work is steady and the industry has a lot of opportunity. It’s a great field to build a career in.
Q: Can you talk about a project you recently worked on?
Tomas: One that’s been on my plate for a while is a 10 MGD critical lift station for a city in California. It’s a trench-style wet well with a Prerostal inlet. Because of the size and importance of the station, we built a physical scale model to validate the intake design. What’s kind of wild is that this project started over eight years ago—we’re only now reaching the submittal stage. When I first got involved, I was a Senior Engineer at Hidrostal; now I’m in a completely different role.
Q: Anything else you’d like to add?
Tomas: If you’re in this industry and haven’t already, get involved with local, regional, or national organizations. They’re the best way to meet people and grow your career. If you’re not sure where to start, feel free to reach out—I’m happy to suggest a few. The Hydraulic Institute is a great national one I always recommend.
Connect with Tomas on LinkedIn.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO KEEPING UP WITH TOMAS THROUGH THE #PUMPTALK COMMUNITY!
