On May 17, 1957 a young, entrepreneur rented a building on the south side of Chicago on Archer Avenue just blocks away from Midway Airport and started a specialty chemical manufacturing company.  With an order from Colliss Company in Clinton, Iowa for a 55-gallon drum of liquid paint remover, John F. Dobrez Sr. and Dober Chemical were officially in business. Dober Chemical, now known simply as Dober, relocated manufacturing to Midlothian, IL on November 1, 1960. Dober’s product line was expanded to include industrial paint strippers, metal phosphates and industrial cleaners that were sold to some of the world’s largest industrial companies such as General Motors, Westinghouse, International Harvester, General Electric and Caterpillar. The Midlothian manufacturing facility served as company headquarters until 2007, and continues to operate as a production facility.

Dober experienced rapid sales growth in the core product areas in the 1970s fueled by the introduction of more environmentally friendly cleaners and paint removal products to large industrial clients.  The second generation of the Dobrez family also began to enter the business in the late 1970s, transforming Dober Chemical into a family business. Dober expanded into several new markets in the 1980s. The Cooling Systems Division (CSD) was launched in the early 1980’s with the development of products that prevent scale and corrosion in diesel engines. The 1980s also marked Dober’s arrival as a global company, when Dober began to provide a major diesel engine manufacturer with coolant additives in Australia, India and China. Today, Dober has customers in more than 30 countries, with significant presence via blending facilities or offices in Europe, China and Singapore.
 
Dober entered the wastewater treatment market in the early 1980s by providing synthetic and environmentally friendly chemicals and technical service to the food processing and industrial laundry industries. This business segment evolved into what is known today as the Environmental Solutions Division (ESD).
The Pharmaceutical Division opened in 1986, debuting as an equipment supplier of portable clean-in-place units branded as Chematic CIP’s  In 1995, Dober sold its Chematic CIP equipment technology and renewed its’ focus on providing chemicals for critical cleaning applications.
 
Dober entered the commercial laundry detergent market in the 1990s In 1994 Dober opened a second manufacturing facility in Glenwood, Illinois, to accommodate the growing needs of the business. At the same time, Dober began to develop software for commercial laundry customers that helped these facilities operate more efficiently. For over a decade, these software offerings were part of the value-added package our laundry customers would receive when they purchased chemicals from Dober.
 
Initially acquired to better serve our east coast commercial laundry customers, a world-class manufacturing facility was constructed in Hazleton, Pennsylvania in 2004. This site now produces liquids for Dober Chemical’s Cooling Systems Division and Environmental Solutions Division. 
 
The Dober Innovation and Technology Center was inaugurated in 2007. This state-of-the-art building became more than just the new corporate headquarters—it showcases the expertise that Dober has accumulated over the past half-century. It is a place where Dober chemists can work together in world class laboratories, encouraging innovation. As John F. Dobrez Sr. used to say, "The lab is the heartbeat of the company—make sure it has a good beat." 
 
In 2007, the software that had been such a vital piece of the Dober commercial laundry success was "spun-off" into its own division, Spindle Technologies. For the first time, Dober sold and marketed software. Also in 2007, Dober invested heavily in the breakthrough Smart Release Technology, which provides controlled-release of scale and corrosion inhibitors and biocides used in cooling equipment where water is involved, such as cooling towers, air washers (swamp coolers), and critical closed loop systems. Spindle Technologies and Smart Release are game changing technologies, marking an expansion of Dober’s place in the market from a supplier of industrial chemicals, to a supplier of both chemicals, and of innovative solutions across all divisions.
 
On September 9, 2010 Dober sold its laundry chemical business to Ecolab. Dober and Ecolab work together as partners in many areas, but Ecolab is now the exclusive distributor of Spindle Technologies Utility Module and Chemwatch software.
 
In 2010 Dober also welcomed the first of the third Dobrez generation to the business. Although very few family businesses endure through generations, Dober is laying the foundation for leadership for the fourth generation and beyond. 
 
Dober has experienced continued growth and success since 1957.  Dober's success is due to a strong commitment to Mutual Trust and Respect for all fellow team members, and working with suppliers and customers in a partnership atmosphere. With a focus on providing value-added solutions, Dober is positioned for continued growth for many years to come.