You wouldn’t guess it by looking at him, but Mike Hyer has been with Cybertrol Engineering for a whopping 18 years already! And in that time, he has worn a lot of hats—technician, panel builder, design-build coordinator, and now, Applications Engineer. If there’s one thing that’s remained consistent through it all, it’s his steady presence and his drive to make things work better, faster, and smarter.
These days, Mike spends most of his time responding to customer requests and putting together scopes of work and BOM estimates. He works closely with our account owners to help prioritize quotes and keeps things moving in our ERP system. He also manages a handful of OEM and repeat customer accounts who know they can count on him to get them what they need—whether it’s a full controls quote or just a few parts.
With his background in electrical construction and nearly a decade of experience building custom control panels, Mike brings a super solid foundation to every project he touches.
Mike’s journey here started back in 2006. He had just graduated from Dunwoody with an A.A.S. in Electrical Construction and Maintenance and was looking for work during a shaky time in the trades. What started as a seasonal gig in the panel shop turned into a full-on career in automation—an industry he quickly found was a little more insulated from economic ups and downs.
Back when Mike started, our panel shop was just getting off the ground—staffed by a single employee, Russ Hutchins (who recently retired from Cybertrol). At that time, we didn’t yet have a dedicated hardware design team. For the next decade, Mike worked closely with project engineers—building custom control panels and even collaborating with our now-CEO, Ben Durbin, during Ben’s days as a project engineer. In early 2018, Mike took on the role of Design-Build Coordinator, working on internal initiatives, standards, and large proposal BOMs. He eventually transitioned into Sales, where he’s been a driving force behind quoting processes and tool improvements ever since.
He was a big part of the effort to create quick BOM assemblies in Visual Manufacturing (the old system) and even helped roll them into the new system (Quote Plan) when it launched. He’s also pitched in on I/O checkouts during big project startups—a nice change of pace from the desk.
When asked what he likes most about working here, Mike doesn’t hesitate: “Teamwork.” That’s what makes this place tick, in his opinion—everyone looking out for one another, sharing ideas, and stepping up to keep improving.
He’s also a big believer in not going at it alone. “Don’t assume,” he says. “If you’re unsure, ask. Bounce ideas off your team. That’s how we keep getting better.”
Mike says what makes our culture unique is how we continue to grow and evolve without losing sight of the lessons we’ve learned over the years. And he would know—he’s been part of that growth every step of the way.
Of all the projects he’s worked on, one that really sticks with him is a large-scale panel build for one of the largest providers of renewable natural gas for the transportation industry. They needed to mass produce LNG/CNG fueling station control panels, and Mike played a big role in both the panel design and building out a production process to ship up to six four-door panels a week. It was a challenge—and a major win.
When he’s not working, Mike’s probably outside—whether it’s tending to the family garden, caring for their egg-laying chickens, or heading out on a camping trip. He and his family love to hike and explore Minnesota’s state parks, and their recently purchased camper has made fall getaways even better (especially since spring and summer are packed with kids’ sports).
He brings his canoe along for those trips so he and his son Colton can fish—and yes, his son is hooked. Mike’s also been “voluntold” to coach flag football and is the proud DD (Dance Dad) for his daughter Eleanor, who competes all over the state. Her studio is scheduled to perform at a college bowl game in Florida!
Last year, they all took a trip to Costa Rica—it was the kids’ first time on a plane, and it turned into a vacation full of unforgettable memories. Mike also tries to sneak in a snowboarding trip when he can; his last one was in Breckenridge during a wedding weekend. And if you ask nicely, he’ll show you that he can still ollie a skateboard. 🤪
From building panels to coaching youth sports to helping clients hit their goals, Mike’s the kind of person who just gets things done—with a great attitude and a solid plan. We’re lucky to have him on the team!