Mike Byers
Software Developer
Fir Real
Every Christmas for as far back as I can recall, my sister Joan and her husband John send us this lovely L.L. Bean Christmas wreath to decorate our front door. We send them some sort of seasonal snack assortment in return. Pictured from left to right: eldest son Joey, wife Peggy, and myself.
Meet Mike
Mike knocked around in various retail and travel-related jobs before attending a technical school to learn the basics of computer programming. Ever since, he's loved writing code and developing complex computer systems that solve users' problems. Mike has attended various courses over the years to pick up expertise in a variety of programming languages, systems and environments including Enterprise Resource Planning systems such as SAP, databases such as Oracle, PostGRES and MySQL, as well as web development toolsets such as Ruby on Rails which are used prominently at eventPower.
Fun Facts
What are some things everyone should try at least once in their lifetime? Why?
Ride a motorcycle. I've owned a few over the years, ridden and crashed them and gotten myself scraped up in the process. I'm more of a touring rider than a road racer, but I love the feeling of riding a powerful bike. Usually, I'm thinking about a Bruce Springsteen or Steve Earle song as I hit the open road.
When you were 16, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Definitely a wide receiver in the NFL. I had really good hands, decent size and strength, and I was pretty quick and an elusive runner after the catch. Sadly, my NFL glory and any football glory past middle school were entirely imaginary.
What are you dying to try but haven't done yet?
Drive a stock car on a superspeedway. I have driven one at Richmond International Raceway, and it was really fun once I remembered how to shift gears. RIR is a great, fun track, but I'd like to see what 150 miles per hour feels like. I would love to run a few laps at Daytona!
What was your favorite vacation?
When my kids were younger, we packed up the van for a family trip to Orlando, FL, and took in Disney World and Universal Studios. We stayed at some nice hotels, had some great food, and loved the rides and entertainment, especially Medieval Times and all the roller coasters.