Have you ever heard the origin story of SGFDevs? It’s a story of many smaller tech groups in Springfield merging into one, more impactful community. At the heart of the merger was Myke Bates, whose dream was to create a space where developers from all backgrounds and skills could come together to collaborate, learn and share their unique talents and experiences.
When faced with the question of what to do with his life after high school, Myke decided he couldn’t rely on making it big with his band and “…the HVAC program was full. And so I went to network security.” In school he took one programming class… and hated it. Nearly failing the class, he had no idea how someone could spend their days programming. But what he did see, is an opportunity. Myke’s easy going and genuine personality led him to make friends with a professor who taught him more web development basics and how to turn that into some solid income.
His first full time tech job in Springfield was doing IT for 120 YUM corporation locations. Helping them manage and fix their in-house inventory systems. He saw an opportunity to bridge his web-development knowledge and suggested they move their platform online. After that first project was launched, he discovered how magical it is to see your work come alive.
“The proverbial light bulb moment. And it was software from there on out. It's all I could think about. And I think that's what really happens. When you get bit by it. It just takes over. It's all you can think about.”
Myke eventually found his way from that job, to working for PFI, then for The Alchemedia Project (TAP) in town. As his career was growing and flourishing, his soon-to-be wife’s was growing as well. Her career in Psychology brought them to Miami for her post-doctoral residency. They were both excited to experience the fast-paced city life. There, Myke discovered a tech community he hasn’t experienced before. There were small tech groups in Springfield (shout out to the Dot Net Users Group), but in Miami, he found a whole new level of community and culture. While the tech community was exciting, Myke and his fiancé soon realized that they truly missed Springfield.
Springfield is a unique place to be for Myke. While he seems to be completely opposite from the mainstream of Springfield on many issues, he loves being around people with different ideas and ideals. And with his enthusiasm for the tech community and bringing people together, he decided to start up a group called SGF Web Devs.
There is one aspect of Myke that you might have guessed by now. He is constantly in motion. Always thinking of new projects and bringing ideas to life. There are always three or four new ideas and projects being developed in his entrepreneurial brain. Some of the first SGF Web Devs meetings were spent with him demonstrating and highlighting technologies his passion projects were being built with. And he used the time to share his insights and passion with the local dev community. And so, SGF Web Devs was going well, with a great group of active members. And after a while, Myke helped bring together other small developer groups in Springfield to form SGFDevs. A group for all tech professionals!
One of Myke’s biggest projects has become his life’s work. HEARO Remote Supports exemplifies Myke’s desire to support and create community and opportunity. HEARO works to help people with disabilities live independently. With Myke’s guidance, the company is set to take over the world of remote supports. And with his unique energy and entrepreneurial spirit, he is making a huge impact on not only the industry, but also each individual that is able to live a more fulfilled life because of the HEARO technology.
“A lot of the passion I have comes from the people within this space. Whether it's elderly, developmentally or intellectually disabled, you name it. This is a huge group of people that are not afforded the same luxuries everyone else takes for granted. And so I've got a big drive to provide tools and ways of being able to obtain some level of equality. Quality of life. And that's all I want to do is just provide that to people.”
Recently, Myke stepped down as the president of SGFDevs. Handing the role over to Levi Zitting. He always envisioned the group functioning and excelling without him. We can’t thank him enough for bringing our community together and for making happier lives for those that HEARO supports. His work, heart and spirit make our Devs community, our city and our world a much better place.
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