Meet Jesse Hyder

posted On Wednesday, May 10, 2023 in Blog

Q&As with Jesse Hyder

Jesse, you were recently promoted to Lab Lead at our location in Monroe, Michigan. Congratulations! Tell us about your career path leading up to this new role.

I heard about AHT through my brother, Larry Hyder, who was an AHT employee at the time. When I first started with AHT in December of 2012, I was in Shipping & Receiving. In 2016, I ended up moving into the lab, with Jake McCann as my mentor.

My heat treatment experience consists primarily of gas and ion nitriding, but I also have experience with our new Hyper line (black oxide), our PENS project, annealing and stress relieving.

What does a typical day look like for you as Lab Lead at AHT?

Being the Lab Lead at the Monroe facility is usually pedal-to-the-metal all day long. Currently, my main focus is training a newly promoted lab technician, Jeremy Thomason (J.T.), and organizing tasks for the lab team to make sure our customers' needs are met in a timely manner.

I’m always trying to find ways the lab can be run more efficiently and be even more organized. I also try to focus on advancing myself and work on learning/training on my new skill sets to help advance my career within the company as well.

What are some interesting projects you’ve worked on at AHT?

I’ve conducted lab analysis on parts for our customers. Edward (Dr. Glow) also gives me projects, providing metallurgical data/research for his white papers. The coolest project, though, is probably the tie bars that were craned through the ceiling at the Monroe facility. (Pictured)

Outside of work, how do you like to spend your time?

I love hanging with my beautiful family and relaxing. I like doing things outdoors such as fishing, walking through trails in the woods, going to the metro parks and disc golfing. (If you have never tried disc golfing, it is very fun and relaxing. I strongly recommend it.)

Name an accomplishment you are proud of – personal or professional.

Buying my own home when I was only 21 years old
Meeting my wife Amanda in 2012
Adopting Payton with my wife

What is something people may not know about Jesse Hyder?

I have archery awards - all bullseyes at 25 through 50 yards and a marksman pin for 100 yards (3 out of 5 bullseyes), but I haven’t shot a bow and arrow in probably 15 years so I would probably be a little rusty now.

I also love trivia and random facts… Jeopardy is my favorite game show.

What is something people may not know about AHT?

AHT is a very specialized business and is very family oriented. They care for their employees and has an ‘open door policy,’ meaning you are able to talk to the management team at almost any time of the day. If they are not able to address your concerns, they will move your concerns to either our amazing HR team or to a specific department that can further assist you with your needs. It is then followed by a very timely reconnect with the employee through the manager or that specific department directly.

AHT also likes to explore new technology or old tech that has been modernized.

What advice or tips would you give our customers?

If you have any questions, our metallurgy team is great and can assist with the technical side of things. We can advise on the practicality of the application and explain which heat treatment would be most beneficial for their parts and why. Make sure you have a good understanding of what the heat treatment truly does – not just knowing the buzzwords associated with it such as ‘longevity’, ‘enhancement’, ‘fatigue’, etc.

“Passion” is a core value at AHT. Aside from heat treat, what else are you passionate about?

Family (The most important thing in life)
Track and Field (My stepson Zane is on varsity as a freshmen, and does amazing every track meet. Getting to see the next meet is like getting a feel-good rush you cannot explain. I cannot wait).
Payton, my youngest daughter (It is amazing watching her take on her own path in life)
LyLian, my oldest daughter (She is amazing at art. She has been first place at the Monroe County Fair before and she has a beautiful mind – it’s very abstract).
Cooking (I’m a foodie)
Football (Super Bowl Sunday is like Christmas at my house)

How would you describe the company culture at AHT?

I would say for the most part, it is laid back. Me personally, I like to joke with my AHT teammates at the Monroe, Michigan facility and make the job fun. It makes time feel like it goes by much quicker. I also like joking with our AHT members from other facilities. (AHT also has locations in Iowa and Alabama.) I believe everyone has something interesting about themselves, but sometimes people are shy and it takes a while for them to warm up, but that is okay… I am the same way. I have a good relationship with all the employees at our Monroe facility. (I think? Ha ha.)

Now, a list of random questions for you:

First Job: Working at a greenhouse
Favorite Food: Dorito Chicken (secret family recipe)
Least Favorite Food: Beets
Hobbies: Fishing, live music
Favorite Sport: Football
Sports Team: Detroit Lions & Kansas City Chiefs
Favorite Movie or Book: I cannot pick just one but Billy Madison, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Pulp Fiction Kill Bill (Vol. 1 & 2) and Bio Dome are probably my top 5 favorite movies.
Best or Most Recent Concert: Aaron Lewis is my most recent concert. It’s hard to pick my favorite one though. I have been to a lot of concerts; two concerts already scheduled for the year coming up: Godsmack/Staind and Pantera/Metallica.
Married? Yes, her name is Amanda.
Kids? LyLian, Zane and Payton
You can have any fictional character as your friend, who would you choose & why? Doctor Strange, the endless places you could go or the endless things you could do. (Think about it.)
What’s Your Idea of the Perfect Weekend? It really doesn’t matter as long as I am with the ones I love the most in life. We would probably go on a road trip for an extended weekend and go site seeing and catch a concert of one of our favorite artists with VIP tickets since we love seeing live shows, and then stay somewhere for a luxurious getaway.