Why He’s Interesting: When Priemer joined Hyland as the vice president of marketing in 1997, the Westlake-based information management software company employed 30 people. Fast-forward two decades later and Priemer is at the helm of Hyland as president and CEO with a global reputation for excellence, offices all around the world and upwards of 4,000 employees.
Early Tech: Priemer laughs when he remembers his supply list when he was an incoming student at Boston College in 1985. “We were probably the last group required to bring an electric typewriter. It was the end of an era.”
All Nighters: Priemer started at Boston College at the right time when computers became all the rage, immersing himself in a tech culture that would soon become his career. “The first computer lab was built right when I started as a student. It was the only space open 24/7 and we took full advantage of that.”
Chuckle Time: Though the pandemic has been more than stressful on Hyland employees, Priemer said that there are still opportunities for lighthearted interaction in the virtual space. “We have been doing pub quizzes, Kahoots, and other opportunities for people to show their inventiveness over Zoom. There has been a ton of laughter.”
High Land: An avid skier, Priemer has made it a point to teach all four of his children to be comfortable at the top of the slopes, even as he admits it’s a lot of work. “You have to lug all their equipment. You have to bundle them up. You have to pick them up when they fall down. But ultimately it’s worth it.”
Family Style: Hyland prides itself on fostering a culture where employees feel like family, though Priemer says he would not be the one to cook a meal at an employee appreciation dinner. “My wife is the cook. Her homemade pasta and meatballs never fail to create that family feeling for everyone at the table.”
Rapid Change: When he looks back at 2020, Priemer will always be in awe at the rate at which everything shifted. “If you were going to make this dramatic of changes organizationally, it would take you months of planning and training and communication. And we somehow did it all in a week.”
Interesting Fact: During elementary school, Priemer lived next door to the three Hyland brothers who went on to launch the company and later hire him.
