Our Team

Mike Gunniers

President

View Bio

Mike leads Premier Automation with a "solutions-first" philosophy built on decades of hands-on industrial automation engineering experience. A Pittsburgh native and 2008 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Mike founded Premier in 2001 and has guided its growth into a nationally recognized leader in industrial automation, drive systems, and robotics. Meet the President: Mike Gunniers, Premier Automation

Paul Gazzo

General Manager, Automation

View Bio

Paul leads a team of roughly 20 engineers designing, programming, and commissioning control systems for customers nationwide. He built his expertise in the steel industry before joining Premier, and leads with a focus on mentorship, hands-on learning, and understanding each customer's process before proposing a solution.

Pete Krahe

General Manager, Drive Systems

View Bio

Pete brings more than 20 years at Premier and prior experience as a maintenance and plant electrical engineer in steel manufacturing. He leads with a customer-first approach to drive system design, building solutions around how a facility actually operates rather than a standardized template.

Erik Shafer

Manager, Robotics

View Bio

Erik brings more than 20 years of experience designing, building, and integrating robotic systems, including nearly two decades running his own robotics integration company. He leads with close, ongoing customer collaboration and a practical, experience-driven approach to solving production challenges.

Ryan Svilar

General Manager, PanelShop

View Bio

Ryan leads Premier's panel building team and its disciplined, repeatable process for turning customer designs (however complete or informal) into production-ready control panels at any volume, with a focus on transparency and consistent quality.

Joel Reed

President, Premier Labs

View Bio

Joel leads Premier Automation's corporate venture studio with a career spanning Ernst & Young, early-stage startups, and executive roles at robotics firms Seegrid and IAM Robotics. He leads Labs with a customer-first, "structured entrepreneurship" approach, validating every new venture against a real industrial problem before it moves forward.