Gil Dummer was one of the first students to earn an associate’s degree from Mitchell Tech’s Automation Controls/ SCADA (Supervisory Controls and Data Acquisition) program, graduating with the class of 2002.
“My older brother graduated from Mitchell Tech so I decided to check it out. While I was there, an instructor told me about the new SCADA program starting that fall,” he explains. “I was into electronics, so it sounded like a great path for me.”
Dummer joined the inaugural cohort, learning alongside classmates such as current SCADA instructor Josh Renken and guided by Tony Russell, the program’s instructor, now retired.
“My classmates were smart and we helped each other through the program,” he says. “I remain in contact with many of them today.”
Over the past two decades, Dummer has applied his technical training across a wide range of industries, from security systems and ethanol production to climate control and food technology.
“Mitchell Tech did a great job demonstrating what the industry had to offer and preparing me with the foundation to be successful in my career,” he says. “This is a high demand field and there is no limit to what you can do with this degree.”
Today, Dummer serves as the Technology Leader at Empirical Foods in Dakota Dunes, where he integrates emerging technologies to improve efficiency, productivity, and advanced standards across the company.
“I am able to work with leading manufacturers and companies from all over the world to bring the highest levels of automation available to Empirical Foods,” he says. “It’s a position that keeps me on top of developing technology and allows me to travel and network with industry leaders.”
His industry insight also strengthens Mitchell Tech’s SCADA program. As a member of the SCADA Advisory Board, Dummer helps evaluate curriculum, shape program development, and ensure graduates are prepared for the rapidly evolving automation field.
“I also help recruit MTC grads for Empirical Foods,” he says. “We offer four full-ride scholarships each year to Mitchell Tech students who want to work with us after graduation. We know we are getting people who are knowledgeable and prepared. It’s a great program and I’m glad to be a graduate.”
