Mario Mercurio

Co-Founder, Board Member & Chief Operations Officer

Co-Founder, Board Member & Chief Operations Officer

An experienced, accomplished and passionate leader, Mario is a quintessential “people person” that loves relationship building and dynamic problem-solving—which allows him to learn something new every day.

Bringing more than 35 years of executive experience to the Hyer team, Mario retired in 2018 as the Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Franchise Business Unit of PepsiCo North America. With an impressive track record of leading large and complex businesses to exceed profit targets, revenue growth, market share and organizational goals—he instilled a spirit of partnership among both company-owned and independent bottlers. That spirit of partnership still exists in the work he does today.

He holds a BS Degree in Business Administration from the State University of New York at Oswego.

Mario and his wife, Susan, reside in Brewster, New York—but flock to Palm Beach, Florida during the winter months so he can work on his golf game.

Jennifer Solmi

Co-Founder, Chief  Product & Information Officer

Pushing through a pandemic, parenting, work and

distance learning with loud 80’s music.

Breathing life into an idea and making it a reality, Jen has spent countless hours building the Hyer platform with three goals in mind: giving people a sense of purpose by providing them with meaningful work opportunities; helping businesses solve workforce problems; and giving back to the communities we serve.

Her passion for helping solve business challenges has fueled Jen for more than two decades. Prior to co-founding Hyer, she worked at PepsiCo—where she was responsible for overseeing the Sales and Go-to-Market IT systems for Pepsi North America Beverage—which spanned 35,000 users across US and Canada. In her role, Jen worked with Dave and Pankaj to spearhead the Sales Transformation initiative, which drove significant top and bottom line benefits for the company.

Jen holds a B.S. in Business Administration and a Master’s Degree in MIS from the State University of New York at Albany.

Going on Who Wants to be a Millionaire? If 80’s & 90’s music and hairbands come up—use your phone a friend on Jen—she’ll have your back.

Dave Dempsey

Founder & CEO

Aspiring Long Distance Runner, Steak & Wine Enthusiast

Standing at the forefront of expertise and innovation, Hyer Founder and CEO, Dave Dempsey knows a thing or two about fulfilling work. Backed by nearly four decades of executive experience—Dave launched Hyer in 2019 in an effort to change the way work gets done—while empowering people along the way.

Prior to starting Hyer, Dave spent 37 years at PepsiCo, building a strong reputation throughout many strategic and executive roles—most recently serving as the Vice President of Sales Transformation. Over his tenure at PepsiCo, Dave was the proud recipient of multiple awards—recognizing him for his proven results, outstanding ethics and overall drive for success.

While Dave is thrilled to have received Pepsi’s most prestigious honor, the Chairman’s Award, the most notable honors that top his personal list include his family, friends and faith. Dave is also a highly respected and competitive cornhole player, currently retaining the title for reigning champion at family events.

Dave holds a BA in Marketing from the University of Hartford in Connecticut.

Pankaj Kanth

Co-Founder & Chief Technology Officer

Groovy Bass Player & Master Multi-Tasker

Pankaj is not your average CTO. He has the ability to think creatively and analytically at the same time—making him our go to guy for nearly any problem. With deep knowledge of technology and infrastructure—coupled with strategy—Pankaj is able to think outside the box and give form and shape to ideas that continually drive results. From legal and financial to market research and branding—his expertise and dedication has helped position Hyer for growth time and time again.

Bringing more than two decades of experience to the Hyer team, Pankaj led Pepsi Beverages Mobility Strategy—which was part of a $100 million dollar sales transformation program designed to support their 30,000+ strong sales force. Driving the development, deployment and oversight of 19 sales and GTM mobile apps—his work enabled the sales team to achieve stellar results.

Pankaj holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and Engineering from the prominent Indian Institute of Technology.

If bass guitar strikes a chord with you, his band Raagatonic might be up your alley!

Dan Dempsey

Vice President, Operations and Sales

Aspiring Golfer, Foodie & Self-Proclaimed Green Thumb

Dan knows a thing or two about solving operational headaches—and works tirelessly to ensure things run not just smoothly—but efficiently. Continuously helping customers improve the way they go about their business; Dan also leads efforts to attract and retain Taskers in meaningful ways.

Passionate about providing a new way for people to make a living outside of the normal corporate structure, Dan was Hyer’s first (and #1 Tasker)—which gave him a deep appreciation for the 50,000+ Taskers who have since followed.

Before joining Hyer, Dan worked for PepsiCo where he managed sales efforts that drove 12 million in gross revenue. Dan received B.A. in Business with a focus in marketing from John Carroll University—go Blue Streaks!

If you’re looking to start a garden—Dan’s the man you want to ask for advice. Just don’t hit him up on beach volleyball night.

Joey Dempsey

Director of Finance

Recreational Sports League Fanatic & Diehard Detroit Lions Fan

When it comes to digging in and making sense of numbers, Joey is our go-to guy. Managing the day-to-day accounting and finance functions at Hyer—he lends a hand to ensure overall operations are running smoothly (and on budget).

Working alongside family—Joey jumped at the chance to join the Hyer team early on as he firmly believes the Hyer App has tremendous potential to positively impact the way work gets done.

Prior to joining Hyer in 2019, Joey spent several years working in due diligence and has extensive knowledge in financial analysis and revenue trends. He holds a BBA in Accounting from Loyola University in Chicago.

While Joey loves to talk numbers—if you really want to kickstart a conversation—just ask him about his can koozie collection.