BY THOMAS GARRETT
PHOTOS BY KENDRA STANLEY-MILLS
VIDEO BY TONY PACKER

May 23, 2025

Nick Hayhoe ’08, along with his colleagues at Fleetwood Electronics, designed a virtual dog leash, called Heel, to automatically keep your dog near you while you're on the move. Nick completed a dual degree in mechanical engineering and product design and manufacturing engineering at Grand Valley State University and went on to acquire his master’s degree in product design and development from Northwestern University.

Working for the employee-owned Fleetwood Electronics in Holland, MI, Nick, who is the vice president of sales & innovation for electronics, as well as fellow GV alumni, Brian Harvey ’09 and Phase 1 Engineering representative John Videtich ’07, helped design, test, and produce Heel. Nick also noted vice president of operations, Travis Wilson, as another key member of the project.

The system this group developed automatically measures how far the collar is from the remote and provides correction when your dog approaches the boundary, similar to traditional invisible fences.

Nick recently visited the Allendale Campus to demonstrate the product with one of his own animals, a golden retriever conveniently named Louie. They showed off the effectiveness of the product around campus with Nick keeping Louie as close as 10 feet for something like a stroll to as far as 150 feet for a fun game of fetch in the spring sun.

“The most active dog owners will know how cumbersome leashes can be while running, hiking, or camping. We wanted to give people a solution while on the go, but still provide control when their dog is off leash,” said Nick.

Traditional e-collars require you to constantly watch your dog while off leash, and GPS fences don't move with you and have an accuracy of 5-15 feet. Heel is accurate within one foot, allowing you to move around with your animal while still keeping a consistent barrier that can have a radius as small as 10 feet from the handheld transmitter.

This unique accuracy was achieved using Heel’s AUTOPROX technology, with a patent currently pending; it is based on a similar technology that Fleetwood has been using in various industries, including manufacturing and health care. A previous product that Nick had a hand in developing for Fleetwood used similar technology and helped inspire Heel.

Instant-Trace is a small, clip-on badge containing wireless-sensing technology that allows businesses to quickly determine team members who have been in close proximity in the previous 14 days. It was originally designed in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and would allow employers to act quickly to exposures.

“Instant-Trace was an amazing collaboration with Phase 1 Engineering. We turned the project around in only six weeks, which is unheard of, and it ended up involving tons of GV graduates,” said Nick.

Along with Nick, Brian, and John, Noe Villanueva ’19 and Nicholas Bernhardt ’21 contributed to the Instant Trace project.

After seeing the effectiveness of Instant Trace and its ability to accurately track individuals within feet of each other, Nick and his fellow dog lovers at Fleetwood began redesigning and reprogramming this technology into what Heel and AUTOPROX are now.

“We are especially proud of our ability to have the product designed, manufactured, and shipped from the Fleetwood Electronics facility in Holland, MI, where we can produce high-quality electronics right here in West Michigan,” said Nick.

With a passion for design and product engineering, Nick originally attended GVSU because of the experiential and hands-on learning experiences offered by the Padnos College of Engineering and ended up deeply appreciating the mentoring he received from Bob Bero in the Keller Engineering Labs and Professor John P. Farris, product design & manufacturing engineering.

“From getting to be a part of the SAE Baja team building off-road vehicles, to being a student worker in the engineering labs, or co-op projects,” said Nick. “All of the experiential education I obtained from GVSU helped me innovate and actually launch products into the market in my career," Nick said.

Learn more about Heel and its products at heel.dog.