When you think of fashion designers like Halston, Hugo Boss, Armani, you assume they were all creatively inspired at some point. Brennen Duran is no different, except that his inspiration came from climbing a tower in freezing temperatures. With seven years of working as a tower tech under his belt, Duran faced every weather condition possible and decided his work wardrobe could use some improvement. With no background in designing apparel, he approached it the same way he did with tower climbing.
“By bootstrapping,” Duran said. “Persistence and long sleepless nights, weeks and months. By never forgetting what I am doing all of this for.”
Duran had just turned 21 when he was introduced to the tower business and spent his first two years on the job in Arkansas, literally, learning the ropes. Following that, he moved to Phoenix AZ, and got further instruction under the tutelage of Kathy Gill at her Tower Safety training facility. “She’s amazing and really at the heart of it all,” he said, “and she’s been a tremendous support system for me, seeing me rise through the ranks of the industry.” He also gives credit to past supervisors and co-workers Brian Bowen, Adam Turner and Robby Sinclair, who introduced him to the industry, and to current colleagues Bradford Larson and Bill Tubb, who have mentored him along the way in his professional career.
After his schooling, Duran said he felt comfortable and confident in doing all types of work, but as a ‘Tech II’, had no real responsibilities as of yet. He joined a crew at Vinco Communications and has been with them since. “When you find guys and a team where you fit in, that’s worth its weight in gold, especially since we spend more time with our crews than we do our own families.” His team does troubleshooting for AT&T while working on jobs for CommNet and SAC Wireless.
A year into his time at Vinco, Duran teamed up with Larson, and Tubb over a need they felt was not being met in the industry. “We noticed, during inclement conditions, ‘elevated personnel’ were accustomed to using traditional cold weather outdoor workwear, which among having to garb and degarb, is time consuming. With traditional workwear we have to put it on then our safety harness, making it impossible to take off safely when elevated as the day warms up. The problem is, with those extra layers for warmth, you lower the utility of the harness. The garments and harness alike become a hazard during a fall or act as a choking mechanism.”
Their solution, putting the workwear on the outside of the harness while remaining 100 percent tied-off, became a brand called CWC Apparel. He noted the outerwear itself does not carry the gear but, using strategically designed slits and openings, allows the safety certified gear to shine through. However, they do offer standard lines using ANSI-approved colors for safety and reflective clothing. Duran said they are still in their infancy and looking to launch this winter with their first round of inventory.
Duran hasn’t stopped at fashion design; he is also developing a PIM-free cable management support system. Along with partner and 30-year industry veteran Bill Tubb, Duran said they feel they are on the forefront of developing problem solving solutions in the industry. Their Infrastructural Tool Solutions company, he said, is dedicated to streamlining productivity and enhancing the experience of standardization compliance.
In addition, Duran said he’d like to solve the water crisis, but that’s for another day. For now, he’s enjoying his work.
“What’s not to love?” he said. “I get to travel everywhere, work hundreds of feet in the air, at least once a day something funny happens and, at the end of the day, I feel like I’ve earned that cold beer. There’s nothing like it. I can’t wait to see where this industry leads me,” Duran said.
By Jim Fryer, Inside Towers Managing Editor
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