By Benjamin Horvath
A few days before Saturday’s 142th running of the Kentucky Derby in Louisville, Crown Castle hosted its annual customer appreciation event in the infield of Churchill Downs, one of the most famous venues in sports. More than 275 Crown Castle customers attended the event, including the veteran training organization, Warriors4Wireless.
The event enabled Warriors4Wireless to network with its partner Crown Castle, and also other tower companies with whom it already partners, including MUTI, 3480 Group, Magnum and Mercury.
“It was a pleasure to host Warriors4Wireless at our Kentucky Derby week customer event. We support W4W in its important mission to connect with veterans with careers in our dynamic industry, and hope that the event results in many opportunities for returning service members,” Ken Boben, Crown Castle Midwestern Regional President, said in an email to Inside Towers.
The event was also an important networking opportunity for Warriors4Wireless trainee Erik Hastings, a 17-year Army veteran who recently completed the Warriors4Wireless training program. Hastings recently applied for a position with Crown Castle and has interviewed with the company in recent months. This was an opportunity for Hastings to meet a number of Crown Castle executives face-to-face.
“My wife and I felt that this would be a chance for me to get in front of the decision makers and get my name known,” Hastings told Inside Towers.
Even though he was informed of the event just a few days prior, Hastings made the near-15 hour drive from Killeen, TX to Louisville. Warriors4Wireless lead recruiter Tara Dunne invited Hastings to the event as a way to facilitate communication between a W4W trainee and one of the industry’s largest tower development companies. Hastings said he was very appreciative of Dunne’s efforts, and also the help he has received from W4W President Vince Patton.
“For me, Vince Patton and Tara Dunne were my keys to the castle, so to speak. They went out of their way to introduce me to all the right people and to ‘sell’ me to them,” Hastings said. “I had people coming up to me, introducing themselves and offering to help me find employment all day long.”
Patton, who became W4W’s new president this past March, said the event was extremely important in helping the organization gain more visibility.
“It was a great opportunity for those in attendance at the event to learn how W4W’s mission provides a valuable asset to the wireless industry’s workforce, as well as supporting our military veterans,” he wrote in an e-mail to Inside Towers.
Warriors4Wireless raised $1,455 as a result of the event, receiving donations from other organizations in attendance. Crown Castle agreed to match that amount, pushing the total amount raised to $2,910.
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