Holly Madewell
Name: Holly Ann Madewell
Company currently working for: Standard Wireless Group
Job name/title: Tower hand
How did you get started in the tower industry? My fiancé Gary Thomas has been doing tower work for almost 15 years and I have always begged him to let me work with him and so when he had the chance, he put me straight to work. He taught me everything I know as of today and he taught me a lot. He is a great teacher and I’m proud to say that he is the one who introduced me to this amazing industry.
How long have you been climbing? I haven’t been doing this long …only about three and a half months.
Biggest like/dislike about it? I love the view. It’s amazing and why I love to climb. Gary and I were working at a site about to do a vcs and he climbed the tower until he was up above the cloud cover. He took a picture of it and sent it to me on my phone. It was like he was really in heaven above the clouds (that’s his way of saying he loves me and it works every time). I wanted to climb up but I was doing the vcs on the ground and by the time I was done the clouds had already moved away. But things like that happen every day when you’re a tower hand. There’s always going to be more to see.
Do you feel accepted by largely male crews or has it been a struggle? Yes, I do I think I fit right in. They give me a hard time and I give it right back lol.
Would you recommend this industry to other women and if so what would you warn them about? Yes I definitely would. There is nothing I’d warn them about but one thing and that’s what they’re missing out on by not being a tower hand and all the great experiences they could have on the tower.
Have you had any unusual experiences while climbing or at tower site? There was one time I was on the tower working with Gary and we were getting close to the finish. We weren’t paying close attention to the weather but we could see where the rain was in the distance and how long we had to get down. This was only the second time I’d ever climbed and not long after my training classes (by Comtrain). So I started down slowly but wanted to get a head start on Gary. When I got halfway down the tower, “bang”, lightning struck right behind me and scared me to death. But we got down safely and the second we did it started pouring rain. Even though it rattled me a little, Gary was right there by my side the whole way. One thing I learned: pay attention to the weather at all times because it can sneak up on you fast.
August 21, 2017
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