Frank Keegan of Keegan Wireless, a full-service contractor providing site construction in multiple states across the Eastern United States, recently had the privilege of completing the build of his first, personally owned tower. “When I constructed my first tower, it was exciting knowing that we owned something that for years we only constructed and walked away,” Frank explained. Now every time he drives past The Waterfront, a large shopping district in Homestead, PA, he can admire all the hard work he put into the tower that is beautifully disguised as a clock tower. “The clock tower is adjacent to the Homestead High-level Bridge and serves as a clock to thousands of commuters each day driving to and from work,” Frank said. Although Frank is now in the tower-owning business, the main focus of Keegan Wireless is tower construction from the very beginning to the very end of the process. “Keegan Wireless is structured in that when you choose Keegan, the customer receives a one stop shop scenario. Most other companies out there offer the same services but at the end of the day they rely on multiple subcontractors to get the work done. At Keegan everything is done in-house; we self-perform all aspects of construction in house except for drilling and fencing,” Frank explained.
When it comes to the tower industry, Frank is concerned about the safety practices workers are using. The industry recently had its 5th and 6th tower fatalities of 2014. “My concern for the industry pertains to safety and the number of fatalities in the industry. We’ve taken our safety program to a new level. We have a Safety Director starting April 1st that will help our company from a safety stand point. Our new safety director’s responsibility will be training and working with our crews in the field to make sure everyone is trained and they follow our safety and OSHA regulations,” Frank said. Safety has been a hot topic lately within the industry and chances are the discussion won’t stop anytime soon. While safety will continue to remain a steady factor, other aspects of the tower industry are changing but not slowing down. According to Frank, “The wireless industry is becoming more technical business. Carriers are now requiring fiber and special fiber equipment and testing on all installs. This new equipment is requiring tower modification as existing tower sites are failing structure. The need for more towers is in demand and we will see more towers being built each year.”
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