Women’s History Month
Now running the business founded by her father in 1988, Areanna Sabine, CEO, of Birdzoff has seen the tower business from a different perspective than most. Her company keeps the often beloved but pesky winged creatures from becoming a deterrent to wireless infrastructure. By designing Birdzoff’s first Tower Guard system, she consults with industry leaders on the toughest of bird control problems and endeavors to provide solutions.
Even though Sabine has only been in the industry for the last four years, she said she has seen an increase in the number of women in management as well as the visibility of those roles within the industry.
“It can be easy to overlook the growth of women managers in the industry since it is still dominated by men in these roles,” Sabine told Inside Towers. “That being said, there is a plethora of resources for women in the industry including committees and organizations such as Women of NATE and WWLF that not only support women throughout their tenure in the industry but also serve as platforms to showcase the phenomenal work they are doing.”
Sabine cites NATE’s Paula Nurnberg and Andy Page Lee as mentors who have been rooting for her since she first entered the industry. She said they both encouraged her to join the WON committee based on her passion for mentoring women in business and STEM.
“Being on the committee for WON has been a real eye opener to how influential the women currently in the industry are,” Sabine said. “I am the team lead for the WON Scholarship – a scholarship for women who are pursuing education to support their roles within the telecoms industry. I received this scholarship in its inaugural year, and my continued involvement and time investment in the industry is only a testament to how powerful support mechanisms like scholarships are in encouraging more women to enter the industry and improve themselves.”
She said while she still has limited on site experience she has seen some push back to women in the field but sees that as merely an obstacle to overcome and an opportunity to educate the industry.
“When more women step into roles as managers,” Sabine said, “we are able to experience different management styles and discover diverse leadership strategies that could lead to increased employee satisfaction and business development opportunities. Though as CEO of my family business, I occasionally get push back from my dad when I tell him what to do – you can’t avoid every obstacle, ha!”
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