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Pat Cipov Named to the Wireless Hall of Fame

The Wireless History Foundation (WHF) will induct five honorees into the Wireless Hall of Fame during the Foundation’s Awards Dinner in Los Angeles on September 12, at the Omni Hotel.  The WHF described Cipov’s achievements in introducing this year’s inductees:

Vertical Bridge’s Gellman Named to Top 50 Edge Computing Leaders

Data Economy named Vertical Bridge CEO and Co-Founder Alex Gellman to their “#Edge50,” showcasing the 50 personalities who are “leading edge computing through charting new innovations or technological breakthroughs, sheer investment or business acumen, or exceptional entrepreneurial skill-sets.”

The online publication said Gellman “has taken the front row seat in leading the company’s edge vision, having invested into the segment as well as entering into a partnership with DataBank in one of the U.S.’ biggest edge deals to date.”

Inside Towers reported on Vertical Bridge’s purchase of DataBank in September of last year for the purposes of developing micro data centers at the base of towers that will enable edge computing.

Comba Telecom Names Don Henry to North American VP of Sales

Comba Telecom announced that Don Henry is the new North American VP of Sales. His new responsibilities include leading strategic management of Comba’s sales programs and key initiatives, as well as day-to-day sales operations in North America.

“We are thrilled to have Don join the executive team,” said Comba Telecom GM Augustin Chang. “Don has been indispensable to Comba Telecom’s success, especially in public safety and will continue to help Comba’s commitment to provide the latest innovative products, quality service and dedication to achieve exceptional and timely technical support for the highest level of customer satisfaction.”

For more than three years, Henry has has been the Director of Sales, West Region and the unofficial Public Safety Program Manager. Prior to Comba, Henry worked at multiple system integrators where he excelled at growing the business for commercial and public safety wireless solutions, according to the announcement.

Everstream Names Lauzze Director of Wireless Sales

Everstream recently appointed A.J. Lauzze to the newly created position of Director of Wireless Sales, according to the Daily Messenger.  Lauzze previously worked with Crown Castle Fiber for 17 years and held positions at American Fiber Systems and TEKsystems Telecom in Rochester, NY.  He joined Everstream as project manager/outside plant engineer. Lauzze has a bachelor’s degree in sports management from Medaille College in Buffalo and an associate degree in criminal justice from Hilbert College in Hamburg.

SBA’s David Sams Elected TIRAP Chair

The Executive Board of the Telecommunications Industry Registered Apprenticeship Program (TIRAP) announced yesterday that David Sams, Vice President of Risk Management with SBA Communications, was elected Chairperson of the group. Paul Roberts, Vice President of Compliance for American Tower Corp., was elected Vice-Chairperson, and Beau Aero, President and Founder of GME Supply, was elected Secretary. Former Chairman Scott Kisting was named Chairperson Emeritus.

TIRAP is a joint venture of telecommunications companies, industry associations and the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) that develops DOL-credentialed apprenticeship programs and makes them available to qualified employers for workforce development.

“We have achieved several milestones over the past four years,” Sams said. “It’s my goal to continue our efforts in recruiting employers and employees into the apprenticeship program. The Trump Administration is very much in favor of expanding apprentice programs, and TIRAP is the only telecommunications industry-driven program connecting people with companies. I’m also looking forward to our continued work with the National Wireless Safety Association and the National Association of Tower Erectors as we work to train, test and credential skilled employees who are responsible for the wireless communication systems that are available in our country.”

Mark Ciarfella of SBA Joins National Wireless Safety Alliance Board

The National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA) announced today that Mark Ciarfella, Executive Vice President – U.S. Operations at SBA Communications Corporation, has been appointed to serve on the organization’s Board of Directors. The NWSA leadership made the announcement from the Wireless Infrastructure Association’s 2018 Connectivity Expo, which is taking place this week in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The NWSA, headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia, is a national non-profit assessment and certification organization established to provide thorough, independent assessments of knowledge and skills and provide verifiable worker certification in order to enhance safety, reduce workplace risk, improve quality, encourage training, and recognize the skilled professionals who work on towers and other non-standard communication structures.

“The NWSA is excited to announce the addition of Mark Ciarfella to the Board of Directors,” said Executive Director Duane MacEntee. “Mark’s extensive background and experience working at a prominent international wireless communications infrastructure firm like SBA will add tremendous insight to help the organization navigate the next phase of getting worker certification programs to scale in the industry,” added MacEntee.

SQUAN Names Don Henry as General Manager of Engineering

SQUAN, announced yesterday they have appointed Don Henry as their new general manager of engineering. Don is an industry veteran with over two decades of network infrastructure experience. He will report to SQUAN CEO Duane Albro.

In this role, Henry will be responsible for the management of SQUAN’s multi-office engineering division, including P&L, business development and all operations functions. He will oversee a staff comprised of project managers, outside plant engineers, CAD drafters and support personnel as defined by customer needs.

Henry has held several key leadership positions including director of dispatch operations and general manager at Frontier Communications, and director of operations and director of construction titles at Verizon. Before joining Verizon (NYNEX/New Telephone Company), Don was a combat arms officer in the Army, assigned in Germany and in the southwestern region of the United States. During his service, he attained the rank of Captain.

BDC Gets New Federal Liaisons

The FCC’s Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee (BDAC) is getting new agency liaisons to replace Brian Hurley, who is leaving the Commission for a position in the private sector.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai promoted Paul D’Ari to be what the agency is calling a Designated Federal Officer (DFO), effective today. He was Deputy DFO of the group. Deborah Salons and Jiaming Shang will become the new Deputy DFOs.

Pai said Hurley, “has my sincerest thanks for helping to shepherd the BDAC and its working groups during its inaugural year through countless hours of fruitful discussions, resulting in numerous constructive recommendations to the Commission that will assist us in reducing barriers to broadband deployment.” Pai also praised D’Ari for his work.

Sprint Moves Marcelo Claure to Executive Chairman, Michel Combes to CEO

Sprint Corp (NYSE: S) yesterday announced that its Board of Directors has elevated Marcelo Claure to Executive Chairman, and appointed Michel Combes to the role of Chief Executive Officer.  In their new roles, Claure and Combes will collaborate on the continued execution of Sprint’s strategy as well as its planned combination with T-Mobile. Claure, who has served as CEO since 2014, will remain a part of the Sprint senior management team. The transition is expected to occur on or before May 31, 2018.

“Marcelo has done a remarkable job of turning around the Sprint brand and business, driving enhanced network performance, strong subscriber growth and significant cost reductions leading to the best financial results in Sprint’s history,” said Masayoshi Son, Chairman and CEO of SoftBank Group Corp. “Marcelo has also positioned Sprint as a leader in the race to 5G, which promises to revolutionize the communications industry.  He will continue to guide Sprint’s strategy and momentum as Executive Chairman through a successful closing with T-Mobile.”

“Michel Combes is a proven industry veteran and the right executive to lead the next phase of our transformation,” said Mr. Claure.  “Michel’s tremendous leadership and management skills and his 25 years of experience will be invaluable as we continue the subscriber and financial momentum we have.”

Carrier Association Moves Headquarters

The Competitive Carriers Association (CCA), having battled it out for this industry in downtown D.C. for over 25 years, decided it was time for a change of scenery.  They have moved to 601 New Jersey Ave NW, Suite 820, Washington, D.C. 20001, roughly 3,000 feet away from the Capitol.  The CCA said in a release, “we’re better positioned to fiercely advocate on behalf of competitive wireless carriers, stakeholders, and the millions of Americans whose connectivity depends on fair policies.”

NEDAS Appoints Linda Michaels as VP of Business Development

The Northeast DAS & Small Cell Association (NEDAS) and iMiller Public Relations (iMPR) announced the appointment of Linda Michaels as Vice President of Business Development, NEDAS.  In this role, Michaels will drive strategic growth initiatives for the organization’s sales and partnership development while managing the team to achieve revenue goals and marketing objectives.

Inside Towers Staff Update

Inside Towers is pleased to announce that Megan Reed and Cara Aston are assuming additional responsibilities. Megan, Marketing Director and Cara, Creative Director, have begun handling sales and account management alongside industry veteran, Phil Cook.

“Cara and I know Inside Towers inside-out from working behind the scenes for years to facilitate its growth, content and creative direction. We’re looking forward to taking on a more direct sales function. We know how great Inside Towers truly is and we look forward to working with our current advertisers and expanding our client base,” Megan said. Cara added, “Inside Towers is a targeted marketing vehicle. I am excited to work with our clients to maximize their marketing results.”

For more information, reach out to Cara, (904) 607-1338 or Megan, (203) 733-5943.
Megan will be attending WIA’s ConnectX in Charlotte, where she currently resides. Click here to schedule a meeting.

KP Performance Antennas Appoints New Sales Leadership Team

Mike Hoprich (left) and Michael Inverso

KP Performance Antennas, a manufacturer of Wireless Internet Service Provider (WISP) antennas, appointed Michael Inverso and Mike Hoprich, to lead the company’s sales initiatives throughout North America and abroad.

Michael Inverso joins KP as the new Director of Sales. He brings over 20 years of experience in the RF/Microwave communications industry and the global WISP market. His experience includes sales engineering, sales management, customer service management, channel management and technical support, for brands including Trango Systems, Inc. and Z-Communications, Inc.

Mike Hoprich joins the company as the Regional Sales Manager for the Eastern territory. He brings a decade of experience in the wireless industry, having worked in numerous roles from sales leadership, product management, technical support, field engineering and marketing at SWG Inc., based in Pennsylvania. Hoprich has extensive hands-on WISP industry knowledge having sold and licensed over 500+ links for various point-to-point and point-to-multipoint networks.

CommScope Appoints Pease as Chief Financial Officer  

Alexander W. Pease has been named executive vice president and chief financial officer of CommScope, a global leader in infrastructure solutions for communications networks, effective April 2. Pease succeeds Mark Olson, who, as previously announced, is retiring from the company.

Pease is an experienced leader who brings to CommScope more than 18 years of extensive financial and operational experience across a wide range of industries, including serving as CFO at two publicly-owned companies. Pease most recently served as executive vice president and CFO of Snyder’s-Lance, a global consumer packaged goods company based in Charlotte.

Prior to that, Pease was a principal in McKinsey & Company’s global corporate finance and business functions practice, after serving as senior vice president and CFO at EnPro Industries, where he oversaw six operating divisions in addition to the finance, accounting, strategy and development, global supply chain and information technology functions.

“Tough Tower” Maker Evelyn Torres To Be Honored By Manufacturing Institute

The Manufacturing Institute will award Evelyn Torres, CEO of Solaris Technologies with the Women in Manufacturing STEP (Science, Technology, Engineering and Production) Ahead Award on April 10, in Washington, D.C.. The STEP Ahead Awards honor women who have demonstrated excellence and leadership in their careers and represent all levels of the manufacturing industry, from the factory-floor to the C suite.

Torres’ company, Solaris Technologies, manufactures a Cell on Wheels dubbed a “Tough Tower” due to its galvanized 2 3/8” OD schedule 40 steel pipe for its 36” base spread “among the largest base in the industry” according to Solaris. The towers have the ability to lift payloads up to 1,100 lbs at the top, and provide protection against harsh conditions.Continue Reading

JPS Names Dixon President

JPS Interoperability Solutions, announced the promotion of Todd Dixon from COO to President, effective yesterday, March 1.  Dixon has a BA in Business Administration and has worked in varying finance roles throughout his career, serving the former JPS Communications as CFO from 2005 through 2009. He rejoined JPS Interoperability Solutions, Inc. and became CFO in 2017.

Don Scott, prior President and one of the founders of JPS Communications, will retain his position as CEO. According to Scott, “Mr. Dixon is eminently qualified to lead JPS on a day-to-day basis and has long been moving towards that role.  His promotion will increase my time to focus on our future – our technology roadmap and continuing to grow our sales/distribution channel.”

WTA Promotes From Within

WTA – Advocates for Rural Broadband announced staff promotions in its Washington, D.C. office.

Derrick Owens has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Government & Industry Affairs. His responsibilities continue to be leading WTA’s Washington office, being the primary spokesperson for the association, and working with the membership and outside industry stakeholders to advance federal policies that enable the deployment of broadband in rural areas.

Eric Keber, formerly Director of Government of Affairs, has been promoted to Vice President of Government Affairs. Eric has been with WTA for the past 11 years, and he is WTA’s main liaison with Congress.

National Wireless Safety Alliance Makes Board of Governors Appointments

The National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA) announced their appointments to serve on the organization’s Board of Governors.

Those serving include: Bernard Borghei, Executive Vice President – Operations and Co-Founder of Vertical Bridge, Doug Dickinson, Western Region Environmental Health & Safety Manager at Ericsson, Bruce Eades, President of USA Telecom Insurance Services, Pat Moore, Field Service Specialist at Stainless, Paul Roberts, Vice President of Compliance for American Tower Corporation, Jose Tarafa, Corporate Operations Manager at Mastec Network Solutions and Gary Trent, Quality Assurance Engineer for U.S. Cellular.

The NWSA Board of Governors consists of representatives from a broad cross-section of the industry and is tasked with developing policy and overseeing the activities of the various committees that will serve under their jurisdiction.

DiVito Named COO at Fullerton Engineering

Frank DiVito was recently named COO of Fullerton Engineering.  Prior to that, he had served as Vice President in the company.  DiVito has served as President of the Illinois Wireless Association and has degrees from The John Marshall Law School and the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana.

“As COO, I am responsible for the execution of Fullerton’s vision to continue to grow our Site Development Services and continue to enhance our Engineering, DAS, Small Cell, OSP and Construction Management services.”  For over 17 years, DiVito helped Fullerton increase gross revenue, grow new divisions and diversify their client base.

“These successes were not achieved alone,” DiVito said. “Without a great team of people behind me who engineer, manage and solve problems we would not be able to generate these types of results.”

Bandwidth President John Murdock Joins CTIA Board

CTIA®, the wireless association, announced that Bandwidth Inc. President, John Murdock will serve on its board of directors effective immediately.

Bandwidth, a software company focused on communications technologies, has long been an active participant with CTIA. Companies like Google, Skype, and Ring Central use Bandwidth APIs to embed voice, messaging and 911 access into software and applications.

“Bandwidth is a valued CTIA member and we look forward to collaborating further as we accelerate the deployment of next-generation 5G wireless networks,” said CTIA President/CEO Meredith Attwell Baker.

Murdock has been with Bandwidth for the past decade, is a board member and was general counsel. Before that, he founded a specialized law firm focused on complex civil litigation. He served on active duty as a U.S. Marine Corps officer with combat experience.

Tilson Exec Named “Top Young Professional”

Kelly Brewer, Director of Engineering at Tilson was named to Engineering News-Record’slist of  “Top Young Professionals” in New England for 2017.
At 28 years old, Brewer leads the engineering division for Tilson in Portland, Maine, a high-growth telecom, IT and construction firm which in 2017 made the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies.  Brewer oversees more than 100 staff across 17 offices from Maine to Los Angeles and helps educate future engineering and construction professionals as adjunct faculty at the University of Southern Maine….and she is the mother of two.

Teleco South Florida Adds Three Execs

Teleco South Florida, a Deerfield Beach, FL based National Technology Provider of Cellular DAS, Public Safety DAS and Structured Cabling Systems, announced the addition of Wayne Puffer, Andrew Mancone and Florencia Hernandez to their executive staff.

• Wayne Puffer, a U.S. Navy veteran, has nearly 25 years in the telecommunication industry. For the last seven years, Wayne has been focused on the wireless market for In-Building Cellular Enhancement DAS and Public Safety DAS First Responder Networks.
• Andy Mancone has over 30 years of experience in computing applications, communications applications and technology solutions platforms. Andy has extensive experience in RF optimization which lends itself well to the emerging market of Cellular and Public Safety DAS.
• Florencia Hernandez is a native Argentinian and fluent in both English and Spanish and has over 20 years of experience in B2B and B2C Sales, Marketing, Graphic Design, Brand Management and Event Planning for both the Latin American and U.S. Markets with a strong background in the Telecommunications Field (DAS, Public Safety & Test equipment).

Bahamian Tower Exec to Receive NATE Award

Bahamas Telecommunications Company’s (BTC’s) Senior Manager of Mobile Network Operations, Clement Rolle, will receive the Chairman’s Coin Award from the National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) this month in Nashville, Tennessee. He joined BTC in September of 1977, in the tower and antenna section where he worked through the ranks, building towers/antennas and installing transmission lines throughout the Bahamas.

This award is presented to individuals that have showcased dedication and service to the mission of NATE. Every year, only three individuals have the privilege to receive this international award.

“Clement has been selected by NATE Chairman Jim Tracy to receive the prestigious Chairman’s Coin at NATE UNITE 2018,” said Executive Director Todd Schlekeway. “Clement’s loyalty and passion for NATE and the industry is contagious and has played a big role in the success of his career. All of us in the NATE community are very excited that Mr. Rolle will be receiving this much-deserved recognition in Nashville next month,” Schlekeway said.

Clement plays an essential role in the company as the only tower rigger in the business. He has also been a part of the BTC family for more than 40 years!

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