Tower Tribe

WHAT’S HAPPENING AT YOUR COMPANY?
Let us know about your tower tribe updates.
Email us or submit a form below:

TelForce Group Adds Dominican Office and Regional Manager

Manuel De La Rocha was named Sales and Business Development representative for TelForce’s new Latin America and Caribbean Region office located in the Dominican Republic. De La Rocha will be responsible for growing the Latin American region’s business and establishing new operations with regional partners in the Caribbean, Central America and South American regions. He received his MBA at the University du Québec à Montréal.

“Having a local presence in the DR and traveling the region will increase our success as we expand deeper into the region,” said Ron Deese, Founder and President at TelForce. “Our first success was in Belize with BTL, a government owned operator in 2016 and 2017. The region is developing very quickly and we see strong growth opportunities through this market.”

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!

Submit your Tower Tribe News: