Every story about someone’s journey into the tower business has an interesting beginning. For Nicole Cotter, CEO of TXN Wireless of Cary, NC, it all started in 2011 with the sentence, “We just need someone to sit in the truck,” Cotter told Inside Towers. This was, of course, long before there was an increase in the enforcement of safety rules and regulations (all much needed, she said). “At least it was before I was aware of them and rightfully so. I had never even seen a cell tower up close,” she said.
By noon, Cotter said she was out in a hard hat drilling holes in steel and sending them up to the guys on the tower. She said, in her mind, she was thinking about the cost of the guys, the cost of the equipment they had there, what was already owned by some of the crewmembers, and what she would need for them to be able to do it all on their own.
“And I did the math and I could cover everything from insurance to what little tools we were lacking but I knew payroll was one number I could not swing right out of the gate,” she said. “So I made a plan with the guys on the crew. If they could hold off on receiving payment until we did, I would cover all of their expenses until payday, and of course increase their pay for waiting. By the Grace of God they were in a situation where they could agree to that, and TXN was born.”
The first few years, Cotter said she was out in the field quite a bit. “From the beginning you need to fill in wherever necessary,” she said. “I can assure you, jumping right into a business, with zero experience, running a business is the quickest way to learn all the necessary information. But it’s not necessarily the easiest way.” Cotter said she realized looking back that she had so many lucky breaks, which she said continue to this day. As far as her title of CEO, she takes it with a side of humility. “It isn’t a fancy title in my eyes. It stands for “Chief Everything Officer.”
“I’ll never forget just a few years back we were trying to meet some major deadlines for T-Mobile at the end of the year so I went out and helped the guys with simple things like weatherproofing and color coding jumpers,” she said. They offered to set her up inside the shelter, so she sat down on a box with some foam next to them and got to it.
Although she founded the business, initially she relied on others to do the climbing. Her work ethic of not asking her employees to do something she wouldn’t do kicked in. “I decided it was necessary for me to obtain my climbing certs and have kept them ever since,” Cotter said.
Regarding mentors in the industry, Cotter said she has met many amazing people. “It’s a family of wonderful individuals who are all happy to help where they can. Especially when they see someone who is worthy and has put in the work to have a seat at the table,” she said. “If I had to think back to some of the major influences and helping hands along the way who comes to mind, the first would be James and Johnny Trogdon, as they were the first to introduce me to telecom. Next on the list would be Jon Hester, who introduced me to many people at my first telecom event a few years back. Amy Edge was my second customer, she was very successful in building and selling of SRI/RLI,” she said. She names Rex Thomas and Rick Guirlinger, her “unofficial board members,” as other influencers in operating TXN.
In a male dominated industry, Cotter said she is a strong proponent of using the right person for the right job. However, she said she’s thrilled to see it happening more and more that the job goes to a person who just so happens to be a woman.
“TXN recently added our first female climber to Team TXN,” she said. “Everyone loves the unique elements she brings to the table and she is a very hard worker. I’m excited to see her progress into new roles within the company and I’m excited to usher in many more talented and qualified individuals to telecom, whoever they may be.”
By Jim Fryer, Inside Towers Managing Editor
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