ATCO COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Director, Human Resources
Alice is our Director of Human Resources and is responsible for recruiting top talent for our engineering, project management, fielding, drafting, needs. Alice has a broad base of telecommunications experience and a wealth of contacts and relationships around the industry. She began working for ATCO in September 2008, performing contract work for Verizon Communications, managing central office equipment reuse and retirement initiatives. She then moved to processing Hi-CAP/HSI orders before being promoted to her current position in spring of 2015. Alice has worked in the telecommunications industry since August 1975; starting with GTE Northwest which became Verizon Communications before she left the company in March 2003. While she has worked in technical and business roles, most of her career was in Human Resources related fields; staffing, recruitment and HR business partner. Alice has been involved with her community as a youth soccer coach, has served on PTA/PTO boards of her children's schools and is a current member of Telephone Pioneers. Alice enjoys reading, travelling and knitting to sooth her soul.
Job Titles:
- Senior Director
- Senior Director, Engineering
Chuck Roberts is our Senior Director of Engineering and is responsible for managing a team of OSP engineers, CAD drafters, and project managers. His team produces OSP projects, including greenfield and brownfield subdivisions, greenfield MDU, as well as Joint-Pole applications and ROW permitting. Chuck joined ATCO in 2021 bringing with him an impressive 43 years of combined experience in OSP and Telecom Construction and Engineering Management. He has extensive fiber optic construction and engineering project knowledge. He has worked for GTE, Verizon, and Frontier. Twenty of his work years were dedicated to building copper and fiber networks for multiple customers in multiple states. Then he spent 23 years leading high-performance construction, engineering, and field operation teams, including union and non-union technicians, salaried management, and supervisory employees. Chuck has a unique ability to collaborate with customers, contractors and even competitors when needed. He excels in management and mentoring employees with a "can do" attitude. In his spare time, you can find Chuck enjoying time with family and friends.
Job Titles:
- Director, Sales & Operations - Midwest
- Managing Director of Our Midwest
Corey is the managing Director of our Midwest operations based in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He is responsible for our team, our business and our customer relationships across the region. A technically fearless person with a knack for recruiting and training, Corey has built a team that augments tried and true techniques with innovative new tools and approaches. Corey came to our industry with a background in precision mold making and 3D modelling where he learned CAD and CAM techniques. This allowed him to quickly learn telecom drafting and engineering as he developed during his early years at ATCO. His experience in operations and customer service in the motorsports industry serves him well with business development and for running our engineering operations in the Midwest.
Job Titles:
- Operations Manager, Midwest
Deanna is our Sr. Operations Manager based in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Deanna is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of the OSP Engineering and CAD drafters within the Midwest region. She also oversees the Brownfield MDU new hire training, in addition to managing the Indiana office operational needs, including new-hire onboarding and back-office billing/ invoicing for Frontier and Ziply Fiber. Deanna joined ATCO in March 2021, mid-pandemic, with over 16 years of combined telecom and management experience with Verizon/Frontier Communications. While working for Verizon/Frontier, she held many positions most recently as Network Operations Supervisor, which she managed the Centralized Invoicing and Financial Closing Teams. Deanna holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Indiana Wesleyan University, where she majored in Business Management. When asked what makes Deanna unique and successful, she advised, her natural ability to empathize and relate to people while understanding their pain points and challenges successfully allows her to gain their trust, respect, and build long lasting relationships. When Deanna is not working, she is actively involved with her son's youth AAU basketball team, Fort Wayne UNITED; a youth development organization with the City of Fort Wayne, and she's been an active Big Sister with BBBS for over 20 years.
Skip is our Vice President of Marketing and Sales. He leads our market and business development efforts and is responsible for managing our sales processes and marketing efforts. Skip has led high performance teams, developed and executed growth strategies to build businesses in test and measurement and telecommunications industries. In March 2019 Skip brought his professional marketing skills and leadership experience to ATCO. His previous role was head of marketing for Fluke Networks, the industry's leader in twisted pair copper and fiber cable testing. During his development at Fluke, he was instrumental in developing their fiber optic testing business. Prior to his time at Fluke, he earned the respect of cabling professionals as a product manager at Leviton and a structured cabling installer. Skip is a graduate of the University of Washington, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration. He has been a BICSI Registered Communications Distribution Designer for over 15 years and a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, where he received extensive leadership training and experience.
Harley is our company's owner. He has been our President and General Manager since he purchased ATCO in 1999. A technically minded and production-oriented person, he has led us through significant growth and manifold industry changes over the last twenty years. During his fifty years in the telecom industry, Harley has always set himself apart with his attention to technical details, a "can do" attitude and innovative ways of managing people and processes. He quickly gained broad experience in engineering, construction and customer facing roles early in his career. His unusual ability to manage complex budget situations and lead teams involved with large technical projects continues to contribute to the success of his employees and customers. Harley is a veteran of the US Navy and a graduate of Western Washington University. He earned a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Industrial Technology with a minor in Anthropology. A life-long passion for automotive mechanics and fabrication occupies much of his personal time and has produced a collection of classic cars and custom street rods.
Joe is our Vice President of Finance and is responsible for maintaining the administrative and financial operations of the company. He develops financial and operational strategies for managing the company's finances. This includes financial planning, management of financial risks, maintaining record-keeping, and maintaining accurate financial reporting. Joe started as a telecommunications installation technician while still in high school. One of our longest standing employees with ATCO, he developed and led our finance organization through many years for growth. The efficient processes, financial position, and ability to scale that he orchestrated have been a competitive advantage for us. After a few years in a consulting role while attending law school, Joe has returned to the company full time. Joe earned a Bachelor of Arts focusing on Science, Technology and the Environment from the University of Washington. While working at ATCO he attended night school to earn a Master's of Arts in Public Policy also from the University of Washington. More recently he earned a Juris Doctorate from Seattle University School of Law. In addition to his passion for helping people live a more just and fulfilling lives, Joseph is an avid outdoorsman.
Job Titles:
- Manager, Operations - Midwest
Michelle is our Midwest Operations Manager, based in Fort Wayne, Indiana. She is responsible for the handling of the day-to-day operations with the team in Fort Wayne. Prior to this role, she held project management and OSP drafting positions. Michelle's CAD quality assurance experience and managing projects across multiple telecom companies gives her a strong ability to help serve our diverse customer base. Michelle collaborates with multiple business partners to ensure projects are completed to expectations. She is responsible for scheduling and ensuring quality levels are maintained. Michelle also works with new drafters and assists with their training. Her knowledge base and experiences help develop a strong team to prepare them, and ATCO, for the future. Michelle has an AA degree in Business Administration and has over 25 years in the telecommunications industry.
Job Titles:
- VP Engineering and Operations
Nick is our VP of Engineering and Operations, working to drive efficiencies in the business. Nick is involved in many facets of the business including contract negotiations, project management, recruiting, hiring, training, and customer service. His experience with large telecommunications facilities infrastructure projects, variable outside plant (OSP) Fiber and Copper Design/Engineering/CAD work orders including redline review uniquely serves him in his operations role with ATCO. Nick also has a passion for teaching which makes his role in managing our training program. After twenty-one years spent in the telecom industry, Nick joined ATCOPart of our leadership team, Nick joined ATCO. He brings a broad base of experience, beginning as a CAD operator in 1994, he has held a variety of installer, engineering and planning roles including Customer Access Facility and Network Engineering. Nick has a Bachelor of Arts in Science, Technology & Environment from the University of Washington. He previously commenced an Associates of Arts with an emphasis in Engineering, in December of 1995 at Edmonds Community College in Edmonds, WA. Nick holds a Level II Alpine and Level I Snowboard - National Teaching Certifications as a Member of the Professional Ski & Snowboard Instructors of America. An avid sportsman and father of three young children, his time outdoors is important.
Job Titles:
- Director, IT & Systems Support
Ralph is our Director of IT and System Support and is responsible for managing IT and System Support efforts along with project management for the customers ATCO serves. He has broad experience in leading outside plant engineering, system support, and system conversion teams in the telecommunications industry. Ralph joined the ATCO management team in November of 2009. Prior to joining ATCO, Ralph was involved with the Verizon project management team responsible for deploying the fiber to the premise infrastructure overbuild program in Western Washington. During his employment with GTE and Verizon his system support team was responsible for overall implementation and ongoing support of OSP engineering systems in the Northwest Region. Additionally Ralph has been a key contributor on national system analysis teams for OSP, implemented major system conversions along with development of practices and procedures during his telephony career of 40 years. Ralph is a graduate of Western Washington University where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology. He is a contributor in his community by being involved with local boards and committees.
Job Titles:
- Senior Director, Operations - West
Scott is responsible for managing a large portion of our projects and most of our team across the western United States. Scott also is a key leader in our market development and sales process, leveraging his extensive experience in bidding, estimating and resourcing. A telecom industry veteran for more than forty years with GTE, Verizon Communications, and Qwest/CenturyLink, Scott brings a variety of technology, people and budget experience. During his fourteen years with ATCO, he leverages this for operational and customer success. Scott received a Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Telecommunications Management from the Steven's Institute of Technology in 2002. And he is a graduate of Colorado State University where he received a degree in Zoology. He is a past board member of the Seattle International Right-of-way Association and member of the King County Utility Coordinating Council. He is actively engaged in community organizations, taking prominent roles in groups that benefit the health and wellness of people and wildlife.
Job Titles:
- Director, Business Administration
Sonja is our Director of Business Administration. She holds over a decade of business operations experience. During her 12 years at ATCO, she has overseen critical projects for recruiting, records, events, strategic planning, and insurance. She has a unique ability to focus on the critical elements of complex issues and brings resources together to develop solutions as a team. Sonja works cross functionally to integrate aspects of marketing, finance, and human resources for the benefit of our customers and building a stronger company. Sonja is a University of Washington graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry and a Certificate in Food, Nutrition, and Health. She is a devoted mother to six talented children and an active volunteer in the Snohomish community where she lives.
Job Titles:
- Director, Business Operations
Tim is our Director Business Operations. He is responsible for diversifying and expanding our areas of operations, while working to develop existing and new partnerships with our current client base. Tim joined ATCO in March 2022 and brings 42 years of telephony work experience to our team. He started his career with GTE California as an outside plant engineer, then eventually moved to Oregon working in the Portland Metro area managing work groups performing engineering and planning functions. He then accepted a job at Verizon as an Operation Center Manager for the Northwest (in Washington) and eventually moved to inside plant engineering as the network design manager to support Frontier and Ziply Fiber engineering and planning efforts. His experience of having worked in both OSP and ISP in different operating companies has enable him to gain skills in developing team focused relationships and looking for the process improvements that are goal focused. Tim is a father of two, and a grandfather of four. When he is not spending time with them, you can find Tim and his wife Anna serving in their community church and youth ministries.