#MILLERCO

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Chairmans Corner

2023 Tower Times Magazine - Volume 1

The NATE Executive Committee just completed two weeks of meetings across the nation. Week one meetings were held with various committees and congressional staff while week two included meetings with large industry stakeholders such as carriers and tower owners. The theme of these discussions was consistent.

The Workforce and the Wireless Industry

People got paid to stay home for a year and guess what? They like it! So many jobs remain unfilled as perhaps society got a bit spoiled. Carry that thought over to what we do and ask the question, “how many workers commute hundreds of feet vertically to their job?” Then upon completing the commute, the work skills involved include rigging, steel installation and modifications, electrical, fiber, and RF troubleshooting and installation.

When sharing this story in the halls of Congress, everyone we met was amazed as they had never considered what it takes to keep the nation’s wireless infrastructure online; a wireless infrastructure that is taken for granted, as common as 60hz electricity.

What Are We Doing About It?

We are spreading the word and in doing that we made a movie, Vertical Freedom, to bring to light the rewards of making the climb, which is now available for rent or purchase. We also have a Workforce Development Committee and have several programs in place with vocational colleges across the nation.

These programs offer formalized training and certification where upon graduation from the program the student is ready to go to work. We continue to work with our military partners like Warriors4Wireless to help place our military veterans into the workforce.

Visits to Tower Sites

NATE and our Washington D.C. partners Guidepost Strategies accomplished nine tower site visits in the past few months. Congressional leaders, their staff, and local leaders including college deans and town mayors witnessed the work that is going on at these tower sites and what it takes to build and maintain them firsthand.

Federal Communications Commission

If you think about it, the commodity that serves as the backbone of our industry is spectrum (frequencies in an infinite amount). New technology allows a new band of frequency to open, older bands get repurposed, or bands get modified for more efficient use. Regardless of what happens, we suit up and go to work!

Additionally, we are partners with the FCC as a function of the NATE-OSHA-FCC Partnership whereby we all share one common goal: A safer workplace.

I would be remiss if I did not mention FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr has served as an advocate for the tower technician, recognizing the hard work and safety aspects of our industry. His voice alone has paved the way for more invitations inside the D.C. Beltway.

In competition with many others seeking a stable workforce, our challenges are most unique, and NATE is pulling every lever possible to attract and retain workers for our industry. ●

Jimmy Miller is the Chairman of NATE and is President of MILLERCO in Gulfport, Mississippi. He can be reached at 228-832-3352 or jlmiller@millercoinc.com.

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WIN Southwest Ambassador Dale Shumaker of ENERTECH, NATE President & CEO Todd Schlekeway, and Chairman of the Board Jimmy Miller of MILLERCO are in Washington D.C. discussing NATE's 2022 fall legislative priorities. Dale is pictured with Matthew Swint and Duncan Rankin of Texas Senator Ted Cruz's staff.

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Looking for the Best Switchboards in Croydon North, contact MillerCo Technologies.

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NATE is a member-driven, non-profit association led by a Board of Directors. For the last four years, I was blessed to be able to serve this Association under the leadership of Chairman Jimmy Miller (AKA Dad, Bossman, and Papa). The NATE Chairman role with Dad has been a fun, busy, and rewarding four years. From Texas to Canada, and from Los Angeles to the White House; the travels when volunteering will get you to a Platinum level with any airline pretty quickly!

For anyone reading this that has ever questioned what it takes to be on the Board of Directors of NATE or questioned what it is the Chairman even does, I challenge you to get more involved with the Association. This Chairman and our Association leaders do not sit in suits and ties behind desks all day. I am pretty sure they all go shopping the week before NATE UNITE for a nice outfit to get them through the week!

These men and women volunteer their time for the betterment of our entire industry. Serving under them are hundreds of committee volunteers doing the same thing! They not only run and operate their own companies, but they go above and beyond after hours and on weekends to give back to the industry through NATE. They have a passion for this industry, and they care about the safety of the men and women doing the work day in and day out to build and maintain our wireless infrastructure!

To quote Bryan Lee from NATE UNITE, “I know that tower climbers are walking this Earth right now that wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the work that this Association has done.”

Once again, the NATE UNITE event hit record-high numbers! It is always the biggest, busiest, and by far the best industry event of the year. Every year I leave this show feeling empowered and motivated and this year is no different.

Thank you to the entire NATE Administrative Staff and the dozens of committee volunteers who spent months, weeks, days, and hundreds of hours working behind the scenes to make this show a huge success!

The Member Services Committee meeting was full of new, enthusiastic volunteers and we spent our time brainstorming and creating Task Teams to work on new initiatives. The Association currently has 1,134 member companies, and we are constantly working to ensure that every member company has the quality benefits and necessary resources they need. We also have a Task Team working on education strategies to help bring more education and resources to our members on a regional level.

If you have not checked out the new NATE PERKS program, head on over to the NATE website. This program provides tangible discounts offered by NATE Supplier members directly to the Association’s member companies that you don’t want to miss.

Stay tuned for more coming with the NATE Mentorship Program as well. This program is designed to foster an exchange of ideas, expertise, and camaraderie among NATE members at all levels!

When I started our Member Services meeting this year, I had all committee members introduce themselves, tell us how they got into the industry, and why they were still here. It was almost a 50-50 split on people still being in the industry either because of their passion for it or the people. The Mentorship Program is an ideal opportunity to give back to other people or a way to connect to industry veterans who can help you achieve your goals.

Speaking of the people, we want to hear from you and know your company’s why! Our committee is looking for NATE Member testimonials. Please send videos or inquiries and let us share your company’s story within NATE at jill@natehome.com.

As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to any committee members or the NATE Administrative Staff with any questions or feedback you have. Our members' direct feedback and needs are what helps drive our committee.

We work for you because WE ARE YOU. ●

Jordyn M. Ladner is the Chairwoman of the NATE Member Services Committee and an Operations Manager of MILLERCO in Gulfport, Mississippi. She can be reached at 228-297-3358 or jordynm@millercoinc.com.

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Wireless Communications – Mission Control

In the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, Public Safety First Responders continue to search and rescue efforts as I write this article five days after the storm’s impact.

NATE members and crews of tower technicians roll into Ian’s wake to restore wireless communications to entities such as the Florida “SLERS” (statewide law enforcement radio system), FirstNet with AT&T’s arsenal of wireless deployable, and many others such as utilities and carriers.

Electric utility crews from all over converge on Ian’s path of destruction to restore power to millions of homes without it.

You cannot logistically, safely, and rapidly mass the amount of effort going on right at this moment without the ability to communicate, untethered and mobile.

In addition to voice, whether PTT (Push to Talk) or otherwise, many applications that automatically perform mapping, tracking, or dispatch are now at the First Responders' disposal.

To all of those first deployed after such devastation, there is some comfort in knowing that they can communicate and that someone knows where they are located. Immobile communication is not an option.

A moment of silence for all those lost… ●

Jimmy Miller is the Chairman of NATE and is President of MILLERCO in Gulfport, Mississippi. He can be reached at 228-832-3352 or jlmiller@millercoinc.com.

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NATE and Member Companies American Tower Corporation and MILLERCO Host U.S. Senator Roger Wicker on Tower Site Visit https://bit.ly/3wDHMua

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Press Release: NATE and Member Companies American Tower Corporation and MILLERCO Host U.S. Senator Roger Wicker on Tower Site Visit (at Gulfport, Mississippi) https://www.instagram.com/p/Ch26Oc-g1tv/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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The Mentorship Subcommittee met on 8/16/22 and had a great discussion on the direction of the program and how to facilitate the connection developed between mentors and mentees. @beehivebroadband @elevatedwireless @ontivity @testcommunications @millerco @jagresources @towerandturbine

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NATE Board of Directors met in Austin, Texas, for the 2022 NATE Summer Conference. They are working on strategic planning for 2023 and beyond. @millerco @greenmountaincommunications @MILLENNIACONTRACTING @LeeAntenna @TexomaContracting @TowerMRL @MDTS @ElevatedServices @TNTCommunications

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Congratulations to Jordyn Ladner of MILLLERCO for achieving the Copper Level in the NATE Membership Incentive Program powered by NATE WIN! For more information on this program click https://bit.ly/3Jbbyf6 @MILLERCO

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Fixed Wireless Access

In the wake of the NTIA’s Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), while originally destined to be “technology neutral,” the $42 billion allocated to the closing of the digital divide was heavily slanted towards traditional “land line” technologies using fiber optic cable. Much like in early days of “dial tone,” it appears that running a pair of fibers to the home seems viable for all.

What we cannot forget, and we must continue to advocate, is that we live our daily lives in a mobile wireless environment.

For decades technology in RF has allowed us to escape and communicate “un-tethered” with high speed, reliable, and robust communications. Fiber is a great pipeline for hauling traffic over long distances, similar to that of electrical transmission lines. From a distribution perspective, the cost of fiber to deploy is incredibly costly. Simply put, you have to bury it or string it; plant poles or dig trenches. Fiber has an economic deployment  space in the telecommunications ecosystem. No doubt.

But the smart play is the right mix of fiber and fixed wireless access (FWA) to rapidly close the digital divide with the best allocation of the funds available. If you think about this from a network topology standpoint, the deployment of fiber (one-to-one) at least to the nearest switch/optical multiplexer vs. fixed wireless access (one tower site to many subscribers), FWA can connect us faster, at a lesser cost, and still provide the necessary throughput to meet the digital demands of today.

NATE is working hard with other industry Associations to ensure that the frequencies you deploy get put to the best use. ●

Jimmy Miller is the Chairman of NATE and is President of MILLERCO in Gulfport, Mississippi. He can be reached at 228-832-3352 or jlmiller@ millercoinc.com.

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More action this afternoon at the NATE booth at the 2022 ConnectX Conference in Denver, Colorado! L to R: Ross Royer (NATE WIN Minnesota State Liaison/TowerMRL); Chris Mallon (NATE Board of Directors/Tower MRL); Todd Schlekeway (NATE) and Amanda Stegall (NATE Trade Show Chairwoman/MillerCo). #connectx22 (at Colorado Convention Center) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cd_y7JgJ6Ii/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Read the latest #towertimes Chairman's Corner article by Jimmy Miller of MILLERCO https://bit.ly/3wwesqc

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Chairman’s Corner - Tower Times 2022 Volume 3

I had just completed work on a multistate wire-less buildout that involved nearly 400 sites consisting of raw land, tenant improvements, and roof tops. It was a wonderful and exciting experience to oversee $300m in capital expenditures, and a “top shelf” infrastructure deployment including a switching center, backhaul, frequency coordination, and everything we do daily to build a wireless site. Every site was deployed with a “boiler plate” model. Everything was wired identical; every component was exactly the same from the DC plant to the backup AC generator. The system was online and used in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and was truly a model for wireless deployment.

Overnight as it seemed, we had to shift our paradigm from capital expenditures to operation and maintenance. I assure you that it is much more fun to spend $300m in capital and build something as compared to operating and maintaining it. With capital, bringing the project in plus or minus a few points and you are golden! With O&M, that budget and philosophy is brutal! Equally as quick, my role as a “Git-R-Done” sort of guy was no longer required.

In May of 1997, I hung up my suits and ties and I put on my tool belt. I walked away from a 17-year career that began as a cooperative education student. It was a premier company that was truly a great place to work with great leadership. My wife was supportive. One of my first supervisors, a lady of exceptional character, my boss, my mentor, and the person who put her boot in my hind parts when I needed it, was supportive. However, ironic as it may seem, my daughters hated it.

Seriously, it was scary. I really wanted to be an electrician when I grew up. On my first job, I cut my hand with a knife, and got stung by an insect, the temperature was above 100 degrees, and I was soaked in sweat. That caused a little reflection, like “what were you thinking?” A few days later, my truck broke down on the road and I ended up under it for a few hours replacing a fuel pump. I still have that truck. I had one goal, get up every morning, give it all I had to give. Rest. Repeat.

I received a phone call from a company who had just purchased all the towers we recently built. I had met this person prior, and he asked what I was doing, which led to a contract, some insurance, and all of this being accomplished across my brother-in-law’s fax machine (Onboarding at its finest). I found myself at the base of a wireless tower, looking at a “tower strobe light that was  supposed to be blinking.”

Three years into this, I became involved with NATE as I figured out real quick that there was a lot that I didn’t know and needed to know.

When work was slow as it often was, I worked residential electrical and built pasture fence employing the free labor of my wife and daughters. We pulled “local area network” wiring at hospitals at night. I basically had to leverage any and every ability in my background of work and education to make things happen. We went without paying ourselves personally many times, but we always managed to order in pizza once a week, so life was good!

Fast forward 25 years, this company has repaired or installed “A tower strobe light that was supposed to be blinking” over 100,000 times. Not included are the many wireless infrastructure components repaired or installed in the frequency range of DC to Light. We built a strong team here, consisting of 85 of the finest people on the planet.

The telecommunications wireless ecosystem has been our life for a quarter of a century and I can’t wait to see what the next 25 years have in store.

Jimmy Miller is the Chairman of NATE and is President of MILLERCO in Gulfport, Mississippi. He can be reached at 228-832-3352 or jlmiller@millercoinc.com.

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NATE UNITE 2022 in Las Vegas did not disappoint! It has been two years since we were all together in Raleigh, North Carolina and there just was not enough time in the day to catch up with all the industry friends.

The Member Services Committee spent our time together talking through ways we can continue to Recruit, Retain, and Recognize our members. With 1,111 members, this year more than ever, our committee will be working around the clock to make sure NATE members have the benefits and necessary resources they need.

We brainstormed ideas for upcoming educational webinars and regional meetings including the latest DOT requirements, disaster relief best practices, leadership, and compliance. We discussed how we can be more transparent as an Association and how we can creatively and effectively reach member companies and their technicians.

We are excited to co-announce the new Job Connect portal that will be launched this spring! The Member Services Committee collaborated with the Workforce Development Committee on this initiative and see it being a valuable benefit to our current members and also a great avenue to steer job seekers to NATE member companies.

Through this mobile-friendly application, member companies will be able to post jobs and applicants will be able to upload their information for NATE Member Companies only.

If you have not looked into the NATE Mentor-ship Program, keep an eye out for the next registration opportunity! Our committee collaborated with others from the Women of NATE Committee and the Military of NATE Commit-tee to revamp the WON Mentorship Program into the NATE Mentorship Program. The Program is a goal-oriented program designed for participants to grow both professionally and personally by learning from each other’s experiences.

At our annual meeting, we welcomed a few Member Services Committee alumni and three former NATE Chairpersons to our meeting. Pat Cipov, Jim Tracy, and Jim Coleman left the committee with sound advice for all of us going forward! It is always important to keep your head up and look to the future, but to never forget where it all started and from where this Association came.

As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to any committee member or the NATE staff with any questions or feedback. Our member’s direct feedback and needs helps drive our committee. We work for you because WE ARE YOU. ●

Jordyn M. Ladner is the Chairwoman of the NATE Member Services Committee and an Operations Manager of MILLERCO in Gulfport, Mississippi. She can be reached at 228-297-3358 or jordynm@millercoinc.com.