Sr. Electrical Engineer Gary McCullough works out of Network Connex’s Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania office on wireless, EV charging, and data center projects in many markets around the US. He shares what his role looks like and sheds light on why an electrical engineer’s primary responsibility is public health and safety.

Tell us about your career path and what led you to your current role?

I got my first taste in the construction industry as a summer helper in my father’s electrical union. After I graduated from college, I began my career as a Facilities Engineer and have had numerous engineering positions since. I started doing Telecommunications design in 2006 and found I enjoyed it. I’ve now been with Network Connex for eight years.

What kinds of education or on the job training have helped you be successful in your current job?

The Bachelor’s Degree I earned in Electrical Engineering Technology laid the foundation and provided the theoretical knowledge. Experience gained over the past 37 years, starting as an Electrician’s helper to roles as an electrical designer in A&E firms as well as a Project Manager, have provided me with the skills and knowledge that I use here at Network Connex.

What does a typical day at work look like for you?

The majority of my time is spent developing and reviewing electrical designs, responding to emails and phone calls, performing electrical calculations, writing letters and mentoring our junior electrical engineers and designers. We have a great electrical team here at NC.

What characteristics do you think are needed to be successful in your role?

I think several attributes are really important to this role: attention to detail, listening, communicating, critical thinking and a high standard of ethics.

How do you like to spend your time outside of work?

I’m a history buff and enjoy haunting around the Gettysburg Battlefield. I also enjoy model railroading and building models.

I’m also a huge baseball fan, both MLB and Minor League, and I have a part time gig as a Ticket Scanner with the Harrisburg Senators. I’ve met some of the players, but with my position I typically get to meet and chat with the families of the players.
And, once in a while, an MLB scout. 😊

Tell us a fun or surprising fact about you!

Fun fact: My wife and I were high school sweethearts and have been married for 37 years. She’s a saint.

Surprising fact: In the 1990s I had a position that required overseas travel to our Embassies around the globe. I’ve been to 32 countries.

Construction Manager Marc Mesaros works in the Baltimore/Washington D.C. market out of Network Connex’s Columbia, Maryland office. Read on to discover how construction became his second career and what a CM role working with wireless small cells looks like.

Tell us about your career path and what led you to your current role?

I was a teacher and football coach for thirty years in both the Baltimore City Public Schools and Baltimore County Public Schools, but I also had a background in general construction (which was like a side hustle while I was teaching). When I retired from the school system, I decided that I wanted to try something else, and construction seemed like something I would enjoy. I had no experience with the telecom industry, but when I interviewed it just seemed like a good fit!

What kinds of education or on the job training have helped you be successful in your current job?

I didn’t have any formal training in construction; my training was on the job experience on job sites in and around Baltimore. I think having a solid background in general construction definitely helped me acclimate, as did an ability to read and edit construction drawings. I also think that working with people in the school system every day was a benefit, because, really, this business (like most others), comes down to building relationships with the people that you work for and with every day. Having the skillset to work with people in a positive manner really helps.

What does a typical day at work look like for you?

It depends if I’m on the road or at my desk. When I’m on the road it’s usually pretty early and I tend to try to package a few sites up in the same trip, so they are longer days. When I’m at my desk I am on the computer at 7:30 AM. I like to work at the office- I usually get more done there. And of course, whether I’m driving or working at a desk, I am on calls like everyone else! You just have to be able to multi-task, but that’s what keeps the job interesting—it’s never the same day after day.

What characteristics do you think are needed to be successful in your role?

I think you have to be a good communicator first, both in written and spoken form. I also think it’s important to be responsive; nothing is more appreciated than when someone reaches out about an issue with a site or a project and they get a response quickly. if you can work with people to get issues resolved in a timely matter you can solve most problems before they become huge issues. From what I’ve observed, good CMs do that every day.

How do you like to spend your time outside of work?

I like spending time with my wife and dog. We didn’t have children, so the dog gets the lion’s share of our attention. I also enjoy hanging out with my friends, and I am still involved with coaching as an assistant football coach at a local private school. I also am the President of the Maryland Football Coaches Association and serve on the executive boards of both the Baltimore Touchdown Club and the National Football Foundation, Greater Baltimore Chapter. It’s a full life!

Tell us a fun or surprising fact about you!

I am the least photogenic person in the world. If you Google my name, you will see some of the ugliest candid photos of me while I was coaching. (We think you’re looking great, Marc! So glad you’re on the team!)

HELP CUSTOMERS GET THE MOST FROM THIS BURIED TREASURE

By Jacob Guthridge, NTI Project Manager and Greg Spraetz, CRO

Today, AI and machine learning are more than innovations, they are voracious bandwidth consumers that push the performance boundaries of the infrastructures that support them.

Hyperscale cloud providers and network carriers are under pressure to provide the high-bandwidth, low-latency connections their customers need to get the most from these technologies. In response they’re leveraging dark fiber networks as an alternative to purchasing lit strands from carriers, as they’ve done in past.

Growth figures reflect this shift and the revenue opportunities for dark fiber providers. In 2022, the global dark fiber market was estimated to be USD 6.14 billion. By 2032, it’s projected to rise to 20.95 billion.

Bryan McCombs of Critical Infrastructure Partners (CIP), a dark fiber provider, agrees there is a staggering demand for it, with more underground fiber being put into the ground now than ever before.

“Dark fiber is the ideal solution for dealing with massive amounts of data that has to traverse between two or more sites,” he says. “It’s the absolute gold standard for delivering the low-latency solutions hyperscalers and carriers need.”

Multiple pathways and parties

If you want to use dark fiber to make the metro or long-haul site-to-site connections your customers need, the most prohibitive factors can be dealing with the multiple different entities, service providers, and physically separate pathways along the way.

It’s not as simple as connecting point A and point B when there are existing overlapping networks and multiple landowners between them. It takes experience and out-of-the-box thinking to navigate those complexities.

That’s why it’s a good idea to start with a feasibility study of the proposed route to evaluate how the network infrastructure has been laid out in the area, as well as the parties involved in granting ROW access.

You may learn that you can run fiber down the median of an interstate where there’s much less rock or map a route that avoids railroad crossings and waterways. You may also be able to choose a path that minimizes the entities who need to grant permits.

By streamlining the design, engineering, and permitting processes, we can help you find the shortest pathway with the fewest roadblocks to reduce capital outlay and implementation time.

Construction equipment and labor shortages

Like any fiber network construction project you undertake, you’ll be challenged with managing the logistics of having everything you need delivered on time. Those difficulties are compounded today by the lack of available trenching, boring, and plowing equipment and the trained workers needed to operate them.

This is especially true in hard-rock environments, like the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia. Starting in the fourth quarter of this year, Network Connex will be working with CIP on the Blue Ridge Run Network, a low-latency route spanning 767 miles to bring fiber broadband closer to rural communities in the Southeast region. 

“The biggest challenge for us in underground fiber construction is where we’re building,” says McCombs. “It’s largely an all-rock environment, which is very expensive, labor-intensive and time consuming. There’s also limited equipment and operators that work in that medium.”

Network Connex is supporting CIP with feasibility studies, fiber engineering, permitting services, and construction for the Blue Ridge Run Network.

On these and other rugged terrain projects, we use a recently introduced specialty tool to install conduit systems. Called an all-terrain directional drill, the AT120 features the largest inner rod produced to date. Currently, there are only a few of these game-changing machines on the East coast and Network Connex has one of them.

Breaking through the barriers

Whether it’s dealing with design, site selection, ROW access, rocky environments, routine maintenance, or recovery services, Network Connex can help you break through barriers to make the most of a dark fiber build.

As a trusted partner to CIP, our services help them get to market faster with the connectivity solutions their customers need.

“For us, Network Connex conducts feasibility studies to identify roadblocks and advises how to mitigate them. From there, they help us with all aspects of a project, from the engineering and permitting process to land use and the right of way agreements needed to make it all happen,” says McCombs. “Their soup-to-nuts approach is a rare thing to find in this industry.”

Find out more about how our fiber design, engineering, construction, and restoration services can help you meet the needs of your customers.

Get to know Jonathan Meyer, Sr. Director of our Training, Safety & Quality team at Network Connex. He shares how he evolved into this role championing ongoing training and safe work practices for all Network Connex divisions and teams.

How long have you been with Network Connex?

I started with VERTICOM (now the Deployment South division at Network Connex) in 2017 as the Director of Training, Safety, and Quality and was promoted to Sr. Director of Training, Safety & Quality supporting all of Network Connex around 2021.

Tell us about your career path and what led you to your current role?

I started off in the telecom industry roughly 20 years ago as a technician installing two-way radios in utility vehicles, police cars, fire trucks and ambulances. I then started to work on two-way radio towers and did that for two to three years until I was introduced to a mutual friend who worked at a telecom company supporting T-Mobile. I’ve worked on many of the major carriers’ networks, installing new sites and upgrades for T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T, Clear Wire and many others.

I worked for a smaller company many years ago where I wore multiple hats including responsibility for bidding jobs, building jobs, and training crew members. Around 2014 I started with an organization where my sole responsibilities were training, safety, and quality and I have been doing it ever since.

What does a typical day at work look like for you?

Every day is a bit different, but I would say a typical day for me would involve:

• Collaborating with different teams on current / upcoming projects.
• Reviewing recent events across the organization and the industry to determine if additional training and or corrective actions are needed.
• Creating / enhancing digital forms, policies, and procedures.
• Mining data to showcase safety / training KPIs to upper management.

What characteristics do you think are needed to be successful in your role?

I believe being driven, versatile, and approachable are vital components to being successful in the Training, Safety and Quality department.

How do you like to spend your time outside of work?

I really enjoy spending time with family, cooking, comedy shows, off-roading, and going to concerts.

HIGH-LEVEL DESIGN AS THE FIRST STAGE IN NETWORK PLANNING CAN PREPARE YOU FOR REGULATORY, GEOPHYSICAL, AND DESIGN challenges PRIOR TO FIBER DEPLOYMENT

By Jay O’Neill, Fiber Program Director, Network Connex, March 20, 2024.

The demand for faster and more reliable broadband internet service continues to grow, driving a market expected to reach $USD18 billion by 2028. US government programs to bring broadband internet to millions of underserved American communities will only add to those demands all at a time when delivering those services is more costly and complex than ever.

Dealing with multiple terrains and environments

Whether man-made or natural, the physical challenges involved in installing fiber networks add layers of complexity to each project. Fiber providers building a new route have to consider bridges and highway crossings, regulatory compliance, and natural barriers.

When placing underground fiber, the complexities multiply. For example, metro areas like Chicago or New York are among the most difficult places to engineer underground fiber. A large volume of cabling and existing vaults with limited capacity may challenge logical route design. ROW and permitting challenges can also vary widely from urban to exurban areas.

Difficulties extend to rural areas, which pose their own set of challenges. Building or extending fiber networks through mountains, valleys, deserts, or forests means creating aerial or underground solutions for each environment. High-level design can identify logical fiber routes to minimize the cost and impact of geographic challenges.

Delivering internet for all

42 million Americans have no access to broadband internet, especially in rural areas that are either underserved or unserved. Government programs such as the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program are committed to connecting more people to the internet and ensuring minimum speeds.

Working against the clock

As funds are awarded, recipients need to know all the challenges lurking in a new fiber build. Including a high-level design engagement in network planning helps evaluate risks and conditions that could affect timeline and budget so customers can prepare for success.

Upfront planning that includes GIS data and Right of Way (ROW) research can uncover ways to streamline the permitting process, cutting the time and cost of construction.

Reducing latency over the long haul

Low latency is a critical requirement whether connecting data centers or bringing the internet to sparsely populated areas. Long-haul fiber routes can cover distances over 60 miles, but the more fiber you install, the more potential for signal delay.

To minimize latency, fiber network designers factor in geographical and regulatory barriers to find the shortest route between connection points. They also consider the best locations for fiber splices to create a continuous communication pathway.

Design and engineering services to the rescue

In addition to GIS and ROW research, we conduct feasibility studies that include potential route maps and site surveys to suggest the best approach to reduce latency on the routes.

Value engineering delivers true success

The most successful projects deliver value beyond the expected scope of work. A high-level fiber design provides a roadmap for meeting your goals, whether you measure success by network miles or number of subscribers.

For long haul or middle-mile fiber design, Network Connex’s value engineering approach helps your budget go as far as possible. Our experts work collaboratively with each other, and as an extension of your team, to deliver a successful fiber deployment.

Learn more about how our full suite of fiber network services—including high-level fiber design—can help you deploy a successful fiber route.

What kinds of education or training have helped you be successful in your current job?

Everything I have learned and experienced on my telecom journey from my mentors and clients, my previous finance background, and the support I’ve had from colleagues, has helped me develop into my current role as a Director. My manager has always indulged my curiosity and taken the time to answer questions to teach me something new and at each stage of my development I acquired new skills to be successful:

• Understanding the project’s scope of work, goals and deadlines are critical.
• My experience in financial institutions instilled the importance of being detail oriented and organized for compliance with regulatory audits.
• Communicating effectively and meeting client expectations is important. We need to earn trust from clients, so they are confident we can successfully manage their projects.

What does a typical day at work look like for you?

My day starts out with a quick check in on Sitetracker and NetSuite to get a snapshot of projects. Then I turn my attention to emails received; I use a stacking method that allows me to quickly prioritize emails that need action to ensure timely responses. I set aside dedicated time each week to meet with my Project Managers individually giving each of them my undivided attention, outside of project or procedure meetings, for training, troubleshooting, finance support, or celebrating success. The middle of my day varies day to day. There’s usually a project that is either high priority or fast moving so my attention will be pulled there for extra support, strategizing, or troubleshooting.

For new clients, I join early deployment calls to make sure we are managing their project to their satisfaction. This helps me support the Project Managers by understanding firsthand what the client’s expectations are and ensure we are set up to meet their needs. I also want the clients to be comfortable reaching out to me directly even if I’m not the person they deal with on a day-to-day basis. I am usually in communication with my VP, other Directors, or Program Managers to sync up on projects and workloads with other departments so I can communicate that to Project Managers and forecast resource availability accurately. This ensures timeline expectations for tasks or deliverables are understood by all. It also allows me to re-prioritize based on project urgency and client deadlines, so every client’s project has forward momentum, hits milestones, and receives deliverables on time.

What do you love most about what you do?

My favorite part of my job is the variety. The variety of work, and even challenges that arise, keep me on my toes and there’s never a dull day. Our group is full of motivated and hard-working individuals who support each other. I’ve had wonderful mentors on my journey and prioritize giving that same level of support to my team.

AI, supply chains, space and labor shortages all present challenges for digital infrastructure installations 

By Dom Arrigo, Vice President, Data Center Operations, National Technologies (NTI), a Network Connex company, February 1, 2024.

Whether it’s the sky-rocketing growth of artificial intelligence (AI), the shrinking availability of data center space, a tight labor market, or continuing materials shortages, data center build out projects will face significant challenges this year.

The coming months will call for unprecedented changes in the digital infrastructure. The focus will be on untangling kinks in the supply chain and gaining the agility to place data centers—and the teams to connect them—when and where they’re needed. And the goal will be to speed build out times for data center deployments in both inside plant (ISP) and outside plant (OSP) environments.

AI and GenAI are transforming the data center infrastructure

AI spending has taken a giant leap. The potential of AI is enormous, but so is the pressure it puts on data center operators. As customer demand for this technology increases, global spending in the AI infrastructure market is expected to grow as much as 44 percent by 2029.¹

While AI can reduce human errors, automate repetitive processes and lead to faster analysis and decision making, the resource-guzzling dataloads involved in doing so elevate the need for more computing power, capacity, connectivity, and space. But it’s not only about greater demands, it’s about different demands.

An entirely different architectural approach is taking root. In the AI-optimized data center, the architecture is different, the infrastructure requirements are different, and the layout is different. These differences will magnify as GenAI takes off. While AI focuses on automating human tasks, this next generation of AI focuses on mimicking human-created content. GenAI tools, like ChatGPT, can create human-like conversations with a website chatbot or even write a blog. (Not this one!)

Whether the transition involves removing legacy equipment, or densifying by adding new equipment that requires more cabling, racks, cabinets or space, we can adapt our data center fit out services to support your AI initiatives.

While some data center fit out providers focus on a single local area or region, our presence across the US means we can help customers scale their implementations with the same quality and speed on a national level.

The need for nationwide connectivity is growing. Extending connectivity between these distributed data centers is the next challenge. With crews deployed across the country, we can lay and connect fiber both inside and outside the data center.

For example, we’re currently running fiber optic cables hundreds of miles to connect data centers for one of our customers. Our ability to handle both inside plant (ISP) and outside plant (OSP) environments is a differentiator for us.

Modular designs and prefab components are speeding deployments. Working with prefabricated infrastructure components is quickly growing as a tactic for bringing capacity online faster and more economically. Prefabricated modular design cuts construction times, reduces costs, and improves safety, quality, and sustainability since more work occurs in controlled manufacturing settings.⁴

Pre-packaged power rooms and cooling equipment are examples of these more flexible installations. They arrive onsite, pre-built with all the options you want, ready to be plugged in and turned on. We can connect modules to an existing campus network or finish off internal installation and connectivity.

We build remotely, as well. For example, we install electrical components, patch panels, and fiber boxes in a cabinet located in our warehouse. Then, we wheel it fully loaded into your data center. This process calls for two people onsite, rather than 12 technicians installing separate components. We’re currently expanding our pre-fabrication capabilities to accelerate data center fit out projects.

Supply chain problems are jeopardizing materials availability

Shortages are expected to continue. When Covid hit, shutting down supply lines from overseas manufacturers, the raw materials needed for data center construction became scarce. Even though data center operators and hyperscale cloud providers were always under pressure to get raw materials from US suppliers, they were unable to buy everything required in this country.

It was also a challenge to keep core transportation systems operational with a skeleton workforce and truck driver shortages that immobilized the global supply chain.

Today, this convoluted set of supply chain circumstances continues. In fact, one research study found that over 75 percent of organizations reported disruptions of some type over the last 18 months. ⁵

Supplier relationships are more important than ever. Over the years, we’ve developed strong manufacturer and partner relationships. This close collaboration gives us more leverage to prioritize distribution where and when materials are needed the most.

Local logistics and warehousing are increasing availability. Data center fit out providers are taking advantage of local warehousing options to store products closer to end users. Our nationwide footprint enables us to negotiate logistics with local manufacturing and distribution partners. This leads to more efficient purchasing and delivery, as well as the room to stage materials in lay down yards for just-in-time delivery to the project site.

Agile installation teams are becoming more critical to meeting construction deadlines

While skilled talent challenges aren’t new to the data center industry, the shift into submarkets exacerbates the impact. There’s a shortage of skilled technicians in a lot of these locations. Our reputation as a quality provider, a good employer, and a union partner enables us to secure skilled labor more easily than other companies,  whether you need data center installations in major markets or remote sites.

We also provide a single point of responsibility that simplifies distributed data center construction projects. We can begin by assisting in data center design, drawing on our years of problem-solving experience with other installations. Once the build out is completed, we can provide Day 2 operations support for ongoing network maintenance and management.

Navigating change

These trends represent absolute game changers: it’s like living in an industrial revolution on steroids. Every one of them presents an opportunity for us and for the industry as a whole. It’s a chance to look at what’s ahead, collectively move towards better solutions and to do so with a sustainable approach that rolls with change. We’re here to help you make the most of those changes.

Find out more about our data center deployment services or contact us.

References:

¹ Angus Loten, ”AI-Ready Data Centers Are Poised for Fast Growth,” Wall Street Journal, August, 2023. https://www.wsj.com/articles/ai-ready-data-centers-are-poised-for-fast-growth-fadae952

² Rich Miller, “The Eight Themes That Will Shape the Data Center Industry in 2024,” Data Center Frontier, January, 2024. https://www.datacenterfrontier.com/machine-learning/article/33016915/the-eight-themes-that-will-shape-the-data-center-industry-in-2024

³ Dan Swinhoe, “Amazon Granted Zoning Permission for Data Center & Distribution Site in Round Rock, Texas”, Data Center Dynamics, January, 2024.

https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/amazon-granted-zoning-permission-for-data-center-distribution-site-in-round-rock-texas

⁴ Bill Kleyman, “Catching Up With Data Center Construction Constraints,” Data Center Knowledge, March, 2023. https://www.datacenterknowledge.com/buildconstruction/catching-data-center-construction-constraints

⁵ Miya Knights, “Overcoming Data Center Construction Supply Chain Issues,” Data Center Dynamics, June 15, 2023.

https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/analysis/overcoming-data-center-construction-supply-chain-issues/