Connecticut Military Veterans Play Key Role in Broadband Deployment
Building fiber infrastructure in rugged, remote, and rural areas in the northeastern U.S. takes discipline, commitment, and a strong work ethic.
As our nation comes together to honor the brave men and women who have selflessly served our country, we recognize all the veterans who are helping to deploy fiber infrastructure across the U.S. and honor the military members of the Sertex field operations workforce.
Veterans make up over 20% of our current workforce. Our employees have served in various branches of the U.S. military, and several Sertex employees are active-duty National Guard and Reservists. We are proud of their commitment to our country and support their military leave for ongoing training and deployments.
Through military training, veterans understand the dedication required for broadband deployment. Building fiber infrastructure is hard and demanding work, with no margin for error. Like a military band of brothers, our tight-knit crews work closely together, mobilize quickly, travel long distances, and spend significant time away from family and home. These heroes deal extremely well with the adversity of challenging, remote, and diverse environments.
Transition Military Skills
It can be challenging for service men and women leaving active duty to find a career path that fits their skills and interests. Often civilian employers see the chain of command structure as rigid and impersonal. At Sertex, our culture embraces the military mindset.
Brandon Kingston, Sertex Broadband Services Supervisor, found his way to us ten years after being discharged from the U.S. Navy. “In the military, I became very organized and disciplined. I learned to complete my orders and tasks as outlined by my CO. This translated into a safe and organized work environment in the civilian world and allowed me to be efficient in completing my work on time and with high-quality standards.”
The transition experience was similar for Jose Feliciano, a 15-year Sertex field technician. “Before I went into the military, I was always late and not really dependable. In the Navy, I became so reliable that they promoted me to supervisory positions. I met people from all walks of life and became friends with all kinds of personalities. I learned how to lead people and how to work long hours to get the job done. This translated really well to my work at Sertex. We work long hours, see challenging problems every day, and work closely with people from Sertex and other companies. It’s important to understand the mission and how to work together to achieve it.”
We value our veterans’ problem-solving skills, attention to detail, loyalty, and teamwork, and we appreciate their ability to make critical decisions under pressure. Our veterans respect our inherent chain of command, often being promoted to supervisory positions themselves.
Adam Page, Telecom Technician Supervisor, joined Sertex after being honorably discharged from the Marines. He was recently promoted after just four years with the company. In a conversation, he shared his experience of working at Sertex as his first civilian job. “I immediately felt like I fit in at Sertex. There is a chain of command I understand. We are sent out in small teams and are expected to use our leadership and problem-solving skills to complete our tasks. I found immediate camaraderie with the other vets on the team because we have similar experiences, ideas, and morals. This has been an ideal career fit for me.”
We thank Brandon, Jose, Adam, and all our veterans for the critical role they play in the success of our company. They embody values we respect – dedication to mission and duty, courage, purpose, commitment, and discipline.
We wish all vets and the families who support them a very happy Veteran’s Day.
Sertex is proud to demonstrate our respect for military service men and women.