Session Speakers: WISPAPALOOZA 2022

Profile Picture	Full Name	Company	Job Title	Speaking At	Attendee Bio
(not set)	Ryan Green	Kaniksu Internet	President	Hybrid Wireless/Fiber to the Home Amazing Customer Service - It's All in The Little Things	(not set)
(not set)	Wayne Bunce Heyl	Jonard Tools	Director of Business Development	Dealing With Interference - Session Sponsored by Wireless Coverage	(not set)
	Corey Johnson	JBRI Holdings	Managing Partner	Exit Strategies Competition - Fiber, Satellite, Cable, DSL, 5G	• Corey Johnson: Co-Founder & Managing Partner: Chief Investment Officer • Corey Johnson is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner of JBRI and is a board member of all JBRI portfolio companies. • Together with Gabrielle Johnson, Garrick Johnson and Darryl Johnson, he launched JBRI Holdings in 2017 and establish the firms’ investment strategy, which focuses on driving value creation through its Core ++ investment and operating model. • Since its founding JBRI has invested more than $18m of capital over two investment partnerships. Mr. Johnson has helped oversee each of the firm’s investments (including sourced and allocated co-investment). • Previously, Mr. Johnson was a Managing Director at Cordiant Capital responsible for oversight of global telecom infrastructure investments. He previously worked at Comverse, a telecommunication technology company where he executed on the global turnaround & restructuring prior to selling the business for $600m. • He started his real estate investing career at American Tower Corporation, where he supported the North American mobile tower acquisition efforts through a period of market consolidation, completing $12b of tower transactions, including the industries first ‘Aaa’ debt securitization.
(not set)	Vince Schuele	IP Architechs Managed Services	Network Architect	Network/Traffic Engineering	(not set)
(not set)	Jason Mies	Infinite Electronics/KP Performance Antennas	Director of Sales	Grounding - Stop Losing Equipment	(not set)
	Josh Luthman	Imagine Networks	President/Owner	Playing Offense and Defense: The $42.45 Billion Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program Basics About Filing Form 477 And The New Broadband Data Collection Submission	Josh Luthman began working at Imagine Networks in 2006 and became President and sole owner in 2015. Imagine Networks is a small rural WISP located in south west Ohio. Fiber deployments began in 2019 and are now in the process of expanding out to the rural market. Josh Luthman is a current member of WISPA’s Board of Directors and the Chairman of WISPA’s Policy Committee.
	Cliff Mandell	ICT - Innovative Circuit Technology	Business Development Manager	Mixing -48v, 48v, 24, In One System and How to Ground it All	Cliff Mandell, Business Development Manager with ICT, is very experienced in intelligent DC power plant solutions. In his six-plus years working with ICT, he has supported many WISPs in determining their DC power requirements for their sites, providing DC power plant recommendations to better support their business operations and further enhance their network , and providing follow-up training to help WISPs implement the DC power solution into their networks.
	Curtis Davis	ICS Broadband	(not set)	The Importance of State Advocacy In BEAD Funding Decisions	Curtis's background goes back to his Childhood Day's, at 10 he started pulling Cabling for a Local Security Company, and in his Senior Year he started his Company, during those earlier years he was exposed to Radio Telephones (Yes before Celluar) and learned the in's and outs of FCC and PUCO processes. Fast Forward to today, ICS has Corporate Office in Downtown Columbus just South of the Ohio State House, with the main service area being Central/Eastern and Southern Ohio, with a few select National Accounts that are Serviced by ICS, the provide turnkey Solutions including Internet and Phone but also Fire, Security and other Technology Services, and also has a 24/7 Security Command Center and NOC at the Corporate Offices.
(not set)	Jason Guzzo	Hudson Valley Wireless	General Manager	Developing Public Private Partnerships With States and Local Governments The Importance of State Advocacy In BEAD Funding Decisions	Jason Guzzo is General Manager of Hudson Valley Wireless (HVW), a Competitive Local Exchange Company (CLEC) covering over 3,500sq miles in Upstate, NY. Before joining HVW, Jason was General Manager of Hudson Valley Communications, where he designed and installed Structured Cabling Solutions, IP Telephony, Security, and Computer Networks for business and enterprise. Hudson Valley Wireless primarily uses LTE and proprietary wireless technology with a vision of making Broadband Internet Access available to homes and businesses regardless of geography. Jason’s primary focus is on Operations and Business Development. These roles include developing Business Plans, Grant Writing, assisting with the oversight/compliance of State, Local and Federal Regulations, and coordinating with various agencies. Throughout his 20+ years in the industry, Jason has formed several Public-Private Partnerships (P3) with county governments, awarded State Grants, and served on Broadband Availability and Adoption Committees. He is currently an active member of several industry associations, including WISPA, where he serves on the Board of Directors, Rural Broadband Expansion, Northeast Regional Coordinator, and New York State Coordinator.
	Jesse Nichols	Houlihan Lokey	Managing Director	Issues In Selling And Buying A WISP	Mr. Nichols is a Managing Director in Houlihan Lokey’s Global Technology Group focusing on the Digital Infrastructure sector. Throughout his career, Mr. Nichols has led many sellside wireless and wireless infrastructure transactions and has an intimate knowledge of the digital infrastructure space. Prior to joining Houlihan Lokey, Mr. Nichols was a Managing Director at Alpina Capital, LLC, an independent M&A advisory firm that provides a range of advisory services to clients in the telecommunications sector. While there, he led communications infrastructure M&A and advisory. Mr. Nichols holds a B.A. in International Political Economy from Colorado College.
(not set)	MIKE ROWELL	HILLIARY COMMUNICATIONS	SVP, OPERATIONS	Fiber Deployment Options Plug and Play Cookie Cutter Concepts Simplify FTTH Deployments	(not set)
(not set)	Kent Higgins	HCC Utility Construction	Manager	Which Way to Build - Up or Down?	(not set)
	Marty Fredericks	FORVIS	Partner	Financial Accounting for WISP's Preparing for a Financial Statement Audit	As a member of FORVIS’ telecommunications team, Marty provides audit, tax, and consulting services to a variety of telecommunications, cable television, and wireless provider entities. He also assists with financial reporting, mergers and acquisitions, and budgeting. He co-manages FORVIS’ annual telecommunications benchmarking study and annual telecommunications accounting seminar. Marty is a member of the American Institute of CPAs and Iowa Society of Certified Public Accountants (ISCPA) and currently serves as Co-Chair of ISCPA’s Legislative Committee. He serves on the board of governors of the Iowa College Foundation and is a member of the Iowa Communications Alliance Scholarship Committee. Marty is a 1996 graduate of Wartburg College, Waverly, Iowa, with a B.A. degree in accounting.
	Absolom Quinlivan	Fonex	VP of Business Development	Fiber Technologies - 10Gbps Design Overview	(not set)
(not set)	Allie Schomaker	Fibersmith	Director of Marketing & Customer Engagement	WISP Marketing/PR	(not set)
(not set)	Jay Anderson	FiberLight	Chief Technology Officer	Fiber for the Longhaul	Jay Anderson has more than 20 years of Networking Engineering and Management Leadership experience within the telecommunications industry. As FiberLight’s Chief Engineer, he leads the company in network design, planning and evolution in addition to steering alignment across functional teams throughout the business. During his tenure at FiberLight, Jay has held multiple other responsibilities, through which he has promoted organizational growth via new initiatives and effective use of processes and software. Prior to joining FiberLight, Jay was Director of Regional Engineering for FiberTower LLC, where he managed a team of engineers focused on planning, designing and implementing backhaul networks supporting the major Wireless Carriers in the United States. Other past experiences include Bluegrass Cellular and AT&T Wireless where he designed and managed cellular and backhaul networks.
	Robert Kidd	Federated Wireless	(not set)	WiFi 6e for Fixed Wireless Access Deep Dive	(not set)
(not set)	James Lee	Federated Wireless	(not set)	How Important are PALs to my CBRS Deployment?	(not set)
(not set)	Richard Webster	Ethoplex	Director of Business Development	WISP Marketing/PR Building Customer Confidence To Switch to FWA	• Currently the Director of Business Development @ Ethoplex for 3 Years • Corporate Account Executive with AT&T (Cingular/Legacy AT&T Blue) • Owned PC Repair Business in West Bend, WI Name Your Price PC • General Manager with Vibratrim • Direct Sales Representative with Spectrum (Charter/Time Warner) • A+ Certified, Networking Certification • Designed and Implemented Live Streaming system for his Church • His Kids are his Hobby
(not set)	Cory Strange	EdgeTeam Technology	CEO	Earning Additional Revenue from Customers	(not set)
(not set)	Matt Hamlin	EdgeTeam Technology	VP of Sales	Which Way to Build - Up or Down?	(not set)
	David Jermakian	Dynamic Environmental Associates	President	How To Fund And Build Your Fixed Wireless Network To Comply With Environmental, RF, and Other Infrastructure Siting Rules	I am the President of Dynamic Environmental Associates (DEA), a nationally recognized Environmental and Regulatory Compliance Consulting firm and has been working with the wireless industry since 1990’s. I have been working in this space since the 1990’s on tower and wireless environmental issues, including compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) as well as due diligence assessments. I’ve served as co-chair for the WIA Environmental Consultants Working Group and have been called upon on numerous occasions by companies, associations and the FCC to provide expert advice. Prior to founding DEA in 1993, I managed the environmental division of Storch Engineers, a regional engineering and consulting firm involved in a variety of projects ranging from NEPA compliance for federally funded design and construction projects to the investigation and remediation of Superfund sites.
	Adrian Berezowsky	Dynamic Environmental	(not set)	How To Fund And Build Your Fixed Wireless Network To Comply With Environmental, RF, and Other Infrastructure Siting Rules	Mr. Berezowsky is Vice President at Dynamic Environmental Associates (DEA), He has over 15 years of experience in the wireless infrastructure industry having helped to found IVI Telecom Services, Inc., a nationwide environmental consulting firm which also specialized in environmental and regulatory due diligence for wireless infrastructure development. IVI was acquired by CBRE in late 2014 where he served as Senior Managing Director until 2018 after which he founded BirchCo, Inc., a boutique firm specializing in regulatory and environmental oversight for commercial projects, whose operations were merged into DEA’s in early 2020. He attended The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science & Art and Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and is a board member, and former Vice President for the New York State Wireless Association and co-chair of the Wireless Infrastructure Associations Environmental Engineering and Consultants Working Group. He lives in the lower Hudson Valley of New York with his wife and three young boys and enjoys spending time with them as well as mountain biking, reading and attending various events of the Ukrainian diaspora.
	Benton Cook	DoubleRadius	Manager of Business Development	How Important are PALs to my CBRS Deployment?	(not set)
	Kendra Pignotti	DE-CIX North America	Regional Director of Strategic Partners	Amazing Customer Service - It's All in The Little Things Transport to Peering: An Efficient Way to Improve Network Performance	Working to ensure synergy with our partners across North America to strengthen our go-to-market business scheme. As a global leader in the industry providing Interconnection and Cloud Services it is crucial that we have the right partners to scale in the local market needs.
	Ilissa Miller	DE-CIX	VP Market Development	Best Practices for Marketing	Ilissa Miller is the CEO and founder of iMiller Public Relations, the President of NEDAS, a co-founder of the Independent Data Center Alliance and serves as the VP of Market Development for DE-CIX, the world's largest carrier and data center neutral interconnection ecosystem. With more than 25 years in the digital infrastructure space, Ilissa is a data center, IXP, interconnection and network expert.
	Martha Huizenga	DC Access LLC	COO and Co-Owner	WISP Marketing/PR	(not set)
	K.C. Halm	Davis, Wright, Tremaine	Communications & Technology Partner	Rules That All WISPs Should Know Issues In Selling And Buying A WISP	K.C. Halm is a communications and technology partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, and co-chair of the firm’s national multi-disciplinary AI practice group. Broadband ISPs, wireless providers, and cable operators rely on K.C. for experienced counsel on a wide range of broadband policy and competition matters, broadband funding opportunities, wireless licensing and spectrum acquisition issues, privacy and special access (business data services) regulations, and state attorney general and PSC investigations. In addition, K.C. advises clients on privacy and data/network security issues under federal and state law, with a recent focus on issues arising under the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA), the telephone and cable privacy sections of the Telecommunications Act (CPNI), and mobile privacy and location-based services. K.C. also co-chairs Davis Wright Tremaine LLP’s AI Team, a national cross-disciplinary team of lawyers and professionals providing strategic guidance to clients deploying AI/ML-enabled applications and services. He advises the firm’s AI clients on issues arising in the use of AI and machine learning applications under existing and emerging legal frameworks.
(not set)	Rex Lee	Cyber Talk TV	(not set)	Ransomware - Proofing Your ISP	(not set)
	Jeff Broadwick	CTIconnect	Senior Sales Executive	Building Customer Confidence To Switch to FWA The Path to Gigabit - At Scale!	Jeff has spent over 25 years in the WISP industry, mostly with CTIconnect and ImageStream. He served two terms as a Board Member of WISPA and continues to sit on the Policy Committee (was FCC Committee). He as been to every Wispamerica and Wispapalooza show and is a charter member. He is an executive sales rep for CTIconnect, selling most of the WISP industry hardware. He has an MBA from Indiana University South Bend and a bachelors degree from Wayne State. He lives just outside of South Bend Indiana with his wife Lori.
(not set)	Cody Racette	Crown Castle USA Inc.	(not set)	Dealing With Interference - Session Sponsored by Wireless Coverage GIS Mapping Isn't Just for Equipment Loading	(not set)
	Douglas Patterson	Crown Castle	Vice President, Implementation & Operations	Fiber Technologies - 10Gbps Design Overview Which Way to Build - Up or Down? Troubleshooting Fiber	Douglas Patterson - Crown Castle Vice President – West Region 24 years of Telecom Engineering, Construction & Operations. Crown Castle – 5 Years Previously with US West/Qwest/CenturyLink - Western U.S. - 18 Years
	Katie Merce	Crown Castle	Senior Attorney - Government Relations	The Importance of State Advocacy In BEAD Funding Decisions	Katie Merce is Senior Attorney – Government Relations for Crown Castle and has more than ten years of broad experience in the telecommunications industry, including extensive background in real estate, customer agreements and municipal approvals. As a key partner of Crown Castle’s network deployment and government affairs teams, she strategically employs federal, state, and local law to facilitate timely construction of small cells and fiber, and advocates for Crown Castle before local and state government officials. Previously at Crown Castle, Katie worked closely with Crown Castle’s tower customer sales group, with a focus on constructing complex agreements and supporting expansion into new business segments, including ensuring Crown Castle’s internal legal processes accommodated the needs of WISPS. Prior to joining Crown Castle, Katie served as real estate counsel for a small wireless infrastructure company drafting ground leases and long-term easements to support rapid expansion. Katie received her undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame, and her juris doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
	Bob Pensworth	CresComm WiFi. LLC	CEO	What Does it Mean to be a Manager?	My first job was Operations Manager for a radio paging company. I climbed towers, and maintained the sites. I launched their WISP business in 2006. In 2011, I was hired by CresComm WiFi, LLC (current employer) to handle commercial accounts. I worked in the Long Beach office. In 2014, I was promoted to General Manager and in 2016 I became CEO. My first major project was migration of accounts to Powercode. I do everything from Site Surveys, Installer Training, Network Design, and Deployment. We moved our main office to Port Angeles, WA in 2019 and maintain a satellite office in Astoria, OR. My hobbies include Amateur Radio, Dancing, Photography, Alumni Groups, and travel.
	Patrik Melander	Connect 5G, Inc.	Chairman and CEO	Building Customer Confidence To Switch to FWA Earning Additional Revenue from Customers	Patrik Melander is the Chairman, CEO and co-founder of Connect 5G, which enables acceleration of mobile network deployments through focus on quality, agility and automation with expertise in multi-vendor Services of 5G, CBRS, LTE and legacy technologies, bridging the digital divide in Rural America and enables 5G across the USA through new and innovative solutions. Patrik has 27 years of global telecom and services experience, building global organizations, leading transformations, and since 2016 an entrepreneur in the AI, IoT and 5G space serving on BoD and Advisory boards of growth companies in this space and is in addition the Chairman and President of the Swedish American Chamber, Dallas-Fort Worth He is Swedish of origin and spent 24 years within the Ericsson group, living in Sweden, Japan, Brazil, Costa Rica, UAE and San Diego, Chicago, Boca Raton and Dallas in diverse leadership and General management positions. Patrik currently lives in Dallas, TX with his wife Kristina and two children.
(not set)	Scott Piehn	Computer Dynamics/JCWIFI	Manager	Grounding - Stop Losing Equipment	(not set)
	Brandon Hardy	Cobalt Ridge	Owner	Starting A WISP - What You Should Know What Does it Take to be a WISP Owner?	I am co-owner and co-founder of Cobalt Ridge in Wichita Falls, TX. I started this company from the ground up with my prior knowledge in enterprise IT, although I had never worked in the carrier side of things before. My business partner and I self-funded the company and grew the snowball slowly. After nearly 7 years of work, we have surpassed 800 customers and are poised to double in size over the next year as we deploy cutting-edge technologies and aggressive strategies to expand our service footprint.
	David Theodore	Climate Resilient Internet, LLC	Co-founder	Resiliency and Reliability in WISP networks	David Theodore pioneered the fixed wireless industry in 1987 as founder and CEO of Microwave Bypass. Microwave Bypass created the first 802.3 compatible, 10 Mbps wireless access tech, built on a 23GHz radio platform. It gave world leading universities, hospitals, research centers and tech companies their first access in the early days of the internet when fiber was scarce. Today, David is co-founder of Climate Resilient Internet where they're developing a new standard and certification program around resilience to extreme weather. The certification is meant to empower WISPs to kill it in the enterprise space, with a premium service that's sold by the gig, based on quality and criticality, not lowest price. Hit me up for more on that!
	Paul Kmit	Clearfield, Inc.	Technology Platform Manager	Plug and Play Cookie Cutter Concepts Simplify FTTH Deployments	(not set)
(not set)	Isaac Kim	Ciena	Senior Systems Engineer	Fiber for the Longhaul Transport to Peering: An Efficient Way to Improve Network Performance	(not set)
	Barak Harlan	CHR Solutions	Sr Systems Engineer	GIS Mapping Isn't Just for Equipment Loading The ABCs of Fiber Deployment	Barak joined CHR Solutions in 1998 as an intern and an engineer in Planning and Design. To broaden his experience, he joined Cap Rock Telephone Cooperative, Inc. as the Lead Engineer and Special Project Coordinator. After 5 years at Cap Rock Telephone Cooperative, he rejoined CHR Solutions in 2008 and has been involved in equipment engineering, planning and design, and sales engineering. Barak has a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from Texas Tech University.
	Jonathan Black	CanWISP	Executive Director	Exit Strategies WISP Management Systems	Jonathan is the Executive Director of CanWISP (www.canwisp.ca) and an advisor to ISPs. In his role with CanWISP, Jonathan represents the WISP industry to the CRTC and at Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) on matter such as equal access to government funding, spectrum and industry regulation. Outside of his involvement in CanWISP, Jonathan is a management consultant and advisor to WISPs through Kuro Partners. He has held senior operational, advisory and financial roles in various technology and software companies. Jonathan lived the upside of the Internet bubble in Venture Capital (late 1990s) and learned more difficult lessons working inside an internet startup when that bubble burst. Jonathan has an MBA from Ivey Business School at Western University, a Graduate Diploma from Regent College and an Honors B.Math (Comp Sci / Applied Math) from the University of Waterloo.
(not set)	David Island	Cambium Networks	Regional Sales Director		(not set)
(not set)	Sakid Ahmed	Cambium Networks	General Manager of ePMP & cnVision Business	WiFi 6e for Fixed Wireless Access Deep Dive	(not set)
(not set)	Daran Hermans	Cambium Networks	Director, Product Line Management	MDU/MTU Cost Analysis - To Rewire or To NOT Rewire	(not set)
(not set)	Marc Hemann	Cambium Networks	Training Manager	Universal Access Architecture with Adaptive Cloud Networking	(not set)
(not set)	Derek Underwood	Cambium Networks	Regional Vice President - North America	All Things MDU - From Sales to Service to Tech	(not set)
	Kristian Hoffmann	Cal.net	Principal Engineer	GIS Mapping Isn't Just for Equipment Loading Mixing -48v, 48v, 24, In One System and How to Ground it All	Kristian Hoffmann began his career at a dial-up ISP in 1997 that adapted into a WISP, Fire2Wire, in 2000. The following decade at Fire2Wire included OSS, kernel, and other software development, along with network and RF design, planning, and implementation. In 2011, he moved from his role as CTO to President, managing day to day operations, business process development and automation, and ultimately leading the company to the acquisition by Cal.net in 2019. Kristian now serves as CTO for Cal.net in Central California, continuing his 24 years in the ISP/WISP industry, graciously supported by his wife Virginia and two children.
	Skip Hirvela	Calix	Vice President Regional Sales Partners	Revenue Now, Fiber Later	(not set)
	Jeff Brown	Calix	Senior Director Field Marketing	Fiber Technologies - 10Gbps Design Overview Competition - Fiber, Satellite, Cable, DSL, 5G	Jeff Brown is Director of Product & Field Marketing for Calix. Jeff has been at Calix three and a half years, and prior to that he spent his entire career working for broadband service providers. He has extensive experience building and growing broadband markets for wireline and wireless network operators, having spent over 25 years leading Business Development, Product and Marketing organizations for companies including Windstream, Zayo, Covad, Suddenlink, Sprint and MCI. He resides in the greater Chicago area in Naperville, Illinois.