January 2017 | Business View Magazine

180 181 structures to extend the reach of their networks.We would identify the viability of a site and then would approach the carrier and say, ‘Does it make sense to build a tower, here, and, if so, what can we come to terms on?’” Branch believes that his com- pany’s success – it has grown from $1.2 million in revenues in 2012 to north of $19.5 mil- lion for 2016– is a result of its concentration on its relation- ships with the major carriers. “I believe, undoubtedly, the foun- dation of our business is our relationships,” he asserts. “When we walk into a carrier’s office, our conversation isn’t ‘How many towers are you going to build this year?’ Our talking points include: ‘What keeps you up at night?’What are some things we can help you pro- vide a solution to?’ And, I think our creativity, our flexibility to adapt to circumstances, and the experience that we bring to the table are real key differen- tiators. A lot of our competition tends to be driven more by fi- nancial metrics and we tend to be driven by relationships and the idea that we can do a great job. And that is very unique in this marketplace.” Jared Ledet, Branch Communications’ Execu- tive Vice President and COO agrees: “We lever- age our relationships from a national, regional, and market level,” he states. “So, we span all paths within the carriers to understand what are the true needs within a market, locally, and where they really have the strongest desire to have a site built.We balance that across the regional and then solidify the partnerships at a national level.” In the coming years, Ledet says that while the need for carriers’ coverage is diminishing, their need for increased capacity is still grow- ing. Branch adds that technical advances in the industry will continue to create more opportu- nities for his company. “We see a convergence of several different technologies to wireless which create the need for connectivity and bandwidth,” he says. “And those are the princi- pal drivers for sustained growth in our market. The infrastructure holdings that we have will diversify in time to include small cell and DAS (Distributed Antenna Systems).We’ve been a leader in infrastructure solutions, and Branch Communications will continue to be a leader in supporting carrier growth.” branch communications Preferred vendors n Specialty Telecommunications www.stsengr.com Specialty Telecommunications (STS) is a full-service engi- neering and consulting firm, based in Oklahoma City, Oklaho- ma. Some of its services include: Civil, Environmental, Struc- tural, and Electrical Engineering; Data Center, Broadband, and Wireless Design; RF Analysis; VOIP; Managed Services; Grant Writing and Loan Applications; and Management Consulting. n Advanced Lightning Technology www.altfab.com Advanced Lightning Technology (ALT) was established in 1987 as a manufacturing and distribution company special- izing in grounding and lightning protection components. In 1999, the company expanded into the telecommunications market with a line of wireless site components and accesso- ries ranging from antenna mounts to coax cable bridges and more. Today, ALT is a second-generation, family owned, full fabrication facility. The corporate office is located in Dallas/ Fort Worth, Texas, with retail locations conveniently located throughout Texas and Oklahoma. n Chaffin Tower Services, Inc. jschaffin@chaffintowers.net LEADERS IN TOWER CONSTRUCTION n Guyed towers n Self-supported towers n Monopoles and flag poles n Tower modifications n Co-locating on towers and roof-tops n Antenna installation n Complete tower inspections n Tower maintenance n Raw land tower construction n Tower mapping CTS@CHAFFINTOWERS.NET SPECIALIZING IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF: OTHER SERVICES INCLUDE: