Trust, Broadband & the Future of Rural Infrastructure

Chuck Harmon (0:00)

And today, the farming industry has become very technical. So we have tractors running autonomously now that have to have up to date.

Andy Leake (0:09)

As you've navigated the waters of selling the service, maybe any mistakes that you've identified in that process of contractors.

Chuck Harmon (0:19)

I think to be successful in this industry, you've got to be able to develop relationships, you've got to be able to relate.

Andy Leake (0:24)

There was a problem, we owned up to the problem, we took care of the problem, made it right for the customer on our own.

Welcome to The Grid Connection. I'm Andy. This is a podcast about the people behind the work, the crews in the field, and the leaders running projects, and partners that we build alongside every day. At ElectriCom, we spent 65 years building utility infrastructure across rural communities, specifically in the power, fiber, and storm response space. It's the work that people never see, but everyone depends on. And the truth is, the industry runs on more than equipment and schedules. It runs on trust, relationships, and people. So this is the podcast about real conversations, how people got into the industry, what they've learned along the way, and what's changing. So let's dive in. Chuck, you spent your career building relationships, lots of them, helping customers solve problems, working out the intersections of utilities, infrastructure, economic development, and you have a unique perspective. So let's start there.

How'd you get into this industry and kind of what's your background?

Chuck Harmon (1:40)

Well, out of college, I went into an unrelated industry, and then one night in the airport, I ran into a high school friend of mine who happened to be the national sales manager for a company called AT&T Fytel. We all know that company today as La Terra.

And one thing led to another, and I was hired as his outside plant sales manager. And this was back in the early 90s, and this was during a time when the telecommunications industry was building long haul networks. There was fiber being run from Atlanta to Los Angeles, New York to Oregon. And then of course, that evolved later on.

After a short stint, after that, a short stint with another manufacturing company. And then in 1999, I went to work for Superior Essex, which is a fiber optic cable manufacturer. And I was there for 26 years, and I've now jumped over into the construction industry. And I've been with ElectriCom now for a year.

Andy Leake (2:45)

Well, thanks for joining us. That's a pretty broad history there. So I want to double click a little bit into, you mentioned as you started, lots of long haul, lots of long haul, right?

So I'm sure that the type of equipment being used, what you were selling is a little bit different than today. So maybe how has that changed from when you entered the industry and how those relationships and product work to maybe how it looks today?

Chuck Harmon (3:14)

Sure. It was a, that was a time when it was cutting edge technology and a fiber called non-zero dispersion shifted fiber had just come out. That was a product that was utilized to run signals long distances, 40 miles plus, without having to be regenerated. So there was about a six to eight year period when that product was used and this country was connected from one end to the other. And then the focus changed to connect cities to towns and then ultimately towns to homes. So, and you're very rarely hear the non-zero dispersion shifted fiber being used anymore because that's already been put in the ground and it's still functioning.

And then when we first got going, the term fiber, the home hadn't been coined yet. And so then in the early or late 90s, early 80s, the term fiber, the home became prevalent and has, has dominated the conversation for years now.

Andy Leake (4:19)

Well, that's a good segue into kind of how that has impacted, I guess you could say the communities and the customers that you were working with, going from kind of that long haul, city to city to now bringing it in. So I'm sure you've had ample opportunity to talk to customers about how those kind of, let's call it, the smaller rural communities have been impacted by bringing that fiber to the home. Are there any examples of that that maybe come to mind that, you know, you could share?

Chuck Harmon (4:54)

Well, when you speak of rural, you automatically think of farmers, you know, and today the farming industry has become very technical. So we have tractors running autonomously now that have to have up to date, you know, fiber optic capabilities with low latency signals being delivered. And then, of course, that's from a business standpoint. And then from a social standpoint, every child in America just about now has a cell phone, expects to be able to connect to the worldwide web.