Sertex Broadband Solutions Reports Veterans Make Up 22% of Field Operations Workforce
Plainfield, CT – November 2, 2023… U.S. military veterans and reservists have unique skills, qualities, and values that translate effectively into civilian workforce positions in broadband deployment. One Connecticut-based company, Sertex Broadband Solutions, recognizes and honors the strengths and talents developed by military experience, and reports that veterans and active service members currently make up a significant 22 percent of the company’s field operations workforce.
Sertex builds fiber infrastructure in the northeastern U.S., often in rugged, remote, and rural areas. The difficult work requires discipline, commitment, a strong work ethic and the values and technical skills that are demanded of military personnel and learned in the service.
“Before I went into the military, I was always late and not really dependable,” explains Jose Feliciano, a 15-year Sertex field technician. “In the Navy, I became so reliable that they promoted me into 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 as a senior fiber technician. 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.”
Caption: Sertex field technician Jose Feliciano installs fiber optic connections on high voltage power infrastructure.
Sertex has found that its veteran employees understand the dedication required both for military service and broadband deployment. The company’s veteran employees have served in various branches of the U.S. military, and several are active-duty National Guard and Reservists. The company proudly supports its employees’ commitment to our country and honors military leave for ongoing training and deployments.
“It can be challenging for service men and women leaving active duty to find a career path that fits their skills and interests,” said Brandon Kingston, Sertex’s broadband services supervisor and a U.S. Navy veteran. “Often civilian employers see the chain of command structure as rigid and impersonal. At Sertex, the company culture embraces the military mindset.”
Caption: Sertex’s broadband services supervisor Brandon Kingston works on fiber network design and engineering in the company’s Plainfield headquarters.
Building fiber infrastructure is hard and demanding work, with no margin for error. Like a military band of brothers, Sertex’s tight-knit field operations crews work closely together, mobilize quickly, travel long distances, and spend significant time away from family and home. All the company’s field personnel – with or without military experience – deal effectively with the adversity of challenging, remote, and diverse environments, and excel at problem-solving, making critical decisions under pressure, being highly detail-oriented, and working effectively in teams.
Adam Page joined the company as a fiber technician after being honorably discharged from the Marines in 2019. He was recently promoted to telecom technician supervisor after just four years with the company. “When I joined Sertex after leaving the military, I immediately felt like I fit in. 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.”
Caption: Telecom technician supervisor Adam Page oversees crews that splice and test fiber optic networks built by Sertex.
As Veterans Day approaches, Sertex is committed to expressing its gratitude to all veterans involved in broadband deployment throughout the country, and to the veterans working at Sertex for the critical role they play in the success of the company and for their core values of dedication to mission and duty, courage, purpose, commitment, and discipline.
Sertex is currently building broadband infrastructure in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont, and is actively hiring. Veterans and non-veterans can apply for positions by visiting https://www.sertexbroadband.com.
About Sertex Broadband Solutions
x is a regional expert in fiber optic network deployment. As an FTTH Top 100 company, Sertex has over three decades of experience providing leading-edge services to telecommunications, utility, and municipal customers. The company’s mission is to build digital infrastructures connecting unserved and underserved areas to broadband opportunities. Over the past three decades, Sertex has constructed thousands of miles of fiber networks in remote areas and challenging environments from the mountains to the ocean’s edge. For more information, visit www.sertexbroadband.com.
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