PCCA Journal|3
rd
Quarter 2015
21
M
ore than 160 PCCA members and their
families traveled to Charleston, S.C.,
September 23-26, to honor the associa-
tion’s past, plan its future, and take part
in the educational and social events that
make PCCA meetings so valuable. The historic city served as
an ideal backdrop for the PCCA Mid-Year Meeting that reunit-
ed old friends and colleagues, celebrated four new inductees
into the PCCA Hall of Fame (see page 27), and provided a
firsthand account of the 2000 terrorist attack on the USS
Cole. Yet Charleston is also a forward-looking, cosmopolitan
city, and that too was fitting for a group that is expanding its
advocacy efforts in Washington, D.C., and throughout the
power and telecommunications industry (see page 9).
As always, the Construction Industry Roundtable was the
centerpiece of the Mid-Year. Ken Kuchno, Deputy Assistant
Administrator for the Rural Utilities Service Telecommunica-
tions Program, led off the roundtable with a report on his
agency’s broadband and electric programs. He said that
despite a few negative stories that received a lot of press,
the Broadband Initiatives Program (which was mandated by
the Obama administration’s economic stimulus efforts) was
a “huge success,” providing more than $3.5 billion in loans
and grants for broadband deployment in rural America. He
said that the RUS Electric Program will provide $1.866 billion
in 2015 in loans and loan guarantees to finance the construc-
tion or improvement of electric distribution, transmission,
and generation facilities in rural areas. He also discussed the
impact of the Federal Communications Commission’s Con-
nect America Fund on broadband-expansion efforts and said
that “RUS and the FCC are sharing information better than
ever before.” Kuchno also reported on the “long overdue”
efforts to update many of its contracts and said that PCCA
would continue to be involved in the process.
Dean Mishke, of Finley Engineering and the American
Communications Engineers, followed with an engineering
perspective on many of the issues that Kuchno discussed.
He concluded his remarks by saying that there is “a lot of
positive news out there.” Jaime Espinosa, of Corning Cable
Systems, discussed the factors putting pressure on the global
fiber supply for 2016 and beyond, most notably increased
funding for broadband construction and emerging markets
around the world.
Mark Bridgers, Continuum Advisory Group, delivered
another upbeat forecast for the telecom, overhead and
underground power, and pipeline markets. “The sun is shin-
ing,” he said. “Make hay while it shines for the next 12 to
24 months.” But he tempered his enthusiasm with a discus-
sion of the profound shortage of workers in the construction
industry. “We’ve done a lousy job of getting people to come
work in our industry,” he said, noting that 10-20,000 new
workers will be needed in the next 5-10 years. Bridgers will
discuss the industry’s labor situation in much greater detail
during the PCCA Convention in Key Largo in March, where
he will lead the session “Who Will Do the Work? North
American Utility Construction Workforce Supply vs. De-
mand.”
FMI’s Dan Shumate was likewise optimistic in his assess-
ment of the markets in which PCCA members work. He said
that FMI’s mergers and acquisitions business is as busy as it’s
been in the last 10 years. He said that a light has been shined
on infrastructure issues in the United States and that trans-
mission work is booming, distribution infrastructure is in
great need of repair, and gas market growth is in replacement
and repair.
The Mid-Year education program also featured Issue
Roundtables on marketing/membership and government/
labor, and two sessions led by FMI’s Andy Patron: a general
session on management succession and a Leadership Devel-
opment Program refresher on executive communication.
Commander Kirk Lippold, USN (Ret.), delivered the Mid-
Year’s keynote address, detailing the harrowing yet uplift-
ing story of how he and his crew reacted to the Al Qaeda
attack on the USS Cole in the Port of Aden, Yemen, in 2000.
The audience was captivated as Lippold proudly recounted
the bravery and professionalism of his crew. Throughout
his story, Lippold wove in what he calls the Five Pillars of
Leadership that leaders in all walks of life can benefit from:
integrity, vision, personal responsibility and accountability,
trust and invest, and professional competence.
The PCCA crowd also kicked up its heels a few times,
especially at the closing party, a circa 1939 celebration at
the historic Riviera Theater, which has been restored to its
original Art Deco splendor. Attendees also explored the won-
derfully historic city of Charleston, including tours of Patriots
Point and Fort Sumter.
PCCA Looks Back, Moves
Forward at Charleston Mid-Year
See Mid-Year photos on pages 22 - 24