YourTel's Dale Schmick Re-Elected for Third Term as Chairman 

During the annual membership meeting on March 11, members of COMPTEL elected 10 companies to serve on the COMPTEL Board of Directors for the 2013-2015 term. These newly elected board members join the others who are currently serving their 2012-2014 terms. 

On March 12, during its first meeting with the newly elected directors, the Board re-elected Dale Schmick, COO at YourTel America Inc., for his third term as chairman. The Board also re-elected Rochelle D. Jones, senior vice president at tw telecom inc. as vice chairman, and Jim Butman, group president at TDS Metrocom, as the association's treasurer. Rounding out the Executive Committee are four at-large members, who also were all re-elected: Ben Vos, vice president of Business Operations for Sprint, Wholesale & Emerging Solutions; Julia Strow, co-founder of Cbeyond Inc.; Deborah Ward, CEO of TSI; and Jerry Watts, vice president of Government and Industry Affairs at EarthLink.

"I am very pleased to be re-elected to serve as COMPTEL's chairman for the third year and continue working with the association's dedicated board, CEO and staff," Schmick said in a press release. "The association is poised for great accomplishments in the coming year, from our shows and creating business opportunities for our members to the important advocacy work we do with federal and state regulators and on Capitol Hill."

Elected to the board for the 2013-2015 term include Small Member Category representatives Steve Dorf, president and general manager for Kansas Fiber Network; Jerry Cady, director of Sales and Marketing at LS Networks; Deb Ward, CEO of TSI; Peter Stazzone, CFO at Voce Telecom; and Dale Schmick, COO of YourTel America Inc.

Elected in the Medium Member Category were Tim Young, director in the Project Management Office at FPL FiberNet LLC; Ron Beaumont, president of Hypercube LLC; Jerry Ou, president and CEO, Matrix Telecom Inc.; and Jim Butman, group president of TDS Metrocom.

 

And in the Large Member Category, Russell Shipley, senior vice president of Wholesale and Network Services for TelePacific Communications, was elected. 

"There was a tremendous energy at COMPTEL PLUS, as our attendees explored our exhibitors' new products and services in the EXPO hall and networked in a packed Deal Center," COMPTEL CEO Jerry James said in a press release. "In addition, our slate of speakers was very impressive, featuring subject-matter experts, who provided informative presentations and showcased how innovation is forever changing the communications industry."

Innovation was the theme of COMPTEL PLUS, underscored not only by the range of exhibitors in the EXPO, but by keynote speaker Terry Jones, founder and former CEO of Travelocity.com, chairman of Kayak.com and a former EarthLink board member. Jones, the author of "ON Innovation," discussed how the engine of innovation rests on two pillars: culture and team. And he explained that it's important to recognize that innovation is not just about how technologies have evolved, but businesses must adapt and develop "digital relationships" with their key constituencies.  

The educational agenda at COMPTEL PLUS also focused on several topics - from cloud services and Ethernet over copper to the IP transition and other key regulatory issues - in tracks on the transition, transformation and innovation in the communications industry.

COMPTEL PLUS kicked off with a golf tournament at the Desert Pines Golf Club, which was followed by the opening night reception in the exhibit hall. Other highlights of the show included:

• CEO Breakfast - This much-anticipated, invitation-only networking event was attended by 50 C-level executives. It featured a panel discussion with Clint Heiden, president of Sidera Networks, and Scott Widham, CEO of Alpheus Communications, both of whom were named Top Competitive Provider Executives of 2012 by FierceTelecom.
• Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) two-hour mini-event entitled "Ethernet Access Services - The Secret Sauce for Service Provider Growth" - This mini-workshop showed attendees how Ethernet access services are enabling a wide group of service providers to capitalize on market opportunities and build new revenue streams.
• Eckert Seamans' Wednesday workshop on "Interconnection Under the Telecommunications Act of 1996: Past Present and Future" - This workshop focused on the ongoing significance of interconnection negotiations and arbitrations as the public switched telephone network (PSTN) transitions from TDM to IP-based technology, and how Sections 251 and 252 apply to SIP interconnection.

COMPTEL PLUS EXPO
Throughout the COMPTEL PLUS show, more than 1,200 attendees used the Business PLANner deal center in the EXPO hall, participating in 575 meetings with prospective and current customers.

Drawing grand prize winner John Martinez (left) with COMPTEL CEO Jerry James

At the end of the EXPO on Tuesday, March 12, there was an exhibit hall drawing sponsored by exhibitors CSF Corporation, GeoResults, GSAssociates, Overture Networks, RAD Data Communications, Sales Tax Associates Inc., Telco Systems and Transition Networks. Winners American Express gift cards during the grand prize raffle included:

Show Daily
News from the COMPTEL PLUS can be found online in the COMPTEL PLUS Show Daily. For news from Monday, March 11, and Tuesday, March 12, visit the COMPTEL PLUS archives.