Pictured (l.to r.) during the STAC conference and exhibition in Toronto are: STAC Steering Committee Co-Chairs Keith Ranney, Bell Canada, and Clay Parchewsky, WesTower; NATE Executive Director Todd Schlekeway; Bernard Lord, Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association; and STAC Program Manager Nicholas Kyonka. All photos courtesy of Andrew Ahmed.
The inaugural Structure, Tower and Antenna Council (STAC) 2016 Conference & Exposition in Toronto, Ontario kicked off yesterday at the International Plaza Hotel with a keynote address by Bernard Lord, President and CEO of the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association, and according to attendees and exhibitors at the two-day event, it is proving to be a tremendous success.
James Fess of Small Cell Technologies spoke with Marina Guerra of Bell Canada on the well-attended exhibit floor.
STAC is the only national forum in Canada dedicated to discussing safety issues and best practices in the tower and antenna industry. The event brought together approximately 200 industry participants, including wireless carriers, broadcasters, engineers, contractors, manufacturers, landowners, safety equipment suppliers and safety trainers, according to STAC Program Manager Nicholas Kyonka.
National Association of Tower Erectors Executive Director Todd Schlekeway delivered an address at yesterday’s keynote luncheon entitled: NATE – Transforming Global Wireless Through Safety, Standards and Education. Major topics that emerged included an overview of NATE’s 21-year history as an organization, a focus on the Association’s signature safety resources, highlighting NATE’s 2016 priority initiatives and updating attendees on the current wireless industry legislative and regulatory environment in the United States.
With a lot smaller base of erectors, STAC came close to NATE’s inaugural conference in Orlando, Fla. in 1996 that saw 223 attendees. But NATE had multiple challenges, primarily being able to identify the nation’s contractors and suppliers and communicating with them at a time when snail mail was the norm.
Jeremy Buckles (l. to r.) of SBA Communications, Jeff Jacobs of Hughey Phillips, and Nick Wilkerson, also from SBA, share a laugh at the STAC 2016 welcome reception.
Schlekeway also devoted time during his remarks to discuss the prominent, global role that NATE and STAC members will play in deploying next generation technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and 5G networks around the world.
“I would like to thank the STAC leadership for inviting NATE to participate in their inaugural conference,” said Executive Director Todd Schlekeway. “I was honored to speak at STAC 2016 and came away thoroughly impressed at the commitment to industry safety and quality that existed among the event attendees. NATE looks forward to continue to collaborate closely with the STAC organization in order to ensure that the North American wireless infrastructure industry continues to be the global leader in safety, quality and innovation,” Schlekeway added.
Yesterday’s presentations included STAC Best Practices, Fall Protection Standards and C SA Z259 as well as Working at Heights – Federal vs. Provincial, Due Diligence in the Tower Industry and a number of other important industry concerns.
Today, there will be a presentation on Safety Code 6 and the 2015 Update, Contractor Pre-qualifications and Hot topics in Tower Engineering.
Simon Weisman of Guymast Inc. (left) discussed the history of the CSA S37 Committee and Colin Hubick of WSP discussed optimal tools for drone-based tower inspections.
Representatives of STAC’s Start-Up Sponsors appear with members of the the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA), (left to right): Dan Renaud (Telecon), Ali Raja (Rogers), Jonathan Walsh (TEI), Jason Dehetre (TELUS), Ed Hachey (SBA), Clay Parchewsky (WesTower), Sharyn Gravelle (WSP), Keith Ranney (Bell Canada), Bernard Lord (CWTA), Denis Darveau (Videotron), Nicholas Kyonka (STAC), Jeff Selby (Trylon), and Chantale Neapole (CWTA).
Walter Wannamaker (l. to r.) of Vertical Specialists, Brett Zissler of Safety Direct, and Phil Clemmons of JELCO share stories at the welcome reception.