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Lead Dog Spotlight-Ernesto Ramirez

Grant Hobin • May 10, 2022

The Ultimate Investor

by Grant Hobin

Ernesto Ramirez is an FSM out of our Birmingham, AL location and he has made a concerted effort to serve as an investor in his spare time. Ernesto started with Satellites Unlimited on 9/20/2013 and his goals were relatively small when he first started. Ernesto worked at a chicken plant for many years prior to joining our organization and simply wanted the opportunity to have unlimited earning potential.


Before joining SUI, Ernesto used his bilingual abilities to afford him his first cell phone and first vehicle. Ernesto was paid to translate for the Latino communities and it is something he has done since he was in middle school. Back then, Ernesto did it because he had a true passion for people and wanted to help them overcome their language barrier. Over time, he had opportunities to produce a side income because of this skill set, and it allowed him to translate significantly more impactful conversations of the legal and financial variety.


Starting in 2013, Ernesto faced the same challenges as many of our new hires, as he had zero experience in this field of work. Quickly, he rose through the ranks and became a tier 5 technician; a designation he maintained up until the time he became an FSM in November 2018. He came close to quitting this career when he struggled to tier up through the first six months but his perseverance paid off in the long run.


Ernesto continues to translate in his spare time and he now has multiple rental properties that produce residual income every single month. He is proud of his journey but his roots keep him humble and he has found another investment that he describes as "addicting". He enjoys investing his time and effort into the techs of the Birmingham and Albertville locations. He remembers how hard it was to start here and he knows how fulfilling this career can be as it has provided him and his family the opportunity to live a different type of lifestyle. He enjoys providing that vision for every new hire and seeing them accomplish feats that even they didn't think were possible. This serves as his motivation every single day and it allows Ernesto to realize what he is most passionate about. 


Ernesto Ramirez, the young middle school aged kid with a passion for helping people, who has invested in himself, and invested in real estate, is most happy depositing his time and effort into those around him. To him, that is worth more than any amount of money in the world.

THE DISH

Growth Corner: Nicholas Killian

August 12, 2024
We’re excited to spotlight Nicholas Killian’s journey from Technician to Field Service Manager (FSM) in today’s Growth Corner! After 15 years of dedicated service at Satellites Unlimited as a Technician, Nicholas has transitioned to FSM as of May 2024. This promotion underscores his unwavering dedication to his team and marks a natural evolution in his career.

Employee Spotlight: Chris Harrington

May 17, 2023
Avid travelers and Lead Dogs have many commonalities! They both are dedicated, driven, and enthusiastic about their goals, whether traveling or staying ahead of the rest. Our Command Center Supervisor, Chris Harrington, is the poster child for both. He loves traveling (he has visited 38 states and nine countries) and is determined to be a Lead Dog in his role.

Employee Spotlight: Nicholas Teeling

March 10, 2023
At Satellites Unlimited, we pride ourselves on the availability of growth within the company, and Routing Specialist Nicholas (Nick) Teeling is the epitome of the many doors that can open for all. Nick is going on 19 years with us this month. He started as a technician in 2004 but has held titles ranging from Warehouse Manager to Calibrated Trainer to Recruiter before arriving at his current role as Routing Specialist.

Food Bags for Those in Need

By Grant Hobin • January 3, 2023
We have partnered with our founding owners, Roddy and Janice McKinney, to help feed those in our footprint that are not as fortunate as we are. Thank you to Roddy and Janice for supplying the food needed to fill 'Food Bags' that will then be distributed in areas of need within our geographic footprint. Our Corporate team members are always happy to assist those needing a helping hand!

20 Year Anniversary Spotlight - Shanka Bridges

By Grant Hobin • August 10, 2022
Many will note the historical significance of July 20th in reference to astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin becoming the first men to walk on the moon in 1969. It was an unprecedented journey that in conclusion, led to one of the most recognizable quotes ever spoken on airwaves. As Neil Armstrong took his first steps, he uttered “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” That one moment in time culminated after years of research, training, and testing. Satellites Unlimited was founded by the McKinney family in 1994. Eight years later, a former car and door to door cable salesman took a “small step” towards a new career at our Mobile office location. His name was Reginald “Shanka” Bridges and today marks his 20 year anniversary, making him the longest tenured technician in our organization’s history. Anyone that has ever had the privilege to speak to, or meet Shanka, walks away from that encounter knowing that they’ve met someone truly special. He exudes a fervorous enthusiasm that

"From Life on the Road, to a Humble Abode"

By Grant Hobin • August 10, 2022
Grenada's Clayton Henley has experienced a wealth of success early on in his Satellites Unlimited career and it has led to a series of life changing events for his family. Clayton spent five years on the road in the pipeline industry and it was a difficult journey, spending so much of his working time in other states, away from his family. He was on the road so much, he once had twelve W2's in a single year from working out of state. While the income was great; Clayton missed his family and took a job with the water company. His pay was drastically reduced but all that mattered to Clayton was spending time with his wife of two years, Lauren, and his daughter Mary Kathryn. The love for his family superseded any amount of money he could earn and his family has always been there in support of what he wanted to accomplish. Clayton had a dream of owning his own home and starting a family. While a simple notion, the dream seemed fairly distant in the stark reality before joining SUI. Clayton has never had a probl

Lead Dog Spotlight - Natori Mordica

By Grant Hobin • August 10, 2022
Our technicians are the lifeblood of our business and the tasks they perform on a daily basis, can easily be described as grueling. Whether working in the outdoor elements, or climbing into furnace type attics, or crawling through the dark, inhabited spaces under the home; our technicians have the innate ability to be a customer facing ambassador for our brand while still undertaking tasks that would make many shudder. Gainesville's Natori Mordica has been with us since 1/7/2021 and she has developed into a Tier 3 technician who contributes in a multitude of ways up to and including working OOM over the past two months in our Dothan location. She has continued to excel throughout her career and prove that in a male dominated industry, anything is possible when you put your mind to it. Natori fields curiosity from her customers every single day when they see her smiling face at their doorsteps. They are always surprised to see a female technician and Natori loves it. She loves proving that she can provide a

Lead Dog Spotlight-Daniel Wiener

By Grant Hobin • May 10, 2022
Ocala's Daniel Wiener has played golf since a very young age and has had the privilege of playing all over the country. His journey started when as a young man in Ohio, Dan's mom introduced him to the game. She worked at the local courthouse and would drop him off for the day to hit the links. Dan became very good and this has provided him with a lifetime of opportunities, traveling the country.

Lead Dog Spotlight-Jamie Bishop

By Grant Hobin • May 10, 2022
Oftentimes, the complexities of life can infiltrate our natural cognitive instinct and for lack of a better term, "muddy the waters" of our daily decisions. The network of water channels that make up any downstream variation of every common river system, pose challenges and require decisiveness to arrive at a preferred destination.

Lead Dog Spotlight-Josh Webb

By Grant Hobin • May 10, 2022
Our team members' needs are paramount in priority and in our business that never sleeps, it is imperative to approach each need with a servant's heart. As a manager, due to the sheer volume of team members', and customers' needs, it can be overwhelming at times, but prioritizing those needs and taking a deep breath can go a long way. Few handle this better than FSM Josh Webb in our Albertville location whose sense of humor is a key component to extinguishing each difficult situation and taking care of our people.
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