TRAINEE GRADUATIONS 2020: SUCCESS KNOWS NO BOUNDS!
Satellites Unlimited • December 2, 2020
Lead Dogs, you are impressive. New technician trainees, sought-after candidates from both Ocala and Birmingham: we say to you, thank you for joining our ESOP. It’s an exciting and challenging job, where we hope you will find a family culture along with autonomy.
Trainers like Johnny Tidwell, Marc Hamel and Director of Training, Todd McClinton, have reinvented a new tradition: Corporate members from all departments are invited in on graduation day, to take a moment to wish our technician graduates luck and offer words of advice. And from the top down, there is no hesitation - we dash from desks and meetings, to get to know YOU.
But we know the training only begins there. We thrive on our adaptability, but more than that, we know one thing’s certain. The Lead Dog can’t survive without the pack. Our technicians walk out into the world and choose their own destiny. This is true of our FSMs certainly, our CSRs, everyone. No one at old 138 would be here without you. You are autonomous, but your team is always behind you, supporting you, so we all succeed.
To the Lead Techs, you know you’ll be providing the true-grit training where the rubber meets the road. Thank you for what you do.
We’re starting an initiative to easily celebrate Lead Techs and their trainees new to the “pack” on their own graduation day, with a simple photo submission through email. We encourage you to send a last-day Lead Tech Training Grad picture to our Communications Department at alexandra.battito@suidish.com. (Photos sent are 6” socially distanced with PPE donned, of course!)
Thank your team for representing our values so valiantly. While being essential workers on the front lines, no less. There are metrics. There’s inventory. But this is a real career. And the new dialogue we are launching through smaller town halls is only t help us help you. All surveys are anonymous. Lead Dogs, you are nothing short of impressive.
Many changes have met us this year, and the future is yet to come, but one thing is certain: WE are the true LEAD DOGS, leading and taking care of each other.
THE DISH
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.
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.
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.
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!
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
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
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
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.
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.
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.
