Category: Staff Feature

Name:  Jay Parr

Role on the Project:  Safety Specialist / Quality Inspector

My Story:  Twenty-five years in construction have provided me with confidence in a wide array of experience. And humility to know that there is more to learn, every day. These many years have allowed me to travel to many places around North America, as a construction electrician and Wind Turbine technician. Through my service in the Army Reserve, I’ve seen parts of Asia and Europe. Experiencing life in other parts of our country and our world continues to be the best way that I’ve found to expand one’s mind.

Raised in Wisconsin, near the Twin Cities of Minnesota, I am re-energized whenever I visit my roots of family, friends and home. Having lived mostly near lakes, I’ve been fortunate to live comfortably close to nature. Relaxing weekends can include days enjoying fishing; Or watching eagles fish while we relax with the waves, on the pontoon. Evenings might include cooking over and visiting around the fire-pit with family and friends.

I’m very appreciative to have found a feeling of home in Woodford county, where new friends from all parts of the Commonwealth have also found Woodford County as their home. Keeneland, Legends, Bourbon Trail, beautiful countryside peppered with picturesque ranches are just a few of the amazing experiences I’ve appreciated. And the energy felt surrounding Derby weekend might only be matched by the energy felt in a City with a team in the World Series. And we get to enjoy Derby every year. Additionally, Safety & Quality inspection duties bless me with the ability to travel to many beautiful and friendly parts of the Commonwealth. I’m eager to see more. Much, much more.

Why I chose the DBLLC:  The more I learned about the benevolence of this Kentucky Wired Project before joining in October 2017 the more interested I became for a chance to join this team. Understanding the logistical and physical challenges, this team continues to be enthusiastic about delivering broadband network infrastructure on behalf of the Commonwealth. Building and delivering Kentucky Wired to places where private industry networks have not and will not deliver. Kentucky Wired Infrastructure is owned and maintained by the Commonwealth, for the common wealth of all Kentuckians. It’s exciting to be a part of the construction. And after construction is complete, Kentucky Wired will continue to deliver ever improving network connectivity and revenue for many decades. Well done, Kentucky! Well done.

Go Cats!

Name:  Jim Askins

Role on the Project:  Field Representative for Government & Resident Relations

My Story:  My wife, Cynthia, and I have been married over 24 years and we have four children.  We have been homeschooling parents for over 13 years and our oldest son is in his freshman year at the University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, KY.  I have over ten years’ experience in the construction industry, including industrial electrical work in power plant and steel mill construction.   I have also worked with my father in two family-owned businesses:  a residential and commercial electrical contracting business and a rack-and-pinion industrial elevator business.  I have served in both federal and state government positions.  First, as a Field Representative in the 2^nd Congressional District for U.S. Senator Jim Bunning’s two Senate terms, and then as Deputy Commissioner at the Department for Local Government for the Commonwealth of Kentucky.  Finally, I coached college basketball at the University of the Cumberlands, Kentucky Wesleyan College, and the University of Central Oklahoma, and served as Director of Athletics at Kentucky Wesleyan.  God, family, and church are the most important things in my life.  I enjoy reading, the outdoors, and sports, especially college basketball and golf.

I was born and raised in Daviess County.  We lived in Ohio County for fourteen years, where all four of our children were born.  I have also lived in Whitley and Franklin counties, and we currently live in Oldham County.

Why I chose the DBLLC:  I joined the DBLLC for two reasons.  One, the opportunity to again work with my long-time friend Holly Hopkins Scoville (we both worked in Senator Bunning’s office).  Two, with my background in higher education and as a homeschooling dad, along with my entrepreneurial experience, I understand the tremendous educational and economic impact that the KentuckyWired Project will have on the Commonwealth, and I wanted to be a part of a project that will have such a positive impact upon my home state of Kentucky.

Name: David Laigle

Role on the Project: Materials Manager

My Story: I grew up on a dairy farm in Connecticut and joined the Navy right after graduation to become an airplane mechanic.  20 years ago, I was offered my first position in Telecommunications, and I never looked back.  I have found my niche in material management and procurement.

My wife, Sheila and I have been married for 25 years.  Telecomm has offered us, and our golden retriever, Beau, a chance to live in Colorado, Florida, and now we are finally home in New Braunfels, Texas.  I am loving life in the Texas Hill Country.  I enjoy exploring Texas, golf, skeet shooting, fly fishing, entertaining, cooking for friends, and more recently, bee keeping.

I have been thrilled to work in the Commonwealth for the last 3 years, however whenever I have been in the state, I have been so focused on the project, I was unable to see what Kentucky is all about.  For my 50^th birthday this spring, I was finally able to enjoy the spoils of Kentucky.  I chose a trip of a lifetime through the Bourbon Trail, the rich history of thorough breeds, and all the beauty this state has to offer.  It is a memory that will last a lifetime.

My brother in law attended University of Kentucky, and had such a strong love for the state, and its people.  I now understand what he was talking about.  I am truly blessed to work with such an amazing team, and I am proud to bring Kentucky up to speed in telecommunications.

Name: Lydia Dixon

Role on the Project: Project Facilitator working with easements and MRC

My Story: Before moving to Lexington, KY and working on the Kentucky wired project I lived in Cincinnati, OH for two years while going to school. I have now been in Lexington for a year. I like doing activities around Lexington that are mildly active but relaxing at the same time, like hiking or walking around the city. Doing things that are going to make me a more well round person is what motivates me.

Why I joined the DBLLC: I joined the DBLLC as my first job out of college. This project will help provide a service to Kentuckians that is needed to help connect the community to each other and the world.

Name:  Loyal Lovelady

Role on the Project:  Lead Splicing and Testing Manager

My Story:  I’ve been working in Telecommunications for forty years; fifteen years in the Cable TV Industry from installer to Head End Technician, and twenty-five years as a Fiber Optic Splice and Test subject matter expert. I’ve been blessed to travel to diverse types of Fiber Optic Infrastructure projects across the US, Mexico, Canada and the tropical island of American Samoa.

My Wife, Susie (DBLLC Office Manager) and I have been married thirty-seven years. We have two successful married boys; Louis, who lives in New Jersey and is a Director of TYCO SUBCOM, a global undersea fiber optic constructors and maintenance company, and Matthew who lives in Seattle, Washington, he is a Seattle Firefighter and CrossFit Gym Owner in Lynden, Washington. We also have four wonderful grandchildren.

I enjoy Golf, Water Sports, Grandchildren and my new Blue Healer pup, Teddy on my time away from the KentuckyWired Project.

I moved to Lexington from the Pacific Northwest in 2015 for the KentuckyWired project. I’ve always been interested in Lexington for the Thoroughbred horses and enjoy being here to see the beautiful pastures and ranches. It is truly wonderful to see the beauty of the Bluegrass and its history.

Why I joined the DBLLC:  Prior to joining the DBLLC, I had returned from a two-year FTTH project in American Samoa and was offered the position of Lead Fiber Splicing and Testing Manger for the KentuckyWired Project.  I’m excited to build out the network to bring the Commonwealth’s broadband infrastructure services into the 21^st century.

Name:  Musfequs Saleheen

Role on the Project:  Field Project Controls Lead Planner

My Story:  I am originally from Bangladesh, a small country in Asia. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering and worked for an Engineering Firm in Bangladesh for two years. My responsibilities were installing and providing after sales support for large rotary screw type air compressor (Atlas Copco Brand) for various industries. Also, I assisted with proposal preparation, project management support for turnkey projects for government and private entities. After completing my Masters in Industrial Engineering & Management from University of Central Missouri in December 2006, I started working for Black & Veatch (a joint venture partner in this project) in January 2007.

It’s been little over 11 years since I joined Black & Veatch and lived in Kansas the entire time before moving to Lexington for this project. Previously I worked in Power Delivery (Substation & Transmission Lines), Oil & Gas, Telecom, and Construction & Procurement departments in various Project Controls role. My family, relatives, friends, and co-workers are all very important to me. I have two kids, Areebah (9 years) and Amaar (2 and half years) and they are the most fun part of my life. Visiting new places is one of my passions and I just visited North Carolina and South Carolina during Areebah’s spring break. I also like sports, a lot. Table Tennis, Soccer, Cricket (a game similar to baseball) are few of my favorite games. Football is also a favorite game to me and I hope Kansas City Chiefs will win the Super bowl soon.

Why I chose the DBLLC:  Getting field experience on a large EPC project is my reason for joining the DBLLC. It is my sincere belief that this project will be a game changer for entire state of Kentucky. High speed Internet is like a basic commodity for today’s world. This statewide high speed open network which is a first of its kind in the US will boost economic growth significantly. Large companies will be willing to relocate to Kentucky when we successfully complete this project. It will change the economic landscape of Kentucky for many more years.

Name:  Susan Johnson

Role on the Project:  Sr. Document Control Coordinator

My Story:  I grew up in Michigan and have been married for 24 years.  My husband is retired Air Force and we have moved a few times in our lives.  My son, Nick, is currently active duty Air Force.

I worked for ING (Voya) in their call center in North Dakota answering questions on 401K plans and life insurance.  When I first moved to Kentucky, I  worked for L3 for 5 years on the MH-60 project as Engineering Tech II, then for Lockheed Martin for 3 years.  I, then, took a temporary position with Bechtel in Richmond, working in their Document Control department.

I am personally motivated in life by family and my son.  I love going to see my son in Denver, Colorado whenever I have the chance.  Being together as a family during holidays and special occasions means so much to me.  I love working in my yard, planting my vegetable garden and flower garden.

I moved to Winchester, Kentucky in 2006.  I love the people in Kentucky and UK Basketball.

Why I chose the DBLLC:  I joined the DBLLC in December 2015 and joined the team to start a new career path.  I enjoy working on this project and know it will be good for the communities of Kentucky and bring more opportunities to our state.

Name:  Dan Greer

Role on the Project:  Scope and Make Ready Operations Manager

My Story:  My permanent residence is a small town called Lebanon, located in the Southwestern portion of Ohio, with my wife of 33 years Mary Ellen. Two of my 3 grown children and one grandchild live within 15 miles of our home so we enjoy getting together with them.

I started my construction experience being a goffer for my father on his construction projects. From a younger age I have always liked to build things whether it be using Lincoln logs, a metal erector set or model planes and cars. As I got older my passion for building new and larger projects developed and also took on a new demission, maintenance and repair of existing structures. I enjoy working with others on projects of all sizes as we can always learn and develop new skills. One moto I learned from my father was you need to always be learning new things so don’t be afraid to ask question. I ask a lot of questions to try to learn and understand how things work and I try to always let others know that there are no stupid questions only those you don’t have the answers for and don’t ask. I enjoy working with various church groups on rehabilitating facility projects, working with food pantries and other distribution systems to get food and supplies to those who need help, and enjoy getting together with our family.

I have worked in the construction filed for nearly 35 years now and have worked for B&V/OCI for a little over six years now. My career with them currently has taken me to 5 different states and 6 major cities. I have spent the vast majority of my career in the Telecom Industry. My Telecom career experience spans from the late days of fix analog and digital microwave radio, individual point to point microwave, cellular radio system construction and fiber optic networks. In my career I have been able to experience the Telecom Industry from all major perspectives; I have been the Owner/Carrier representative, the Engineering Company /Owners representative and the Constructor. Having all three of these perspectives helps me understand the roles and needs of the various groups that make a successful project.

Why I chose the DBLLC:  I have been assigned to the NG KIH project for approximately two and a half years now. I live in Frankfort and work in our Lexington field office. I see the value in this project to help the entire population of Kentucky to have access to the Internet and broadband services. In our world today technology is changing rapidly and with this change there are many new opportunities that are opening up. These opportunities run the gambit from employment, education, life services to entertainment and beyond. With so many changes that have come and many new undeveloped opportunities the need to stay connected is critical and that is what this project is all about connecting people and providing opportunity.

Name: Gary Spicer

Role on the Project: Site Quality Manager

My Story:  I grew up in a small town in Nova Scotia, Canada, and joined the Canadian Army as a Radio Operator when I was 17. Twenty-one years later, I took off my uniform and settled back in my home town to raise our two boys. While working at a computer company in Halifax, I became interested in the quality field and studied Total Quality Management at Dalhousie University. My new knowledge and an insatiable desire for travel took me to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Afghanistan and northern Canada to work in the quality field for various projects. My patient and long-suffering wife Brigitte has followed me from her birthplace in Germany to my home town in Nova Scotia, and on to various project offices in Ottawa and Calgary. I was thrilled at the opportunity to join the KentuckyWired project, as it gave us the chance to not only visit this wonderful part of the world, but also to contribute to a very worthwhile project goal. We love to travel and experience different languages and cultures, and I try to stay busy with amateur motorsports and with tinkering with bicycles and sports cars. We will retire this year and head back to Nova Scotia where we’ll start spending some quality time with our grandchildren and other family members and old friends.

After several trial visits, we moved to Lexington in April 2016. We love our neighborhood and Lexington and it will a sad day when we leave later this year.

Why I  Joined the DBLLC: It’s hard to shake the military practice of moving every few years, and so I find project work very attractive. When Ledcor gave me the opportunity to move to Lexington and work on the KentuckyWired project, I jumped at the chance although we knew it would be a major move and a huge adjustment. I realized the value of this project very early in our stay here in Kentucky. The people here are honest, friendly to a fault, helpful, industrious, intelligent and skilled, and they deserve the best communications infrastructure available to build on those personal and professional qualities and to entice additional modern business investment. I’m looking forward to seeing the positive effects this project will have on the Commonwealth and the people who call it home.

Name:  Shawn E. Kay

Role on the Project:  Lead Construction Manager Outside Plant (LCM OSP)

My Story:  Shawn is motivated by the desire for constant improvement; even though he has done a good job today, he always wants to do a better job tomorrow. He has been married to Tammy for six years, has two daughters attending college, and has a spoiled Basset Hound named Lemon. He is a five-year veteran of the United States Marine Corp and has 17 years of telecom experience. Continue reading “STAFF FEATURE OF THE MONTH – JANUARY 2018”