CALWA Podcast

John chats with two of the newest board members, Tony Magro and Jennifer Winters. In less than a year, these two energetic board members have brought new ideas and energy to the CALWA Board. John chats with them about their careers and why they've decided to "give back" to the industry through vocational service on the CALWA Board.

John Koos chats with longtime CALWA supporter, Michael Gianni. Michael is the Founder/CEO of MD7, founded in 2003. John chats with Michael about his 30+ years in wireless and the 20+ history of MD7.

John Koos chats with Tripp May, Managing Partner of Telecom Law Firm, about his representation of California cities against aspects of the FCC's rulemaking with respect to Government Code Section 6409.

John Koos chats with CALWA President Rodrigo De La Rosa. Rod is beginning his second year of a two-year term as CALWA President. John and Rod talk about the successes of 2023 and discuss what's in store for CALWA in 2024.

Whalen & Company has been mentioned many times on the CALWA Podcast. John Koos interviews four, yes, FOUR, Whalen legends to talk about what made this pioneering company so special. Guests: John Beke, Patty Mejia Fugit, Rodrigo de la Rosa, and Stephanie Whitlock.

John Koos interviews T-Mobile's VP of California, Martha Ventura. They discuss her 30+ years in telecommunications, the last 15 of which has been at T-Mobile. It is a bittersweet interview because Martha has just announced her retirement. CALWA thanks Martha for all her service to the industry and congratulates her on an amazing career!

Season 3 resumes after a short Summer break with an interview with Robert (Bob) Jystad from Crown Castle. Bob has been in the industry for years and is a Co-Founder of CALWA and a previous CALWA President. Our host, John Koos, chats with Bob about the founding of CALWA and his career in wireless telecommunications. Also! Bob is a novelist! Check out his books on Amazon, here.

CALWA has a number of upcoming events: SoCal Summer Mixer: August 23. Brio Italian Grille. 774 Spectrum Center Drive, Irvine, CA 92618 SoCal Charity Golf Tournament: October 26. Arroyo Trabuco Golf Course

The DSA process has often been at best a "black box" and at worst a "black hole" for the California wireless industry. John chats with a DSA process expert, Natassia Melendrez-Knutson, in this episode. Natassia is the President & CEO of Project Support Services, a firm that specializes in project management and regulatory compliance for capital projects at California public schools. You can reach Natassia for all your DSA questions at natassia@psscert.com.

John Koos interviews the Founder/Principal of Lynx Consulting. After for working for years at services companies, Julei set off on her own and started Lynx in 2010. Starting with one $200 purchase order, Julei has grown Lynx to one of the most respected and sought after services firms on the west coast. John chats with Julei about her career and about why Lynx is such a special place.

John Koos interviews telecom legend Rod Hanson about his storied career ranging from wireless site acquisition company owner to CEO/Co-Founder of a fiber broadband/internet service provider.

John Koos interviews Kenny Blakeslee, Founder & CEO of Apex Site Solutions. John chats with Kenny about Apex's organic rise from 2010, bootstrapping his business to today where Apex has over 100 employees. They also discuss Kenny's passion in curbing human trafficking through his support of TATE (Telecommunications Against Trafficking & Exploitation).

John Koos interviews Co-Founder and CEO of INORSA. INORSA is a company that develops automation and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for the telecommunications, utilities, and energy industries. The company's products and services help these industries build, maintain, and upgrade their infrastructure more efficiently and effectively. Inorsa was founded in 2020 by Sean Shahini, who has over 20 years of experience in the telecommunications industry. The company is headquartered in Austin, Texas, and has a team of engineers and developers who are experts in automation and AI. John and Sean discuss his company's value proposition and artificial intelligence generally. John met Sean at Wireless West 2023 when John moderated a panel on AI and Sean was a panelist.

In our first episode live with an audience, John Koos interviews Kamal Sadarangani of SpinLaunch (formerly of T-Mobile). John chats with Kamal about telecommunications from SPACE and how artificial intelligence plays a part. This episode was recorded in front of an audience at the Wireless West Conference in Las Vegas on April 28, 2023. As you listen, there is a video the amazing work that SpinLaunch is doing to launch satellites into space. That video can be found here: https://youtu.be/TGO4LtCctTk

John talks with CALWA board member Sean Maddox about what we can expect at Wireless West - April 26-28, 2023. Wireless West 2022 was AWESOME! 2023 looks to be even better! There is still time to register. You can do so at https://wirelesswestconference.com/ .

John Koos chats with T-Mobile's Umer Ahmed about the future of driverless automobiles and how 5G networks have been a game changer.

In this special episode, John Koos interviews the President & CEO of the Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA). WIA is a trade association that represents the companies and organizations involved in the wireless infrastructure industry. TWIA is focused on promoting the deployment of wireless infrastructure, such as cell towers, small cells, and other wireless facilities, to support the growing demand for wireless communications services. WIA Website Connect (X) Conference Website

Our host John Koos interviews industry legend Lynn Whitcher. Lynn Whitcher (General Counsel at MD7) is a former CALWA President and just started her reign at the Women's Wireless Leadership Forum (WWLF). John chats with Lynn about WWLF--its mission and initiatives. They also chat about the changing role of women in the telecommunications industry. ConnectX Conference registration - May 8-10 New Orleans Wireless West Conference registration - April 26-28 Las Vegas

John Koos chats with a panel of guests in this episode about Allegiant Giving's unique programs that provide a pathway for veterans that guides them from a goal's assessment, to next-step planning and access to a powerful network of local resources including: • Innovative career training and placement programs • Mentoring • Financial assistance • Life skills • A vibrant community of friends and supporters John's guests include Allegiant's Marcus Haney (CEO) and Nate Champion as well as Advanced Wireless and Logistic's Andrew Alm. Allegiant Giving - www.allegiantgiving.org Advanced Wireless and Logistics - www.awal-inc.com

David Witkowski is the "Bill Nye" of radio frequency.  Our host John Koos chats with David about his career and consulting firm Oku Solutions.  Oku Solutions provides an array of services, including:Expert witness: Local government hearing support, and facilitation of council/board study sessions.Electromagnetic engineering: EME report audits, post-commission MPE testing.RF/Microwave forensics: Field testing, site search, spectrum clearing, interference hunting and source location.Broadband strategic action planning.Implementation of Wi-Fi networks using Hotspot 2.0, OpenRoaming, Google ORION, and private LTE/NR networks using CBRS.Legislative testimony, FCC filings, and standards research.Public policy, leadership briefings, and authorship of position papers, white papers, and e-books.Authorship and filing of comments to the FCC, PUC, and other regulatory agencies.You can reach David on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/dtwitkowski/ and his company website is located at https://www.okusolutions.com/ .

In this season 3 premier, our host John Koos chats with new CALWA President Rodrigo De La Rosa and Vice President Rochelle Swanson.  CALWA is embarking on its next 15 years.  John talks with Rod and Rochelle about what's in store for CALWA in 2023 and beyond!

It's been 15 years!   CALWA is celebrating its anniversary in conjunction with its normal SoCal Holiday Party on December 6 at the Huntington Club in Huntington Beach.  

Solar Communication Inc., better known as SCI, has been an innovator in RF transparent concealment for over 20 years.  CALWA Podcast host John Koos interviews SCI's President Jennifer Smith to chat about their long history in this engaging episode.

Have you ever heard, "we need to get government affairs involved"?  What is "government affairs" or "external affairs"?  Our host, John Koos, interviews one of the best in the field, T-Mobile's Tyler Gentry.   Tyler has an impressive background in politics, advocacy and government service.  He does an exemplary job of representing T-Mobile (and the industry writ large) with grace and style when dealing with thorny regulatory challenges.

Our host, John Koos, becomes disc jockey in this episode.   John spins some of the finest telecom related pop hits over the last 50 years, all of which have been included in prior episodes.  Sit back and relax to these telephonic tunes!

John Koos interviews fellow CALWA Board Member Stephanie Whitlock.   In the episode, she describes herself as a wireless "dinosaur."  Not true!  She's a California wireless site acquisition LEGEND!  John chats with Stephanie about her storied career, spanning from Whalen and Company to Kimley-Horn, where she heads up their site acquisition efforts!  

The CALWA Podcast is taking a wee bit of a summer break!  Look forward to new episodes in September!  Stay safe out there!

In an effort to "move up the food chain", our host, John Koos, interviews Darryl Hawkins, T-Mobile's West Region Senior Vice President. Darryl has a long history in telecom, going back to the days when he was a technician.  Rising through the ranks, he began a new phase of his career with T-Mobile in January, 2022.  Join in on this dynamic discussion with one of the industry's movers and shakers.(Note, sound quality at times is a bit shaky)

Ever wondered the ins and outs of the workings of a tower company?  Our host, John Koos, interviews tower industry veteran Todd Boyer, President and CEO at TowerCo.  Todd simply describes tower real estate economics and the opportunities and challenges of being in the tower business.

Our host, John Koos, interviews industry veteran Lisa White.  They discuss Lisa's new endeavor, Executive Director of Business Development for BROADSTAFF GLOBAL, as well as her long tenure as both a co-founder/leader at Wes-Tec and a mainstay of the CALWA Board of Directors.  

When our host, John Koos, moderated a panel at Wireless West in April, 2022, he knew that one of his panelists was a must for this podcast--industry veteran Monnie McGaffigan, Chief Revenue Officer at ExteNet Systems.  Monnie discusses ExteNet's varied portfolio and approach.  

John Koos interviews the ever dynamic Stella Bezabeh about her wireless career.  Stella is an In-Building and Venue leader at Verizon Wireless and a Director at the Women in Wireless Leadership Forum (WWLF).  Stella is a true cheerleader for the wireless industry.  She talks about how she grew from a building permit expediter to the leader she is today.

John Koos chats with Jeff Luong,  AT&T's President for Broadband Access and Adoption, sits down to chat about his company's commitment to grow their fiber penetration across the United States.  Jeff is well known to CALWA podcast listeners.  He was formerly ATT's Vice President of Access Construction and Engineering in the Greater Los Angeles Market.  His unique leadership in wireless and wireline telecommunications makes him the perfect guest to chat about the "big picture" in infrastructure deployment.

Ever wonder how telecom legislation gets in place?  Is it simply a telecom-friendly elected official believes in what the industry is trying to accomplish?  It's a bit more complicated than that.  Our host, John Koos, interviews a real life Sacramento lobbyist, Nate Solov of Nossaman LLP.  Nate goes through the process of how legislation ends up on the Governor's desk in an easily understood way.

Industry veteran Kari Willis has been CALWA's Executive Director for ten years.  Our host, John Koos, chats with Kari about her tenure, what's going on at CALWA, and the upcoming Wireless West event in San Diego.

Host John Koos chats with Andrew Alm, CEO of Advanced Wireless & Logistics (AWAL), about starting his construction company.  We cover what it's like to "make it" in the wireless business through a servant leader mentality.

The CALWA Podcast is back for another season with host John Koos, Senior Vice President at Butler America Telecom and a CALWA board member.  John's host is Verizon Wireless' West Area Vice President Phillip French.  Phillip discusses all that goes into the network planning and implementation of Super Bowl LVI held in Los Angeles.  We are looking for feedback!  Please consider suggesting topics and guests to jkoos@core.us.com.  

CALWA Vice President Rodrigo De La Rosa HIJACKS the podcast and interviews our host, John Koos!  Strap in!

John Koos (our humble host) talks with Douglas Patterson of Crown Castle about their fiber network (80,000 miles and growing).  Particularly, Doug talks about why Crown got in the fiber game and one of the key ways they are now implementing it - microtrenching.

SCE Carrier Solutions has been a key partner of the wireless industry for over twenty years.   John Koos chats with Brian Ryan about its dynamic impact on the wireless space in Southern California.

John chats with SiFi Networks' Co-Founder Mike Harris about their FiberCity model, creating broadband competition, and minimizing the "digital divide."

 Our host, John Koos, has the privilege of interviewing Mark Sika of DISH Wireless. Mark is responsible for leading the design and deployment of the nation's true cloud-native oRAN 5G wireless network in the San Francisco market. Listen as they discuss DISH's exciting new network launch. 

This is Part 2 of our interview with Jonathan Kramer.

Our host, John Koos, chats with Dr. Jonathan Kramer, Founder at Telecom Law Firm.   They discuss a wide variety of topics focused on wireless siting regulation.  The episode ran a bit long, so this is part 1 of 2.  

Our host, John Koos (Butler America Telecom), talks with Mastec's West Region Business Development Director, Mani Kontokanis about the labor shortage in one of the busiest times in the history of wireless site development.

Our host, John Koos, speaks with Steve PonTell, renown Southern California regional planner, community development expert, and leader of a regional effort to crush the "Digital Divide" regarding broadband access to our most vulnerable communities. 

On this episode of the CALWA Podcast, our host, John Koos, talks with Brian Baldwin, Director of Wireless Solutions at Motive Infrastructure Solutions.  Listen as they discuss the primary focus at Motive and how they develop new opportunities for their Special and Alternative Site Solutions Division. Motive has been an annual sponsor of CALWA's for many years! For more information on Motive, please visit www.motiveis.com 

Our host, John Koos, interviews Michael Way of Caldwell Compliance.  They do their best to make regulatory compliance easy to understand.  This essential piece of the site development process is often taken for granted.

On this week's episode of the CALWA "Rodcast," John Koos sits down with Rod de la Rosa. Rod is the Senior Siting Advocacy Manager of the Western Region at T-mobile and teaches organizational communication at Cal State East Bay. Listen as he shares more about how he got started in the industry, his core values, and how they've contributed to his success. He also gives us insight into his involvement with education and training at T-mobile followed by details on his participation on the CALWA Board.

On this week's episode of the CALWA Podcast, John Koos sits down with Amanda Cahill, WWLF President and National Director of Business Development at SQUAN. Amanda has been a part of WWLF since 2014 and was elected President in January of 2021. Involvement in women's empowerment and leadership has always been important to her even prior to joining WWLF. She is also the Co-Founder of Bold Women Society which is focused on helping women increase their confidence. Listen as she shares her passion to help strengthen bonds and communication between women and men in the wireless industry.

John Koos interviews Crown Castle's Government Affairs Manager and CALWA Board Member,  Rochelle Swanson. Listen as she shares her 20 years of experience and passion for working collaboratively to solve issues in the wireless industry.