As part of the Women of NATE International Women’s History Month spotlight, our CEO Lisa Hanlon-Knight was highlighted for her success in the telecommunications industry. Lisa shares more of her story, from how she got her start to how she is helping close the nation’s digital divide through Teltech Group.
“My journey in the telecommunications industry started accidentally. While in college, to make ends meet, I took a job working to fulfill orders for equipment and parts for wireless telecommunications carriers. Coming from a family of entrepreneurs, I quickly realized I could start a similar business leveraging my growing network of relationships. The business model was very basic: We worked with the OEMs and Service Providers to resell their surplus telecom assets, they would send it to us, and we’d perform a quick green light/red light test on it then warehouse it as source-able inventory. Engineers building networks then searched our inventory to find what they needed. Put simply, Teltech’s business was originally just to sell and buy OEM and Telecom carriers’ new and used equipment for resell. As the business evolved, the organization expanded to provide solutions for wireless and broadband network deployment, asset management, warehousing and logistics, personnel expertise, and the practical utilization of innovative technologies. For example, Teltech’s Tethered Drone Solution, our proprietary app-based Asset Management tool TAM®, and more recently, enabling a 4G/5G Private Network to support Smart Warehouse automation and security.”
“As a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, my passion is closing the nation’s digital divide, so our company also actively provides end-to-end deployment services for state-of-the-art 5G broadband networks to support rural communities and tribal lands. As a founding member of the Native American Business Association, I have extended our impact beyond borders through partnerships with Supply Nation in Australia and collaborations with like-minded organizations to bring connectivity to Alaskan and Hawaiian Natives as well. These initiatives together with the strong partnerships we have nurtured over our 25 years in business, fuels me and my organization towards bridging traditions and technology, weaving connectivity through our communities, and empowering more women to embrace careers in telecom.”
