Veterans of Ziply Fiber
At Ziply Fiber, we honor those who serve, protect and defend our country — and we honor the veterans and reservists who work among us.
“Working for Ziply Fiber as a veteran, I believe our entire organization has always stood behind and supported veterans and reservists,” says Robbie Dougherty, an operations manager and president of the Veterans Engagement Team, Ziply Fiber’s employee resource group.
For this Veterans Day, we bring you three short profiles of employees who have served in the US military and now serve in different capacities at Ziply Fiber — and how their service has informed their careers and identities.
Brent Mulford
While Brent Mulford was interviewing for his job from his base in Afghanistan, a mortar exploded nearby and caused a three-day blackout at his base. Not knowing if he would be offered the job, Brent packed up and flew out to Spokane, Washington, hoping for the best. “They offered me the job and I signed right there, on my birthday, and then I started on Monday,” he says.
Brent’s experience running network operations around the Korengal Valley in Afghanistan prepared him for his current role as OSP network engineer. Not only does he have the engineering chops, but his military experience and his local volunteer firefighting and EMT work help him stay calm in crisis situations — like when a wildfire in Idaho threatened to take out part of the network. On top of that, he makes time for his wife and daughter and the local veteran community around Potlach, Idaho, where he lives.
“I feel very fortunate with my circumstances and how everything played out through my career,” he says.
Mary Hjort
Food service may not be an obvious route into telecommunications, but the pressure of working as a culinary specialist in Army kitchens prepared Mary Hjort for life.
Mary joined the Army out of high school, becoming the second generation of women in her family to serve. Her experiences, including setting up a field kitchen during torrential rain and at least one “trial by fire,” forced Mary to figure out complicated situations on the fly.
“I was thrust into a leadership position a few times when there weren’t any sergeants available,” she says. Her performance earned her multiple awards for streamlining processes and attention to detail, which makes her a great fit for the customer experience team at Ziply Fiber.
“I have been able to push myself and my ability to handle incredibly stressful situations without a plan of action and figure things out as I go,” she says. “Without the military, I wouldn’t have been able to achieve as much as I have.”
Raquel Butler
Raquel Butler had three choices when she entered the Army at the age of 18: be a cook (92G), a truck driver (88M) or a wire systems installer (31L). She chose the third option and learned to climb telephone poles and install and splice copper and fiber cables to connect homes and businesses around the country and the world.
“I always wanted to help people,” Raquel says about her decision to go into telecommunications in the Army. “I like processes, and I wanted to do something that would keep me on track.” Knowing that someone needs connectivity motivates her and keeps the job interesting.
After getting out of the Army, Raquel made telecoms her career. At Ziply Fiber, she’s a Joint Use manager for new fiber build projects and the co-secretary of the Veterans Engagement Team.
“We crave structure. We crave process. It’s what we’re used to,” she says of veterans in the workforce. “We have a huge opportunity here at Ziply Fiber. It would be a great asset to anybody coming out of the military. You can find yourself here.”
