Advisory Committee

Kenny Blakeslee serves as the Chairman of the Tower Industry Family Support Charitable Foundation Advisory Committee. He is the founder and CEO of Apex Site Solutions and Pulse Signal Solutions, providing an array of services to the wireless infrastructure industry.

Kenny is a second-generation tower climber and his first visit to a tower construction site was in Elementary School when he spent a full day with his father during a “Take Your Child to Work Day.” (Safety standards less stringent back then)

Kenny launched Apex Site Solutions, a DVBE, in 2010 with just one employee and has grown it to a team of more than 100. His passion lies in paying forward the life the tower industry has given him by helping his team build successful careers for themselves. The company mission of both Apex and Pulse is “To transform lives by providing growth and development opportunities that empower our people.” They do this through comprehensive and innovative professional development programs and by an obsession with raising industry standards for safety, culture, and people empowerment. 1% better every day!

Kenny helped launch the T.A.T.E initiative which empowers the telecommunications and tower industries to do their part in the fight against human trafficking.

Kenny lives in Northern California with his wife, Brooke, and two sons, Boston and Colton.

Todd Schlekeway serves as the NATE President & CEO. He works in unison with the Chair, Board of Directors and Chief Operating Officer to provide leadership, vision and direction for the Association. Prior to joining NATE, Todd served in the South Dakota Legislature and also worked for seven years as the founder and principal of a public affairs and communications firm.

Victor Drouin serves as the Vice President of the Tower Industry Family Support Charitable Foundation. He is the President of Green Mountain Communications, Inc., located in Pembroke, New Hampshire. He began his telecommunications career in 1981 and has owned and operated Green Mountain for over 20 years. Green Mountain’s experienced team has been assessing the challenges faced by businesses and delivering communication solutions that integrate the most advanced technologies. They currently employ approximately 70 industry professionals and primarily service the Northeast Region.

Dr. Bridgette Hester is a full-time Doctoral Adjunct and researcher by trade; her area of research is telecommunication construction. Dr. Hester was the President of Hubble Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to workers at elevation, specifically telecommunication workers. Through the Foundation, her work with the organization included interactions with board members, families of the fallen, injured and actively working telecommunication workers, and non-profit supporters. Her comprehensive experience acquired through her position as a researcher and her time as president of Hubble Foundation includes data collection, auditing, research, and analysis, all of which will be an added benefit to the advisory board of the Tower Family Foundation.

Since graduating from Kutztown University in 1991, Mr. Chris Pleibel has focused on both professional, educational and social growth. His professional development and leadership skills started early from a strong family upbringing, student government roles, Eagle Scout and Capitan of high school teams. He has been the President of the Pennsylvania Wireless Association for the past 7 years. Mr. Pleibel assisted and directed efforts to support Penn State’s Childers’s Hospital and resulted in over $650,000 in charitable giving. He has produced numerous conferences and networking events that showcase thorough leadership in the wireless infrastructure field.

He is a Vice President at PerfectVision Manufacturing. He and his team are a leading distributor and manufacture supporting wireless infrastructure construction. Prior to PerfectVision, Chris led the growth of Primus Electronics. He has held sales roles at Andrew Corporation, Summit Manufacturing and MTS Wireless Components.

He lives in Sellersville, PA with his wife and three children. He is currently or has held the following volunteer positions:

Heidrea for Hero’s-Treasure
Pennridge FISH food bank-Volunteer
NATE- OSHA Committee Member
Pennridge Little League- Volunteer
Various coaching positions since 2005
Lima Fire Department – President and various line officer positions
Agnes Church – Parking lot attendant

Jon Eastman serves as the President of VIKOR Teleconstruction and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience as a leader to VIKOR. He received his B.A. and MBA degrees from the University of Sioux Falls and as well as a MA of Leadership degree from Lindenwood University where he is also currently finishing his Doctorate.

Prior to working for VIKOR, Jon coached football at the college level for 9 years and was instrumental in helping his teams develop brotherhood, cultural strength, winning, and championships. Throughout his career as a college athlete, coach, and executive, he has helped bring his teams to the next level. Jon has a personal passion for people, organizational and corporate development and has been a positive impact on some of the recent growth of VIKOR.

Rick Flynt is the Founder and President of RAKM Tower Rescue in Fort Worth, Texas. RAKM, named after their 4 daughters, Raegan, Abby, Kendall and Mackenzie is a family-owned company, operated by he and his wife, Dee Dee.

Rick started with Voice Stream (now T-Mobile) in 2000 and worked with a Dallas GC for 12 years, before launching RAKM in 2011. Rick loves to teach climbers the proper way to climb and stay safe while working on telecom sites. He has a passion that is unmatched, by sharing his knowledge and teaching the importance of safety.

A Graduate of the Hankamer School of Business at Baylor University in 1995
Has served in various roles over the past 20 years within the Texas State Wireless Association. Those roles include: Treasurer, President and currently on the Board of Directors.
Serves as Vice President and Board Member of the Texas Rescue Competition
Serves on the Safety and Education Committee of NATE
Member of the Texas State Firefighters and Fire Marshals Association
Member of the Chisholm Trail Rescue Team
Avid CrossFit Athlete and Powerlifter

“It’s an honor to be apart of the Tower Families Foundation and I look forward to being a good steward in this role.”