As the demand for faster internet speeds and connectivity seems to grow from second to second, a few individuals stand out, dedicated to exceeding the customer experience. Tommy Nolen, our cable telecommunications systems manager, comes to mind. By day, Tommy manages the day-to-day operations of the cable department. He oversees maintenance, construction and installation of the cable system as well as budgets and inventory on the vehicles and equipment needed to keep us all connected. He leads a team of more than 35 employees.

On top of that, Tommy serves as the president of the Razorback Chapter of the Society of Cable Television Engineers. SCTE is a non-profit professional association for the advancement of technology, standards and workforce education related to cable telecommunications engineering. They are committed to higher training, education and accelerated networking opportunities across the industry.

Tommy began his cable career at Conway Corp as an installer trainee in May 2000. He was promoted to installer technician in October 2003. Around this time, he was introduced to the SCTE Razorback chapter. After passing both the service and system technician training courses, he was promoted to the senior system position in October 2008. In 2012, he was promoted to the CATV training and special projects coordinator, where he began to take interest in training new installer trainees and technicians. He began serving on the board of directors for SCTE. In March 2020, he was promoted to telecommunications systems senior foreman. Following the retirement of Jody Smith, Tommy was promoted to his current role, where he manages the entire cable telecommunication systems.

Tommy has been a member of the SCTE Razorback Chapter for more than 20 years. During that time, he has served on the board of directors for 12 years before being elected as president of Arkansas’s chapter in 2022.

He describes both SCTE and the Razorback chapter as a community.

“I enjoy the comradery of meeting with other operators, building relationships with the vendor community and ultimately, advancing the cause of our industry,” he said. “As president of the chapter, I get to lead the Razorback team in bringing quality hands-on training to technicians across the state.”

Several members on Tommy’s team spoke on the benefit of having a manager who is committed to seeing their team grow.

“Tommy has put a big emphasis on training over the past few years, which includes being part of SCTE, where we have access to many courses and webinars,” Telecommunications Trouble Senior Foreman Brent Brown said. “A few years ago, he implemented a new Conway Corp Progression training through SCTE, which gives us a list of courses that are specific to the areas we work in and allows us to work through those in our own time. Because of this, the training hours and opportunities for knowledge have increased.” 

“Tommy’s leadership for the SCTE Razorback Chapter is unparalleled with his unwavering ability to stay forward thinking and building a team of leaders to surround him,” Telecom Business Class Services Senior Foreman Justin Moore said. “Under Tommy’s leadership the SCTE Razorback Chapter has seen positive growth for consecutive years with a commitment to developing technicians. The specialized training by industry leaders and opportunities to obtain SCTE certifications have produced quiet confidence in the members of the chapter. We also get to showcase these skills through competition in the SCTE Cable Games.”

“It brings me a sense of pride, knowing we are advancing the industry by providing a neutral environment for broadband providers across the state to come together, learn, compete and ultimately advance their business opportunities through networking,” Tommy said.

In a rapidly changing industry, we can remain confident that Tommy and his team will continue to grow, thrive and innovate, bringing us closer, one connection at a time.