Cell networks build local contractor's business

CNY Business Journal (1996+), Jul 16, 1999 by J, Casey

EAST SYRACUSE--Constructing a network of wireless-communications antennas isn't as difficult as it sounds, according to one constructioncompany president.

"Telecommunications construction is the same as regular construction," says Tom Sedgwick, president of Sedgwick Construction Co.

Sedgwick Construction entered the telecommunication s-construction business after Sprint representatives approached Sedgwick about placing a wireless-communications antenna on his property. He quickly agreed to host the antenna and asked which company had the construction contract. When told the company was industryfamous Bechtel Corporation, builder of the Hoover Dam, Sedgwick decided he would see if his company could work with the Gaithersburg, Md.based firm.

"They sent me a stack of paperwork to fill out that was as high as my desk," jokes Sedgwick.

Although many of his associates thought he was wasting his time, Sedgwick persisted in his pursuit of a tower contract and was rewarded for his effort as Bechtel chose his firm to participate in the project.

"Here I am, $5 million later," he says.

In 1996, Sedgwick Construction Co. began installing antennas for Sprint as part of Bechtel's contract. The East Syracuse-based firm started in the business by installing 25 towers stretching from Utica to the west side of Syracuse.

While the work isn't very different from other construction work, the company did have to acquire climbing equipment and tools for installing communications wiring. His company's job, Sedgwick explains, is simply to affix the antenna to a metal frame high above the ground.

Sedgwick installs Sprint antennas, manufactured by Lucent Technologies, in three configurations: freestanding, buildingmounted, and co-located. Co-located antennas are affixed to existing towers.

Installers must arrange for access to power and telephone wires as well as deal with regulatory agencies to satisfy inspection requirements. Sedgwick says the firm's work often brings him in contact with the Federal Aviation Administration, which governs the placement of possible air-traffic hazards. The FAA requires special lighting or paint schemes on some towers.

After Sedgwick Construction completed the Syracuse phase of its first tower project, the company was contracted to install five antennas for Sprint in Hartford, Conn. Sprint kept Sedgwick on as a contractor after Bechtel's initial deal expired.

From February 1998 to February 1999, Sedgwick installed 13 Sprint antennas on rooftops in the Atlanta, Ga., area. All 13 antennas were placed on high-rise buildings, presenting new challenges for the company.

Because no cranes could reach the top of Atlanta's tallest buildings, Sedgwick arranged to have the antenna units delivered to the rooftops by helicopter. After the aerial delivery, the installers completed the job in the same manner as any other. Sedgwick brought along electricians from East Syracuse-based Merit Electric, Inc., to assist in installing the antennas.

Sprint plans to increase the coverage of its digital network soon; Sedgwick has contractor license applications pending in the states of North Carolina and Tennessee in anticipation of coming antenna installations.

Sedgwick enjoys installing towers for Sprint because even if his company has to prepare a site from the ground up, the work is much less complicated than other types of construction work. The projects take about one month per antenna.

"It's great work," he says.

The number of construction companies vying for telecommunications work has increased over the past few years, especially in the South, according to Sedgwick. He says each site is worth from $30,000 to $250,000 for the installation company. The antenna business has grown to 75 percent of Sedgwick Construction's work.

Sedgwick says he likes the well-defined mission as well-as the favorable compensation rate. Sedgwick Construction averages $3 million in annual sales.

Once every square mile of the country gets a communications tower, Sedgwick knows the business will slow down. His firm continues its general -construction business while performing antenna work. The future, he believes, lies in antenna maintenance and upgrades.

However, Sedgwick says, "It's just another facet of the company."