ANS Advanced Network Services is a proud employer of veterans. James Coulter is one such employee, and shared his path and career to help others find opportunity.
Military Career
James Coulter joined the U.S. Army National Guard at the age of 17 as 11B Infantry, in between his junior and senior year of high school. Following the September 11th terrorist attacks, he was mobilized on active duty and served four and half years overseas, beginning in Germany in 2001 before being deployed to Iraq in 2005. Stationed in Camp Victory in Bagdad, his service included detainee operations, mounted patrols, and foot patrols through nearby cities and towns to build trust among the local populace. James also had the role of fire team leader for a heavy weapons squad equipped with a M240B light machine gun, providing support for advancing squads in combat zones.
Finding Civilian Employment
After serving in the military and returning home in 2006, James wasn’t certain about what his next step would be. At the time, his father had a connection with the warehouse manager of ANS Advanced Network Services in the Chicago region and after a few conversations, James landed an entry-level role. As an installer for ANS, James would be able to build upon the skills and knowledge he had from his time with the army and work with his hands in a trade, while learning a new technical industry.
While he had previous experience working in construction, ANS Advanced Network Services is not a typical construction company. Instead of constructing building infrastructures, the focus is his new role was on telecommunication network infrastructures. The satisfaction of working, building and completing a project at and above customer standards became very gratifying. For the next 2 years, James worked and built his knowledge base and quickly progressed from an entry-level role as an installer to Project Lead.
Defining a Career
As Project Lead, James managed a team of installers in several highly involved projects with complicated outcomes. In this role he reported to an ANS Construction Manager who continued to develop James’s skillset and industry knowledge as he began to take on more engineering tasks through his own initiative. As prospects and customers reached out to ANS during this period of rapid growth, James began producing RFI’s (Request For Information) documents while simultaneously leading his team.
James next turned to higher education to stand out from competition and grow professionally. He continued his education by using grants available to him as a veteran, completed his Bachelor’s Degree, and then received an MBA with a focus in project management.
After 5 years of excellent performance in his role, the industry took a bit of a dive and the market area that James worked in saw a downshift, resulting in much more travel to take on projects in other regions. The required travel took a toll on James and his young family and unfortunately, James made the difficult but understandable decision to leave ANS and pursue other opportunities. This was not an easy decision, as he didn’t want to leave.
After a couple of years working for other companies in more senior roles, James received a phone call from his previous supervisor at ANS, asking him to come back. His old supervisor fully understood what James was capable of and that he wished to be a project manager. However, for James to return to ANS he would need to come back as an installer and trust his supervisor’s promise that he would be promoted as soon as possible. Taking a leap of faith and trusting his previous superiors and co-workers, James went back to ANS. His installer days did not last long, as he was promoted to Construction Manager and helped organize the new tower installation team for the Ohio area, using his education and past experiences to bring in new management technologies and techniques. In 2015, James was promoted to a Project Manager, taking on responsibility for the field crews and enjoying implementing new technologies for the industry.
Choosing to Work for ANS
James is an exemplary ANS employee, who rose through the ranks to a successful role that allows him to thoroughly enjoy his work. ANS Advanced Network Services is proud to offer new opportunities for its team members. The company is always excited to promote from within and share in their employees’ successes.
“Both ANS and the management team, Paul Fettuccia, Dale Snyder, Lance Hood and others really care about the employees, both professionally and personally”, reports James, adding that he especially appreciated their management style that during his brief time away from ANS and experiencing other management styles. “You want to work and do well for upper management, your excitement and passion for your work is recognized. You are rewarded when proven. It is a team environment, with all members being equally important.”
ANS continues to build relationships with customers, communities, but most importantly our employees. Our 4 guiding principles during this uncertain time in the country are:
- Take care of our customers’ needs
- Continue to invest in ANS
- Preserve jobs at ANS
- Keep ANS employees safe
James Coulter is an exemplary model for anyone looking to grow their career after serving their country. ANS is grateful to have him back in a role in which he excels.
