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At work
with ... Ronda Markus
President of Lee Telecom Inc. (LTI) in Hampton
I WAS WORKING FOR AT&T Federal Systems, doing fiber optics,
in 1994, and I was approached with the opportunity to start
the security division in what was Lee Communications at the
time. I was our only security technician for quite some time.
I was installing access-control systems, working on the camera
systems, on call 24/7 for years. Actually, I’m still
on call 24/7.
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Ronda Markus, President
of Lee Telecom Inc. (LTI)
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As that pretty much became established, I branched out into
other areas of the business. I became involved in the communications
side, which was for us fiber optics, network cabling and those
sorts of things. I just gradually started doing more in the
office, being more involved with the accounting process, billing.
Eventually I started getting invited to the corporate board
meetings.
While I was in those board meetings, I just kept thinking
about how I would do things, if I had the opportunity –
not ever envisioning at that point that I would have that
opportunity. I ended up acquiring 51 percent of the shares
in 2002. My father was one of the originating owners, the
founders. My father decided he wanted to retire or just become
a consultant at that time, and we felt like that would be
an opportunity for me to take over the shares. People tend
to assume that I was handed the position, or I was handed
the company, which couldn’t be further from the truth.
I worked tooth and nail climbing up that ladder.
I, as a technician, was climbing 200-foot poles out in the
middle of the James (River), putting cameras up, crawling
in steam tunnels in the shipyard. You name it, I’ve
done it. And as I tell anybody who works for me, “I’m
not going to tell you to do something I’ve never done
myself.”
In November, the guys were running some cable in a solid ceiling,
and – some of my guys are big guys – they were
a bit concerned that it wouldn’t be a good idea for
them to get up in there and try to do that. I was like, “OK,
well, I know I can do it.” So I donned my boots and
my jeans and climbed in the nastiest ceiling. It was just
decades of filth. But it’s not anything I had never
faced before.
My father never wanted me to be in the communications business.
A lot of what he did was outside plant work, which is very
filthy. You’re in manholes and things like that, and
he didn’t want me to be a part of that. He wanted me
to be an engineer or something in an office.
I’ve just always been very technically inclined. The
very first car that I got, which I paid for myself, a ’67
Cougar, I was taking it apart to find out how it worked at
16. That’s just how I’ve always been.
I’m actively involved in every single area of my company.
I can tell you where every job stands right now. I can tell
you if we’re profitable on it. I can tell you what kind
of jobs we’re estimating right now. I can tell you where
we’re at with our inventory. I probably don’t
need to know all these things.
But I just enjoy being involved in everything. Sometimes I’ll
pop out on a job site. I’ll go and meet with customers.
I work with our vendors. I buy our vehicles.
Now, I’m right in the middle of our big customerappreciation
event that we’re having in June, which is such an undertaking.
We’re doing it for a couple of reasons. One, to say
thank you to our customers but also to the community. We’re
here and we’re successful because of them. We’re
inviting all our clients and potential clients. We’re
also bringing in vendors, manufacturers.
We’re so proud that we’ve made it to 15 (years).
In today’s economy, to still be around is wonderful.
And to be doing well is even better.
I like to call myself Miser Markus. What I mean is I run things
very lean, so that when there are tough times, we don’t
have to face major layoffs. We’re able to get through
some bumpy roads and not adversely affect the employees, who
I feel I have a responsibility to. Without my employees, where
would I be?
Before I took over, we had done one layoff. We have not done
any layoffs since. We have 20 full-time and two part-time
employees.
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