U.S. Air Force POL — “Just returning the favor.”

Several years ago, when Noovis executives Mike Watts and Eric Welty were employed by Verizon FNS and heading up its Passive Optical LAN (POL) group, Watts received a phone call from the U.S. Air Force’s 844th Communications Group. The Air Force was building a five-story National Capital Region Relocation Administration Facility (NCRRAF) on Joint Base Andrews as part of a nationwide base realignment initiative.  The project called for classified and unclassified networks for more than 2,000 users.  As construction progressed it became clear that additional expertise and resources were required to ensure success.

“We were aware of the successful GPON deployments that Mike and Eric had led for the Air National Guard and knew they were our best chance for success,” stated Larry Johnson, project manager for the 844th CG.

That’s when Watts was called.

“We wouldn’t normally take over another company’s installation due to the risks involved with assuming responsibility for so many unknowns, but we had already been doing this type of work for years and were confident we could overcome any issues,” recalled Watts.  “Besides, the Air Force watches our backs day and night without hesitation, we were just returning the favor.”

The Verizon team, led by Watts and Welty, assumed the existing Air Force POL installation schedule and never missed a move-in date.  They also reengineered a Protected Distribution System (PDS) – sparing out $90,000 in equipment; rewired every telco closet – effectively eliminating chronic false alarms for the security force; and ultimately provided onsite support for the following two years.