By Patrick McLaughlin
We recently had the opportunity to tap into the experience and expertise of Pat McMurray, president of T&R Communications, a California-based contracting firm. McMurray, who has served on the board of directors of BICSI, brings decades of experience to his position. In our wide-ranging interview, we asked for his insights and opinions on some of the issues facing the information and communications technology (ICT) industry. Here’s our Q&A with Pat McMurray.
CI&M: Can you summarize your career with T&R Communications, from joining the company to your current role as its president?
PM: I started my cabling career at 3Com Corporation in the 1980s, maintaining and installing cable in their corporate network. At that time 3Com had about 50 employees so it wasn’t a big cabling project. We had a Thick Ethernet backbone, Thin Ethernet connected to single port repeaters. Cabling it wasn’t complex, but keeping it up was. When someone would disconnect one cable the entire system would go down.
I joined T&R Communications Inc. in 1985 as a project manager for low voltage (called “data communications” at the time) work. It was a new line of work for T&R, and because I was the only person in that division, I also did all the installation work. T&R stands for “Tip and Ring.” The company was started by Russ Hayslip and Tom Tuttle, doing small phone systems. I progressed to being a partial owner with Russ, Tom, and a gentleman named Rich Gucinski. We all had well-defined roles at T&R, and over the years T&R had become one of the largest ICT installation companies in Northern California.
In 1999 we decided to change it up; we joined a great group of companies and became a nationwide company called NetVersant. NetVersant ultimately failed due to the economic slowdown, and in 2009 Dan Doorty and I purchased the assets—and the great name of T&R Communications—out of the bankruptcy of NetVersant. In 2009 the economy was pretty anemic, and I found myself in a toolbelt again. The company started a significant upward growth pattern when Dennis Moebus, RCDD joined the team.
Today T&R employs nearly 50 people with offices in Sacramento, Hayward, and Santa Rosa. My role is president. My 37 years at T&R have been awesome, mostly due to the terrific people that I have had the pleasure to work with through the evolution of T&R. The current version of T&R is a team of great people that I truly enjoy working with.
CI&M: You have volunteered at the highest levels of BICSI, specifically including serving on the association’s board of directors. And you hold several of BICSI’s professional credentials. What professional advantages have you gained from obtaining these credentials and from being as involved as you have been with BICSI activities?
PM: In 1994 I sat for and passed the RCDD [Registered Communications Distribution Designer]. One of the happiest days of my life was when I called in and found out that I had passed. I attended the BICSI one-week prep course, then tested on the weekend following. I did this in New Orleans. I believe I should have gotten extra credit for passing my RCDD in New Orleans. I studied every night despite the ruckus going on in the streets below.
I decided to test for the LAN Specialty (now called the NTS) because the number of RCDDs was increasing and I wanted to take it up a notch. Gaining the OSP and DCDC credentials were to help in bid responses.
The decision to run for Western Region Director at BICSI was my opportunity to repay BICSI for what the BICSI credentials have done for me and my family. My professional successes would not have been what they are if it weren’t for BICSI. Generally speaking, people join leadership positions at organizations like BICSI with a specific agenda in mind. I was no different. What I learned in my four years on the board is that change is difficult, especially in well-established organizations like BICSI. I should have started 20 years earlier. I enjoyed the experience, I feel that I made a difference, and I would recommend anyone in the ICT industry to get involved with BICSI at any level. It’s a great organization.
CI&M: How does T&R Communications motivate or incentivize employees to pursue professional development?
PM: T&R puts a significant effort into employee development at all levels of the organization. “If you don’t train your employees, your competition will,” as the saying goes. One of my favorite areas of development is in the apprenticeship. We are very active in the NECA/IBEW Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (JATC). To see young men or women find career opportunities in the ICT industry, especially after they have had lousy jobs is very fulfilling.
We have started speaking at high schools about the career possibilities in ICT. I feel like we need to expose students to the trades and that apprenticeship affords opportunities similar to college without the debt.
Speaking from my personal experience, I attempted to work full-time and attend college full-time after graduation high school. After two semesters of that schedule I realized I could not continue that pace. I decided school would have to wait. This is again why I am so passionate about BICSI. Their credentials allowed me to demonstrate my knowledge in the ICT industry.
CI&M: Moving on to issues related to the business and practice of ICT system design and installation, can you provide a brief overview of California’s Skilled and Trained Workforce legislation—what it requires, how it is implemented, your views on the legislation, and any practical impacts you have seen the legislation having on jobsites?
PM: California’s Skilled and Trained Workforce is a requirement placed on certain public projects, requiring that 60% of the ICT journey-level workers to have had graduated a registered apprenticeship program. Some complain that this places undue expense on the project, but I believe we are dealing with a multitude of safety-related issues in the installation of ICT cabling. Proper firestopping and cable supports are examples. A well-appointed training program like we offer at NECA/IBEW JATC trains workers on safety and all aspects of the sound and communications industry, which makes the worker more employable.
Journey-level workers who did not go through an apprentice program are offered the opportunity to attend a training program. I have spoken to workers that have attended this training, and they have told me it is a valuable addition to their skillset.
One challenge to the legislation is the availability of workers that meet the skilled and trained requirement. Some workers believe that because they have X number of years of experience, they should not need to attend training. And some workers resist the offer of additional training.
CI&M: You have participated in, and in many ways led, industry discussion about legislative efforts taking place at state levels concerning licensing requirements for the installation of cabling systems delivering certain levels of direct current power. Your view of this issue may be as comprehensive as anyone’s considering T&R Communications’ breadth of work activity, skilled installers and technicians, and association with professional associations. With all that in mind, would you provide an overview of the legislative activities that have taken place to this point, what position (if any) you and T&R Communications have taken on the legislative efforts, and an explanation of how these efforts—where and if they are successful—will impact the business dealings of ICT contracting companies?
PM: A certain level of regulation is certainly needed in the ICT industry; there are certain hazards associated with the installation of ICT cabling. The industry has matured from the days when I was in the field. If not for training offered by BICSI, installers could still be repeating poor installation habits. Injuries, or worse, could result. The state of California requires licensing for ICT installers. Unfortunately, enforcement is almost non-existent and the loopholes are quite large.
From T&R’s perspective, we have been installing cabling that has been powering devices for many years. Now that lighting can be powered with this same cabling, certain organizations are starting to question our authority to install the ICT cable and sponsor legislation requiring electrical licensing. From a business perspective for T&R, I don’t see us being able to offer the full “lighting package” that our brethren electrical contractors do today. Once the technology gains acceptance and the product availability increases, it could reshape the industry. Electrical firms will need to be able to provide ICT cabling services through a subcontract arrangement or by building that capability internally. The bid packages that we are looking at today still specify conventionally wired [alternating current] systems. For the electrical contractors that we work with today, we offer to inform them of the technology and instruct them to look for it in the specifications. The last thing we want to see is electricians installing ICT cabling in the communications room.
Currently BICSI is part of a consortium called Connected Technologies, which looks for and defends against unfavorable [against ICT installers] legislation. Defending against unfavorable legislation is best done by well-informed local members. The consortium helps the local members to understand the legislation and prepare a brief message at a hearing when appropriate.
CI&M: Thank you for speaking with us. Any closing comments?
PM: Thank you to BICSI for allowing me to serve as the Western Region Director. It was a privilege. To the NECA/IBEW JATC program, I will continue to serve for as long as you will have me. T&R Communications Inc., you are stuck with me.
Patrick McLaughlin is our chief editor.