Future Telecom

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A Telecom Leader in Texas

Future Telecom is not just a telecommunications company. While it is an accomplished provider of telecommunications services—including service and restoration for fiber optic companies—the company’s offerings are more wide-ranging than this.

“We have expertise in energy with electrical conduit and electrical infrastructure installation. We perform distribution gas services for Atmos Energy. We work hand in hand with the oil and gas industry, one of the biggest industries in Texas. And then, of course, there’s the telecom arm of the business,” said Don Riggs, President of Future Telecom.

Riggs has a Texas drawl better than any you’ve heard in the movies. The intelligent and courteous Texan was enthusiastic to explain the industry and Future Telecom’s services when I admitted I wasn’t an expert in either.

While the company offers services to several different industries, it’s a telecom industry leader in Texas, performing all different facets of telecom work. Future Telecom does installation, maintenance, and emergency repair work for competitive local exchange carriers (CLEC) in North Texas, many school districts in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and for the North Texas Tollway Association (NTTA).

The last two years has proven to be monumental ones for the company. 2014 provided an opportunity for Riggs to buy out his partner at the time and reach out to partial partners to help grow the company.

And grow it has. A private equity firm, Tower Arch Capital, assisted with Future Telecom’s financial and strategic management needs, and since then the company has been able to post growth over 50 percent.

“Our key through this growth period has always been to keep customer service and quality as our number one priority,” said Riggs. “We know we can still expand while continuing to provide quality services.”

Part of the company’s expansion strategy has included the acquisition of Gardner Telecom in 2014, which has also seen around 50 percent growth since being brought under Future Telecom.

“Gardner was a leader in our market through its partnerships with the local cable companies. We didn’t have this specific market in our portfolio before. So when we acquired the company we helped them build out their operations, and now we can offer complete service in the telecom market from engineering to final splicing.

“Customer need has really been the driving factor for our growth. We didn’t expect such large growth at first, but supply and demand took over. They know we are a dependable contractor that can meet deadlines and deliver a quality end product.”

Future Telecom has several big projects going into the 2016 business year. From the $25 million Zayo Communications Fiber to Cell Tower Project to Midtown Express Utility Relocations, the company is committed to performing these projects safely with the best staff available.

Safety training is a constant with daily meetings being just one way the company conveys it safety culture.

“Many of our projects have federal funding, so we have become accustomed to stringent safety concerns on projects,” Riggs shared.

“Every employee from the unskilled labor to crew leader to supervisor is actively empowered to make decisions and remove themselves from situations that may not be safe,” shared Scott Comley, Project Manager. “It’s a good environment—we either feel safe or aren’t going to go forward with it.

But the only way to have an ingrained safety culture like this is to have committed, passionate employees. Riggs shared that the company’s biggest success has been the organic growth with their work force from inside the organization.

“Most of our employees grow with the company—it’s the secret to maintaining employees that have the quality we’re looking for. By the time they are crew leaders and supervisors, they can pass on their knowledge in their areas of expertise and in safety.

“We’ve got a low turnover rate, which is a big key to our success. People build careers here. We have great benefits, including 100 percent employee healthcare coverage, which is attractive to potential employees.”

Future Telecom is in the business of doing right by their clients and by their employees, and is committed to continued excellence in the telecom, energy, and oil and gas industries.

Riggs shared the company’s goal is to level out growth in the coming years, but they will always be where Future Telecom’s clients need them to be.

“We’ll grow as much as we need to to accommodate our clients. It’s not a bad problem to have,” he concluded.