As it boosts its fiber network rollout for underserved broadband subscribers, Archtop Fiber (Kingston, N.Y.) on April 3 announced two new additions to its leadership team, including a former top executive from Altice USA. Archtop says the new executive appointments will help ensure its customers receive "a best-in-class experience with access to fast, reliable, environmentally friendly and affordable internet" services.
Archtop Fiber’s network roll out plans include markets across New York’s Hudson Valley, most recently the City of Kingston, Town of Ulster and Town/Village of Saugerties. Beyond the Hudson Valley region, Archtop Fiber’s planned markets include New York, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.
Newly joining Archtop on its stated mission to bring fully fiber-optic internet and phone services to underserved locations across the northeast U.S. are Kathy Kirchner, appointed to the role of vice president of operations, formerly of Altice, and John Boolukos, who has been named as Archtop's vice president of business services.
Of the new appointments Lenny Higgins, president and chief operating officer of Archtop Fiber, remarked:
“We’re thrilled to have Kathy and John come aboard and join the Archtop Fiber family. These two telecom pros complement the team we have built here and have the background, passion, and dedication we need. Both understand the importance of building relationships and delivering a totally seamless customer experience, and we’re lucky to have them bring their expertise to everything from field operations, technology, warehousing, customer care and business services. Our mission begins and ends with people – the people we serve in our communities, and the people who help bring us there and deliver the 21st century technology that is so critical in our world today. Kathy and John are the perfect fit as we work to bridge the digital divide across underserved markets.”
Executive Profiles
As Archtop's new vice president, operations Kathy Kirchner brings over three decades of expansive knowledge gained from working for rural telecommunications and cable providers.
In her new role, she will manage all of Archtop’s field operations day-to-day, including service delivery throughout the customer lifecycle. She will spearhead efforts to provide a high-quality and seamless customer experience, through business operations and customer care.
Prior to joining Archtop, Kirchner was senior vice president of customer operations for Altice USA, where she oversaw customer service and technical support operations for consumer and business services, including managing operations of internal and outsourced call centers.
Kirchner has worked in various aspects of the telecommunications industry, including product development, customer service, sales, hiring, onboarding and training.
One of her stops along the way to Archtop includes her role as vice president of National Centers of Excellence at Comcast, where she led national care center operations and programs with over 10,000 agents.
"Operations is Kathy’s strong suit and where she will bring unparalleled value to Archtop and its customers," added an Archtop press release.
Kirchner said:
“This is an exciting role for me to step into, and I am honored to join the incredible Archtop leadership team. Not only am I passionate about transforming the lives of the people in the communities we serve, I am deeply dedicated to ensuring Archtop’s products and operations deliver a best-in-class experience. From the first call to the install, I am looking forward to providing businesses and households with reliable, unmatched service throughout every step of the customer journey. The Archtop Fiber team has ambitious goals to expand its fiber network across Northeast markets, and I look forward to playing a leading role in meeting those goals.”
As Archtop's incoming vice president, business services, John Boolukos will leverage his talents to set up Archtop’s extensive business services. As noted by Archtop, "A natural leader with over 25 years of business development experience...John is passionate about advancing Archtop Fiber’s critical role as a trusted neighbor and technology partner – and is already establishing strong relationships within the communities Archtop serves. "
Boolukos is billed as a multidisciplinary expert with a knack for accelerating sales growth, and building and nurturing a high-performing, growth-oriented and loyal sales force. "He is also known for finding untapped opportunities and driving millions of dollars in revenue by identifying needs for innovative solutions," added Archtop's statement. Prior to joining Archtop Fiber,
Boolukos was regional vice resident for the eastern half of the U.S. with All Covered. He began his career in telecom with MCI and held multiple leadership positions, including Area vice president at Verizon Business in New York City and regional vice president for the northeast and mid-Atlantic at Earthlink.
Jeff DeMond, CEO of Archtop Fiber, concluded:
“These two outstanding individuals will bring great value as we continue to make strides to bring interconnectivity to the Hudson Valley and beyond. Kathy is a dear friend and former colleague who is an exceptional leader with deep telecom industry knowledge, and I am delighted she will be lending her skills and expertise to take Archtop to the next level. And John has already demonstrated immense value in terms of business development, building and inspiring our sales team and further driving value across our key markets. While we’ve been making a lot of moves recently in terms of acquisitions and market rollouts, we’re just getting started, and Kathy and John joining our existing team of industry titans will only serve to accelerate our growth.”
To learn more, visit www.archtopfiber.com.
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