WISPA21_Daily_2

4 WISPAPALOOZA SHOW I OCTOBER 11 - 14, 2021 www.bekabusinessmedia.com DAY 2 (Continued from page 1) Martin Vilaboy Editor-in-Chief martin@bekabusinessmedia.com Bruce Christian Senior Editor bruce@bekabusinessmedia.com Brady Hicks Contributing Editor brady@bekabusinessmedia.com Percy Zamora Art Director percy@bekabusinessmedia.com Rob Schubel Digital Manager rob@bekabusinessmedia.com Jen Vilaboy Ad Production Director jen@bekabusinessmedia.com Berge Kaprelian Group Publisher berge@bekabusinessmedia.com (480) 503-0770 Anthony Graffeo Publisher anthony@bekabusinessmedia.com (203) 304-8547 Nazal Parvin Associate Publisher nazal@bekabusinessmedia.com (415) 516-7053 The award ceremony kicked off with the Operator of the Year Award, which this year went to Nextlink. “Our team has been putting forth tremendous effort in expanding our service areas in 12 states across the country, and we have so much more good news yet to come,” said Bill Baker, CEO of Next- link Internet. “We are also proud to be leading the way for our industry in terms of successful engagement in the FCC’s programs and in many public-private partnerships. It’s humbling to have our success recognized by our peers in the industry.” Next came Manufacturer of the Year, which included a few nominees that are new to the WISPA- PALOOZA show floor, exemplifying the growth and evolution of the industry. This award, said Stooke, is meant to honor a brand “that holds our ecosystem top-of-mind,” while having the greatest positive impact on the industry. This year’s Manufacturer of the Year went to Cambium Networks. Drilling down a bit deeper, the next two awards honored specific products and services that had the greatest positive impact on WISPA members. Product of the Year went to RF Elements’ Asymmetrical Horn, while Service of the Year was awarded to Artelo Network’s Preseem. Both of these awards repre- sented the third consecutive year of winning for both of these companies. “We are proud to serve the thriving WISP community by developing products that make their lives easier and help them grow. Earning their trust and respect in this way is truly rewarding,” said Gerrit Nagelhout, CEO of Aterlo Networks. The Distributor of the Year Award took on special meaning this year, considering the supply chain challenges and unusual demands of 2020/21. Aiken was quick to point out how distributors willingly worked with each other to solve customers’ problems, but standing above the rest was ISP Supplies, the 2021 winner of Distributor of the Year. The awards ceremony concluded with the Presidential Awards, personally selected each year by Aiken to acknowledge individuals who “have gone above and beyond for the industry,” doing amazing things, sometimes behind the scenes. Claude Aiken President & CEO 202-578-6197 caiken@wispa.org Louis Peraertz Vice President of Policy 202-763-5599 lperaertz@wispa.org Eric Slee Director of Government Affairs 202-893-004 eslee@wispa.org Mike Wendy Director of Communications 202-763-5257 mwendy@wispa.org Gary Helmers Sales Manager 407-319-0134 ghelmers@wispa.org Alysha Zang Digital Marketing Associate 407-319-4068 azang@wispa.org Denise Kovacs Office Assistant 407-664-1644 ext. 0 dkovacs@wispa.org Jennifer Lisaius Member Relations Specialist 407-868-0790 jlisaius@wispa.org Richard Bernhardt National Spectrum Adviser 408-472-0881 rbernhardt@wispa.org L Z OO 2021 • Richard Strittmatter • S. Jenel Trigg • Ted Osborn • Drew Beverage • Ray Savich • Mike Hammett • Adair Winter • Tommy Waldrop • J.J. McGrath • Denise Kovacs Check out page 24 for pictures from the 2021 Awards Luncheon. This year’s Presidential Award winners include: Photo courtesy sherylwatsonphotos.com