Vecta Labs today announced the retirement of telecom veteran Bill Davison. His last day will be exactly 5 years from his start at Vecta Labs and 50 years from his start in the industry.
“Bill Davison’s name has been synonymous with Vecta Labs in the U.S.,” said Ben Cardwell, President Americas for Vecta Labs. “He has held almost every role in the company and helped build the operations and leadership team in the U.S. over the last five years. Bill is a great partner that jumps in and figures out how to get it done. He will be greatly missed by everyone in the company and those that he’s impacted in the industry.”
Michael Symes, director and founding member of Vecta Labs added, “We knew from the moment Bill joined the company that he would have an incredible influence on not only the business, but the team he interacted with daily. The industry has changed since he started almost 50 years ago, but Bill kept up with technology and was able to bring his expertise and unique personality to every project. We wish him all the best in his retirement.”
Bill Davison started his career in the early 70s following strict instructions from a community leader to “get a job.” After interviewing with several companies, he chose to start with Bell South in Atlanta because, in his words, “they offered .5¢ more than the others.” Starting his day at 4 a.m. every morning, Bill would hitchhike to a school for pole climbing and cabling splicing until he finally earned enough money to buy a 10-speed bicycle and eventually a Volkswagen.
He worked his way through Bell South becoming a jack-of-all-trades by stepping into roles for step-by-step switching, troubleshooting and toll technician enabling him to work on fiber and every aspect of transport. He was eventually promoted to work in the Facilities Maintenance Center where he supported operations, databases, and dispatch. Bill was then promoted to the labs supporting new products, legacy equipment, TIRKS and Network Monitoring. He eventually retired from Bell South in 1998, but the urge to continue working drew him back into the industry.
Bill went into sales for a services company where he held a few leadership positions at additional organizations until, as he says, he “landed his dream job” with Vecta Labs.
In 2018, he joined Vecta Labs as the U.S. National Director leading Business Development, operations, human resources, partnerships, and operational delivery.
When asked to share an experience that stood out in all his years, Bill replied, “My proudest moments are helping my customers and being their advocate, both external and internal in all my roles. The Democratic National Convention in 1988 and the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta were big, satisfying projects. For the convention, we slept in the equipment room for 30 days before the convention. For the Olympics I worked in the labs testing the SONET transport equipment. Then in the field coordinating turnup of all fiber nodes, DS3 and DS1. I was lucky enough to have the ‘cat bird seat.’ During the Olympics I was in the Olympic Broadcast Center. We worked tirelessly leading up to and through the event to ensure communications went smoothly. It was a privilege to work on both projects.”
Bill shared the secret of his successful career. “I wouldn’t be where I am today if people hadn’t tucked me under their wings. As I learned more and moved into new roles, I’ve tried to do the same for others. It has been a real pleasure to support this industry and work with such wonderful people!”
