Q. What do you most want people to know about your company?
A. Since 1992, GCI Industrial Telecom, a division of GCI, has safely operated on the North Slope of Alaska and has continued its expansion across the continent to support clients in North American gas, the Gulf of Mexico and Canada. We are experts in the design, construction and operational support of complex communications networks in remote regions for the oil, gas and mining industries.
Q. Where is your company located?
A. Our regional headquarters are located in Houston Texas, Deadhorse/Prudhoe Bay and Anchorage, Alaska. We have project resources staged throughout North America and Alaska.
Q. What year was the company founded and by whom?
A. GCI was incorporated in Alaska in 1979. It is founded by two Alaska entrepreneurs, Bob Walp and Ron Duncan. GCI Industrial Telecom began operation in 1992.
Q. What is the company’s primary business sector?
A. Providing full life cycle telecommunications engineering, project management and construction services for oil, gas and mining companies. We are an EPC contractor for the energy industries.
Q. Are there important projects the company is currently a part of or has done recently?
A. We secured 100 percent of the North Slope exploration communication work in the 2011-2012 season. We are an active participant with other EPC firms throughout the US and Canada on large scale industrial projects.
Q. How many employees does your company have?
A. GCI employs over 1700 people of which over 100 are dedicated to the Industrial Telecom division.
Q. Is your company expanding any of its operations or locations?
A. GCI has a strong and growing presence in the oil and gas sectors. Our current focus is set on expanding our expertise to North America based mining markets. GCI has provided commercial services to many clients in the mining industry throughout Alaska for many years. These include Cellular, Satellite and Terrestrial Microwave based voice and data services. GCI Industrial Telecom is expanding our Professional Services offerings to the mining sector to better support their planning / design and construction efforts.
Q. What is your company’s main strength or its edge over the competition?
A. We are experts in the successful deployment of complex communications networks in remote regions. GCI Industrial Telecom understands industrial projects and the need to be nimble and ready for change. We work hard to create relationships based on three main principles: communication, trust and performance.
Q. Does your company have an anniversary or other landmark event coming up?
A. GCI is celebrating our 30th Anniversary, with special events and activities taking place across the state through December 31, 2012. Our focus is to thank customers and employees for 30 years of success. We are also hosting a 30th anniversary sweepstakes for customers to win a Subaru Forester, Fort Mustang, Nissan XTERRA, Arctic Cat Snowmachine and Polaris ATV. This fall, we will announce an exclusive benefit for GCI customers. For more information www.gci30.com.
Q. What is the average length of time employee’s work for the company?
A. 10 years
Q. What is your company’s safety record? What steps does the company take to ensure a safe work environment?
A. We are proud that our team has achieved over 1.5 Million hours without a Lost Time Accident (LTA). Our employees and our partners understand that safety in the work place is important, but safety at home and on the road matters just as much! Our Industrial Telecom Team has developed and adheres to a Behavioral Based Safety Program.
Q. Has your company been involved in any community projects or charities events?
A. GCI is committed to supporting the communities we serve. GCI Industrial Telecom partners with nonprofit organizations across the state to enhance the quality of lives for all Alaskans. Agencies include: The American Red Cross, Alaska’s Support Industry Alliance, Alaska Resource Development Council, Alaska’s Miners Association, and many more.
Q: Has GCI entered into any new partnerships?
A: GCI operates Alaska’s largest wireless network. Recently, GCI announced a partnership with Alaska Communications to form The Alaska Wireless Network, LLC. GCI and Alaska Communications have agreed to contribute their mobile assets to a new jointly-owned limited liability company, The Alaska Wireless Network, LLC (“AWN”). The contributed assets include: All cellular, PCS, and AWS radio spectrum licenses; GCI’s HSPA+/GSM/EDGE, CDMA/EVDO, and Wi-Fi networks and Alaska Communications’ CDMA/EVDO and LTE (currently in deployment) networks; all wireless towers, radios/antennas, backhaul/transport facilities, and voice/data cores are included; All fiber backhaul and transport facilities necessary to support expansion of the contributed networks and to provide wholesale roaming and backhaul/transport services to other wireless carriers.
Q. Does your company have a website?
A. www.gci-industrialtelecom.com
