00:00
Hi, and welcome to Power of the Network. I'm your host, Tim Locker, Vice President of Broadband here at CBM. This week we've got a little change of events. I'm gonna give my seat up here and we're gonna bring in Mr. Brett Cooper and he's gonna reverse the roles on me. So he'll be interviewing me. So hopefully we give everybody an opportunity to get a little bit more inside my head and see what I'm all about and learn a little bit more about what we do here at CBM.
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Let's get right into that conversation with Mr. Brett Cooper. uh
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This should be fun today. So Tim, thanks for letting me flip the script a little bit, as they might say. I know typically this is your chair and you feel a little bit... Kind of in the hot seat. In the hot seat a little. And I appreciate letting me sit in it, at least for whatever time we're here today. Don't get used to it. Well, let's get into it. Most people know, listening to you, that you are the host of Power of the Network. But not everybody knows your background. So let's get into a little bit about your background.
01:03
Tell us about your current role at CBM, what you're doing, and what led to that change of you leading the broadband. Yeah, so I've been with CBM now 17 years. Started in the communication industry. felt that long too, just so you know, but no offense. So started covering Iowa and Nebraska for the communication team. 17, yeah, 17 long years. So now...
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uh You know just after so many years, you know, there's a little bit, you know, we're kind of a flat organization in terms of right, you know the growth opportunity, uh you know uh but You know, there's there's been an overlap uh in the markets, you know Especially in the fiber industry what my expertise is so, you know I've kind of moved into a new role where I'm trying to you know, help our utility group uh
02:01
have a little bit more expertise in fiber because there's so much broadband going on and not just the traditional telcos anymore, but in that electric co-op space. my day-to-day activities outside of hosting the podcast, doing that once a month, I'm in the field with a lot of various folks in the company, uh support on oh demos, kind of bring expertise in where I need to.
02:30
That's kind of my role now. uh Also, some of it is also to, we've got our three different groups within the company with communication and our CNI and our utility market segments that we cover. Traditionally, through the years, we've kind of had like a silo type rigid structure of that. And there's so much uh overlapping business that
02:59
The goal now is to kind of bring those walls down in more of a one CBM type of atmosphere. The way we work, we all win, the company wins, everybody in the company wins as the company wins. The nature of our ESOP is for the benefit of everyone. Our sales guys aren't commissioned, uh
03:29
A commission guy, there's plus and minus. You take a guy that's strictly making commission and he's going to hit it hard, but he's worried about one thing and that's himself. Right, and the teamwork aspect's always been part of it. I know you and I have talked about that over the 17 years, and how important that is to what goes on totally. And then with your involvement, I think you've expanded that a little bit. Yeah, yeah.
03:56
You know, that's, you when we talk on the podcast too about, you know, being able to share our expertise and put our assets where they need to be. That's what I mean by that team environment. You know, we've got a lot of folks and they've all got individual backgrounds and they've all got certain things that they're best at, right? So ah not everybody's going to be good at everything, but we're able to use the best.
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parts of everybody where it needs to be. So that's one thing I think is pretty unique about CVM. No, and I would agree. You mentioned one word in there, flat, that I'd like to have you just a little bit. Well, in terms of... But for the folks listening internal and external here at our organization, you can have a really good career in this flat organization. Absolutely. And have the opportunity for leadership opportunities of your own. Can you explain a little bit what you've seen? so in terms of just, you know...
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overall structure. uh You know, there's, there's, you know, we've got Marla is the president, we've got, you know, three VPs, and you've got inside and outside sales. So in terms of, you know, upward positional growth on the on the org chart, it's fairly flat. But yeah, you're right. uh You know, everybody has an opportunity to be in a leadership role, you know, I've heard since I've been here,
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the message was always, you know, act like an owner. And I think that's very important. think sometimes it's misunderstood that org chart and that structure is there for a reason. know, Marla's got to make decisions at her level and you've got to make decisions at your level and so on and so forth. There's a structure and a hierarchy for a reason. You know, act like an owner doesn't mean, you know, everybody gets to make high
05:49
level uh decisions, right? But what it does mean is, you know, you have the opportunity, you know, let's just take my old role, the Iowa, Nebraska, where I started Iowa, Nebraska, communication sales tour territory. I was given the freedom and flexibility to develop that territory. uh You know, the better job that I did, the more people
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would come the more manufacturers would want us to work for them so on and so forth. you really have the ability to create your own kingdom, if you will, right? Yes, I like that word. We use it often. So that's really the value. It's interesting, I was watching, I don't know if you've ever heard of this podcast, his name's Joe Rogan. Maybe some of you that watched this have heard of him.
06:49
Joe Rogan's great, I listen to him all the time, but he had Bernie Sanders on recently. And I did listen to that episode because of you. I shared that with you. But one thing that he talked about, talking about all this corporate greed and whatever, but one thing that he thought would be a fix is having employees that had ownership in companies. And that's exactly what we are. And that's...
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uh So, you know, we have a say in how we operate. No, and you and I have talked about that. You know, we've talked, we joked before on one of the earlier podcasts when you and I were together about the difference of that ownership and what it really means and the structure. frankly, I'm a guy who likes that team, right? Military background, we like that team environment. I want to take care of the soldiers, right? uh You and I both feel that the folks that work here are teammates at CBM, are people we want to take care of.
07:45
And we want them to look at, want to take care of the company as well, right? Which is why we're in ESOP, which is why you and I get up every morning and we've talked about it, right? People probably don't realize the in-depth conversations we've had about it. But certainly that ESOP and ownership's really been important to us. It's huge. And it's the reason that we're all still here. It truly is a family. ah If you don't succeed, I don't succeed. And vice versa.
08:14
uh And so that's really, going back to the original question, what's my role? That's part of what I do too. I travel with a lot of people in our company. uh It's really been good because in the silo, in your day-to-day world, you're just kind of in your own little gig, right? And that's one of the things that I always appreciated. uh Being a remote sales guy,
08:44
I'm not in and around the company a lot. you know, bringing people in for our planning sessions or for, you know, just a company picnic or, you know, party at the end of the year, any of those things, it always rejuvenated me when I was back in with the team. And I think that's pretty important, especially when you're dealing with like our company, a lot of remote folks, uh you can kind of get in a groove, get in a rut, if you will, when you're not.
09:14
around the team. Most of our folks, you know, we talk all the time. So, you know, it's your phone call away, you you've got a lot of time on the road. so we, you know, we, a lot of people talk to each other anyway. So that's one way to connect. bringing people in, making them feel part of that team is real important. No, and I think you touched on a little bit about the, you know, the dynamics of the markets and how they've really merged together. I know one of our largest orders for
09:43
patch cables came from one of our electrical uh teammates, right? And so it really has crossed across, particularly with industrial automation and all the things. You tie all that back to fiber to the home, the utility cooperatives on their own networks. So your position in my mind really is important. And your technical knowledge, what people probably don't realize is, is your background is a little different than most of us. Some of us started in as sales.
10:10
Your background started more technically. so, let's talk a little bit about how you first got in sales, because we're going cover some other things. But the sales piece, you started doing some other things first in sales before you got to CBM. Yes, yes. As Dan LeVack would say, I was a knuckle-draggers. Right. ah But I always knew, I always knew even as a young kid that I wanted to be in sales. You my dad was a salesman. ah
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you know, in the summers I'd get to travel around with him on certain days, whatever. And he just always had, always had fun. Always, he was, you know, he was a jokeable, you know, he's always, fun is the number one thing for my dad. That's how he was and how I was raised. But getting the ability to, you know, just jump in the truck with them and we'd go out to Harlem. And, you know, at one time dad had,
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13 Trenchers in Harlem that he'd sold every, I mean, from the co-op to the phone company to the cable company to a couple of electricians. mean, and to be able to go out there and see how he, uh just what his job was, he was hanging out with his buddies, like, you know. And I always knew that I wanted to do that. But at the age, that young age, I wasn't given the opportunity. know, nobody wanted to take a risk on a kid that doesn't.
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know anything, right? So out of high school, through high school and out of high school, I was doing construction, worked for a small contractor building houses, remodeling, those kinds of things. my dad actually had did a lot for kind of...
12:00
putting me where I am, I guess. I owe him a lot for help. Parents tend to do that. I'm kind of in the same position with my son. My son just graduated. He's doing construction just like I was, doesn't know what he wants to do, wants to get into a sales role. But I don't want to just push him, of pigeonhole him into this what I do. I want him to do what he wants to do. Now, do I have a lot of connections? And probably could I help him align somewhere? Yeah, probably could. Right?
12:30
I want it to be his choice. And he'll accept that better too. Yeah. I mean, that's a good But anyway, so uh dad had left Ditchwich and he was working for a uh contracting company. So he was actually installing Fiverr. They actually did, it was Dixon Directional Boring that he was the general manager of and they actually did.
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the first Fiber to the Home project for Huxley Telephone, which was in the town I grew up in. uh But so through that, he met another guy that was looking for someone to uh help him splice fiber. And so uh he set me up with a guy. I talked to him. He's like, yeah, you'll do. He needed help. He'll show up on time. got hands, fingers, you're on. Little company called Midwest Cable, Inc.
13:25
And so the shirt said, MCI, but it wasn't like MCI back in the day of the big telecom. So guy's name was Robin Tedrick. Great dude, great dude. They were from Indiana. At the time, McLeod was building, starting to build the ICN network and starting to put fiber up all over and they came to chase all that work. So I just learned on the job, uh learned how to splice, learned how to test, was working across the state.
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worked for him for about a year. ah And then we had a little incident that kind of changed the course of my career. ah I burned a splice trailer down.
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What's different about CBM? First and foremost, it's our ESOP. Employee owners have more control and more ability to make decisions that are right for our customers and right for our company and right for our manufacturers. We've got the flexibility to put people where they need to be and use our experts wisely. If you need help with a project or need representation from an excellent sales force here in the Midwest, look no further than CBM. m
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dot com.
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Like to the ground. that first? At that first, when I was working for MCI. I'm surprised anybody else hired you afterwards. So what's the story behind it? So it was interesting. So it mocker mistake or was it lightning struck? it was just a coincidence. uh you know, at the time, back in the day, that was before this big onset of all these highly specialized splicing trailers. This was, you know, an enclosed trailer that we built it.
15:12
Well, he built it, I walked into it. about a week prior, we were in Des Moines. ah And I don't remember specifically, I remember there being a lot of people in the trailer. The company was having an issue and we were there to look at it. So the management and there's five, six people. And the one gentleman looks down and says, your floor's on fire. And we looked down and we had like a ready wall heater type of furnace.
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and the little connection on the bottom was leaking and it started a fire. So we stomped it out and tightened it up. Didn't think anything of it. Well, a week later we're over in kind of Western Iowa and we were out, it was cold. So we were out, we were wrapping up a project. We were doing the testing. We had a couple of fibers. We had to go back and re-burn to get the testing complete. And so I, you know, get to the first location.
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Get the heater going, take care of that, and on down to the second spot. I this feeling this heater going is going to be an issue. Go ahead. It was an issue. ah I'm literally, it's like 10 degrees this morning. So, I'm up in the bucket truck, taking the splice case off the strand, and the little vent lid that cranks up on the top of trailer just blows off.
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flame shooting about four feet out of the top of it, and I'm way up in the bucket truck, and the hydraulics are like, you know. So I was literally only able to just get down and unhook the trailer and drive away from it. You saved the truck. I saved the truck. Lost the trailer. Lost the trailer. It was, you know, at the time, the equipment was way more expensive. Right. At that time, a splicer was 40 grand. Right. You know, an OTDR was 30, 40 grand. Right.
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Yeah, it was well over $100,000 deal, you know, at the end of the day. So I remember I got on the phone, had the little bag phones back then, and I called Robin and I said, hey, the trailer's on fire. Yeah, yeah, are you there? Yeah, that blue buffer tube, you know, the red fiber redo that. I'm like, Robin, the trailer's on fire. Yeah, yeah, yeah, and it took about four times, and he's like, wait a minute, what?
17:33
I'm like, dude, it is burning to the ground. know, fire department, fire department came and I mean, it was too late. They literally, the only thing we saved was a set of keys. That was it. It was a total loss. So at that point, I was out of work for a little bit because that was a big hit to a small company. You know, he had to deal with insurance and figure out what he's going to do. And so uh I was living in a
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upstairs of a buddy's grandpa's house, an old farmhouse that me and a buddy kind of remodeled and moved in. And at the time, the old man wanted his bathroom remodeled. Right. I'm like, well, I'm not busy. So I did that. And by the time that was done, I had another job and another job. And so I just kind of went back into construction. ah Then Sarah comes into the picture.
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ah So things go well, we get married. She's like, you need to get a job. This construction gig wasn't, I wasn't mature enough at the time to be able to handle running my own business and manage the funds and Rob Peter and PayPal and all that. then I actually, uh shortly after we got married, ah then I had an opportunity to go to McLeod and then I started splicing again.
19:03
from a cloud USA out of Des Moines. that's how I kind of got all tangled into that. But then you soon after that moved on to selling some heavy equipment, right? Were you selling some drill rigs and some of that stuff? So when actually, I went for a job interview the day before my wedding on the way, got married in Sac City, where Sarah's from. And so on my way over, Reader's, which is a
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farm implement dealer was building a new construction implement dealer in Ames. And, was 23. But I'd known a lot of the contractors in Ames, been around construction equipment since I was a kid. I'm this is the perfect job. Mike, you've got to hire me. Well, they didn't. So I went for the interview. Like I was driving to Carol, you know,
19:58
You set me up for that. thought we were going all in with this one. they didn't. Then that was my struggles. I was a young kid. They didn't think I knew anything. Wouldn't give me the opportunity. And I kept in touch with this manager over the next couple of years. And the guy that they hired was kind of your typical, maybe used car salesman, older guy with the pointy boots and whatever. It didn't work out. But by then I had moved on. But I knew at that young
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that I was going to be a salesman. just didn't have the opportunity. So I stayed at McLeod for several years. I don't know, seven, eight, nine years. I forget. It's been a while ago. I'd left there. I actually left there and then took another splicing job. so that was probably, that was for sure a mistake.
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ah I met some good folks and it wasn't a bad job, but I wasn't leaving ah the company. I didn't want to be splicing anymore. Kind of hard on my neck, hard on my back. But so I finally got an opportunity with Midwest Underground, a local uh dealer there in Des Moines, and they were a case dealer. So you've got Ditchwich, you've got Vermeer, and then Case is kind of like number three.
21:24
uh And so I went to work for this guy and I worked for two years uh selling construction equipment. And actually by that point, my dad had actually was working for this guy. So he was covering Des Moines and all the good territory. then I had the profitable stuff. I had all the leftover stuff. Got it. But I did good. was a great experience. It was on the road.
21:49
A lot of travel. With that background, let's move that a little bit because that background's what's made, in my opinion, you very successful doing what you do today. Because there's a level of trust with customers because of that experience. And in addition, you're able to roll that over to other teammates, which is what you're doing today in this role. Yeah. And that really makes, in my opinion, it's really almost that technical vice president of broadband.
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where you're able to come into all of our different markets and apply those experiences you had in the past to be successful today. Would you agree? It's definitely an advantage. uh I think more so now with that combined with the experience I have now, it's definitely an advantage because what I've gained here over the years is just more confidence. uh
22:47
probably some of the toughest people to sell to. If they, you know, if you, it's on the job training, whatever you learned on that's your favorite. This is what I know how What you use first. This, you bring in this other product and that's different, it's scary and it's tough and splicers are probably the most challenging people to sell to. uh But having that ability and I can literally talk the talk and walk the walk if you will.
23:16
They do trust me. There's a different level of trust in somebody that's just selling a closure that doesn't have that experience. And I think our team's done a good job of realizing that's the strength and what you bring to the table. And we've been able to utilize you successfully on a lot of opportunities. If we look back to the larger opportunities that we have today, you've been involved.
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Our teammates are driving the bus, they've got an expert they're bringing along with I think that's one thing for the team to realize is that that's where we all have to grow. Our goal should be uh we should all be the expert. Sure. We've talked about that, right? Everybody's got their favorite line and they've got their comfort level, but we all got to get out of that comfort level and
24:10
try to be the expert on everything. That's really what this kind of role has done for me too. It's given me an opportunity to learn more about the rest of our company, kind of out of my little shell, learn about the CI group, those manufacturers, what they do, meet some people, uh learn about the utility industry. ah So that's been kind of the best part about expanding out of that for me.
24:38
No, and I think you've done an excellent job with that for sure. Now, people know the work version, right? But I always think it's important. We talk a little bit about relationships and the importance of knowing people and that relationship. I think some of that goes back to who you are at home. Tell us a little bit about the Locker family. The Locker family. ah My mother-in-law first thought I was in the mafia.
25:05
I can see that. Sarah brought me home for the first time and she literally said, Sarah, is he in the mafia? I wasn't aware that Iowa had a lot of mafia, but maybe I don't know. No feist, I'm not in the mafia. uh So, yeah, Sarah and I met. She went to college at Iowa State. She happened to room for a roommate with a friend of mine's girlfriend. So we got introduced. ah
25:35
That's all it took. I've been told that I'm a catch for any woman. oh There's a little story behind that. Power of the Network host, I can see it. We were dating and I've always loved to fish. so uh Sarah and a friend of mine uh and I went to this little farm pond and we're fishing. I'm standing there with my shirt off. It's hot in the summer and I'm like, if I'm fishing, I'm fishing, right? And I've worn my.
26:01
You've been fishing with me. I have. And I understand there's a difference between those you know and those you do not. So they were having a conversation on the side and my friend Casey looks at Sarah and he's like, he really is a catch for any woman. So that joke still stands. we got married fairly young, 23. ah Didn't start a family until we were 27. So we were married for a few years, had little fun, just had a little duplex uptown Slater.
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always lived in Slater, haven't really ventured too far. So just had our son graduate, Thomas, he's 23. We have a daughter now too that'll turn 14 in October. So a little spread between them. It was planned. We were just kind of content with the first one and then it's like, oh.
26:53
you know, probably should have another one. You were a big part of pushing that. Yeah, I thought it would be good for you to have two. That second one. So, Thomas just graduated two from college, right? Yep. Yeah, so he graduated from Iowa State kicking and screaming. Right. But he got it done. He got it done. We actually... So he started at DMACC, the community college, and he just didn't care for that. Too small, kind of still more high school-like. Right.
27:21
ah But he did his two years there and then transferred to Iowa State. And he really grew a ton when he made that change. You could see the difference in just his grades. But he finished with, I forget, I think it was a three, five or a three, no, a three, four grade point. I think it was a three, nine. I think I remember correctly. No, that was mine. That was Yeah, yeah, yeah. I hear you.
27:48
But no, he really turned it around ah and towards the end of it, started really taking it very seriously. So is there any significant, I mean, is there any correlation between where you were in your life and where Tommy is today? Oh, it's like looking in a mirror. Okay. It's like looking in a mirror. Absolutely. And that's probably one of our biggest challenges. You know, we don't always see eye to eye, ah but it's because we're so much alike.
28:17
So much alike. The kids are very similar. You know, when I look at Alice and I see Thomas all the time. But they've got different habits, but similar attributes. And I think Alice in doing well in school, think we're doing a little tennis. think she's going to end up being a little tennis star, right? Tennis, yeah. really loves volleyball too. She spends a ton of time doing volleyball.
28:43
You know me from just a practical standpoint volleyball such a huge thing now. There's so many girls doing it, right? She's and she's really good uh But the honest, know, is she gonna go on and do something with that? Probably not right, know, that's the odds right right ah Tennis, know, there's less people less competition, right? So she probably has a uh brighter future should she choose that there right? She's just so good for her age. I just
29:12
I really, I just love watching her. She hasn't beat me yet, but the last time we played, I was only up three to two and thank goodness I pulled a hamstring and had to stop. Because I think she might be there, yeah. So I think, you know, it's interesting and it's always been good to hear the stories about your kids and we've shared a lot of that along the way. But I think...
29:36
You know, for someone like yourself who shows up for the family, that's a big part of it. I think that rolls over to what we do at CBM with It's challenge. I think, yeah, there's some similarities here.
29:51
Just want to say thanks again to Mr. Brett Cooper for coming in and kind of changing the seats on me a little bit. So that was fun for me to be on the other side of the mic. We're going to probably make this a two-part episode, so we're going to come back with part two on the next one, so stay tuned for that. Remember, if you need help with a project here in the Midwest or if you're looking for representation for a product, look no further than CBM. You can find us right here at cbmrep.com.
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Thanks for joining us on Power of the Network and until next time, we'll see you next time.
