The year 2007 was a momentous one. The first generation iPhone hit the market, Netflix streaming launched, and Zayo was born!
To reflect on the past 15 years in business and look ahead to what’s next, we asked some of our most tenured employees to share their thoughts, memories, and hopes for the future of Zayo.
Employees interviewed:
- Aaron Werley – employee since 2007 – VP of Technology, Lit Networks
- Mathieu McCuaig – employee since 2016 – Principal, Senior Sales Manager
- Tommy Bunce – employee since 2014, Ideatek – Regional OSP, Operations
- Tracy Cook – employee since 2017 – VP, Global Human Resources
- Lisa Hensley – employee since 2005, AboveNet – Senior Manager, Channel & RNS Success
- Linda Bourgon – employee since 1988, Allstream – Human Resources Business Partner Specialist
- Kara Secora – employee since 2016, Risk Analyst
- Chelsea Storozuk – employee since 2012, Senior Manager, Channel Marketing
What has kept you committed to Zayo?
Aaron Werley: For me, it’s important there is always an opportunity to learn. Through nearly 50 acquisitions, I’ve seen 50 different ways to solve the same problems. You learn a lot from that experience and I couldn’t have paid for an education like that.
Mathieu McCuaig: It has been great to be part of Zayo’s evolution and have our team play a significant role in Zayo’s success in Canada.
Tommy Bunce: I love taking ownership of the network in my territory and doing my best to maintain and improve it, being the point of contact for Kansas, and, best of all, building a rapport with the customer base using it.
Tracy Cook: I like to participate actively in Zayo’s success by leading the global HR organization to support all of our employees.
Lisa Hensley: It’s easy to be committed to Zayo. We are all rock stars who care for each other and our customers!
Linda Bourgon: I like the Zayo inclusive culture and my great colleagues. If you are willing to learn, there are a lot of opportunities to grow. The company is innovating and is always looking at finding new ways to do things better.
Kara Secora: The people – I truly enjoy working with everyone on my team.
Chelsea Storozuk: Zayo gives its employees the space to be creative, learn and try new things – staying true to its entrepreneurial spirit. There have always been many opportunities for special projects and stretch roles, allowing me to create a more well-rounded skill set and try things that I may not have otherwise gained experience in.
What is your favorite career development memory?
Aaron Werley: 10+ years ago being steered towards leading teams. I was on a path of focusing on technical certifications and just trying to be the biggest nerd at Zayo. My director at the time convinced me I should really consider leading an engineering team. It turned out to be fantastic advice and now I lead our technology organization!
Mathieu McCuaig: I flew to Washington as Brad Kilbey’s (Zayo former SVP of Sales) sales operations guy to help organize things… at lunch Brad asks me: “What do you want to do when you grow up?” Shortly thereafter I started my new role as sales director.
Tommy Bunce: We had a legacy employee leave Zayo and I asked for a conference call with my manager and his manager before they made any decisions. They both listened and worked with me to move people around, save a person from being laid off, and implement the team we mostly still have today. I was also given the opportunity to manage the team in my market for about a year. It felt great to be listened to and trusted!
Tracy Cook: In my previous role as Chief of Staff to our COO, I really had an opportunity to better learn the business and help to stand up and define our business development model.
Lisa Hensley: I was selected earlier this year to stand up a brand new group within the customer success team called the billing resolution team. This action reaffirmed how Zayo values its employees and trusted my leadership abilities for this new team.
Kara Secora: I was given the opportunity to change my career path a couple of years ago. I had complete support from upper management to educate myself in my new role and recently completed my Certified Risk Manager designation!
“The company is innovating and is always looking at finding new ways to do things better.”
What does Zayo’s Mission of “Connect What’s Next” mean to you?
Aaron Werley: Enabling our customers with the connectivity and expertise to support their key initiatives across a variety of industries.
Mathieu McCuaig: In our public sector vertical, our day-to-day work directly contributes to serving Canadians, be it by keeping the planes in the sky through NavCanada, or our work keeping Canada safe with CBSA, RCMP, DND, or any of the other ministries and agencies we help to keep Canada running.
Tommy Bunce: At Zayo we get to be the critical piece that ties so many communities and rural ISPs to the rest of the world delivering not only bandwidth and connectivity, but a world of opportunities.
Tracy Cook: Building connections can lead to new business, can result in referrals, can open new doors, and can lead to lasting relationships, friendships and business alliances. In essence, connecting what’s next gives Zayo the competitive advantage.
Lisa Hensley: “Connect What’s Next” describes the importance of what we do and what it means to our customers and our communities. While what we do isn’t brain surgery – what we do IS critical in our customers’ network connectivity.
Kara Secora: It is so important to connect people and support their communities in this day and age.
