Our Advantage | Key Personnel | Safety | Quality

The Barnard Companies, Inc. purchased RT and Sons, LLC, now doing business as Barnard Telecommunications, Inc. (BTI). BTI combines the expertise, excellent customer service, and attention to safety and quality of RT and Sons in erection and modification of cell towers with Barnard’s know-how gained from 37 years in the broader heavy civil industry. The Barnard Companies are privately held and have the financial strength and flexibility to take on even the largest project.

BTI specializes in general contracting turnkey services in the wireless technology industry.

• Program Management. Our management includes supervision, scheduling and program coordination with project owners.
• Logistics Coordination.  We have the purchasing power and regional diversification to coordinate any program.
• Site Development. We tackle site acquisition, structural engineering, A&E services, and surveying, as well as environmental and geotechnical services.
• Site Construction. We can self-perform all aspects of the construction process, including the civil construction for sites, from roads and tower and building foundations to telecommunications and permanent and backup power infrastructure. Our tower erection includes lines and antenna installation and equipment installation and hookup, in addition to site improvements like fencing and landscaping.
• Tower Modification. We can modify or reconfigure towers to meet an owner’s current needs.
• Site Testing. Our site testing includes line sweeping and trouble-shooting, BTS, T1 and PIM testing.
• Microwave Installation and Site Pathing.  Our services include complete site startup and configuration.
• Technical and Tower Maintenance. Many of our customers use us as trouble-shooters, as their “Tiger Team.”

BTI undertakes projects nationwide. We have a history of developing long-standing relationships with clients and developing excellent working relationships with related agencies, landowners and the general public. We can embark on a new project or follow up later with modifications in this rapidly changing industry.

Be sure to see discussion of our Safety and Quality programs and standards below.

Telecommunications Contact:

Mr. Derek Tisdel
PO Box 99
Bozeman, MT 59771
p: (406) 586-1995
f: (406) 586-3530 
e: derek.tisdel@barnard-inc.com

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Our People

As is true with our other Barnard affiliates, BTI’s greatest asset is its people. These seasoned managers are there to provide the tools and expertise in the trade to their expert crews in the field at each and every project. All Barnard companies embrace a partnering approach to work, which promotes mutual respect and seeks input from among all parties involved in a project, from the craftsperson in the field, to a stakeholder, to executive management in our Home Office. Learn more about BTI management below.

Our Reputation

• Bonding capacity of nearly $1 billion.
• Debt-free.
• Exceptional safety record.
• Privately held.
• History of on-time or early project completion.
• Demonstrated commitment to Partnering.

Barnard’s Approach

• Accurate, thorough cost estimating.
• Capable, comprehensive management of safety, schedule, costs, and subcontractors.
• Emphasis on our employees, their safety and professional development.
• Partnership with owners, design engineers, agencies and other stakeholders in the successful completion of each project.
• Integrity, innovation and performance.

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Joe Nelson
Senior Vice President

Joe Nelson has 36 years of experience in the heavy civil industry. He worked his way up the ladder, from driving trucks, to work in the field, to estimating, to managing all of these details and the personnel who currently tackle them. Mr. Nelson joined Barnard more than 25 years ago and has been instrumental in developing the firm we are today. He has extensive training in the technical and management aspects of the industry in addition to the degree in Construction Engineering Technology he earned with honors from Montana State University. His trademarks within the company and the industry are his abilities to innovate, and to build a team, and his contagious enthusiasm. MSU’s College of Engineering recently honored him with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Mr. Nelson has worked on projects throughout the U.S., from sewer rehabilitation in Los Angeles to lake-source cooling at Cornell University in New York. He has overseen large-scale projects, including the $400 million Owens Lake Program for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. From the beginning, Joe has been known a team player and a team-builder. He believes in partnering; in the last 10 years, his teams/projects have earned four Marvin M. Black Excellences in Partnering Awards from the Associated General Contractors of America, an unparalleled feat. In fact, Joe was a pioneer of the Partnering process long before it was adopted by most organizations.

Derek Tisdel
Vice President/Operations Manager

Derek Tisdel has spent his 14-year career focused on heavy-civil construction. He joined the Barnard Companies immediately after earning a B.S. in Construction Management with a minor in Business Administration from Central Washington University in 1997. Since then, his work at Barnard has included numerous complex projects in the field, from Florida to California, New York and Colorado.

Mr. Tisdel began his career working on a complex storm drainage and utilities project. His career has encompassed tunnel rehabilitation, lake source cooling, dust mitigation measures, and water resources construction. He has demonstrated his ability to manage and partner with clients, while managing the Tampa Bay Regional Reservior and a significant portion of the Everglades Agricultural Area Project, a $275 million project that included managing more than 50 salaried and 300 hourly employees operating under a Construction Management @ Risk contract. He has been on three project teams that have earned national Partnering awards.

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Our outstanding safety record just got better – The Barnard Companies finished 2011 with Zero Lost-Time incidents. This achievement reflects our dedication to building a culture of safety. From the CEO to employees at every job site, safety awareness is an integral component in any endeavor we undertake. At Barnard, staff members and service partners share a willingness to uphold high safety standards, which helps us provide the safest and healthiest work environment possible. Our insurance experience modifier rate (EMR) has historically been well below the national average and is indicative of our commitment to safety and health in everything we do. This lower EMR allows us a bidding advantage and represents a cost-savings to our clients.

Barnard’s Safety Objectives include:

• Promoting the safety and well-being of each employee and his/her family.
• Eliminating personal injury based on the belief that "injury-free" projects can and should occur.
• Encouraging recommendations for improvements to safety throughout the company and each project.
• Establishing individual responsibility for the safety program on each project that reaches all levels, including the workforce.

Our project managers and superintendents are the leaders of our safety team. They are responsible for accident prevention and reduction of on-the-job injuries. We believe that success in accident reduction lies in planning ahead. At Barnard, we make every effort to cultivate a positive safety attitude at every level. Barnard's Safety Program is designed for active participation by the entire project team. The company Safety Director provides technical support and training.

Key Elements of our Safety Program include:

• Involvement of crew.
• Belief that a safe job is a productive job.
• Use of a full-time Safety Educator to assist the project team.
• Company safety and health manual.
• Drug and alcohol testing program.
• Safety recognition program (Project Superintendent, Field Superintendent, and Foreman levels). 
• Tower Climbing and Rescue Certification (all supervisors have Tower Climbing Trainer Cards).
• Supervisor, foreman, and employee training programs (First Aid, CPR, Competent Person, OSHA 30-Hour, Specialty Equipment, etc.).
• New-employee orientation and training.
• Accident and injury reporting system with follow-up corrective measures.
• Jobsite Hazard Analysis (JHA) for all major work phases.
• Site-specific Safety, Health, Injury and Illness Prevention Program.

Reinforcement of Safety:

• Frequent safety evaluations of jobs by our Management Team members.
• Documented, weekly tool-box safety meetings.
• Daily pre-work safety meetings to cover the work tasks, associated hazards, work procedures, equipment, and required PPE.
• Safety awards presented during tool-box safety meetings and published in company newsletter.
• Safety training provided applicable to the project scope of work.
• Work plans that incorporate safety training and planning.
• Safety Violation/Misconduct Enforcement Program.
• Insurance company Loss Control Specialists visit the jobsite and make recommendations where warranted.
• Company-wide project safety award program.
• Extensive use of OSHA Consulting Services to strengthen project safety and health programs.
• Partnering and coordination with the client for job-wide safety and health efforts.

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At Barnard, we are committed to taking pride in our work and producing a quality product that meets or exceeds each owner’s expectations by constructing our work right the first time.  If it can be measured, it can be improved upon; this is how our Quality Program is communicated to our Project Teams. 

Our Approach

Barnard takes a proactive approach in Quality from the corporate level through the field personnel. Our individual project leaders, the Vice Presidents/Operations Managers, ensure that from the outset Quality is addressed in the company’s training programs, and that continual monitoring and maintenance of the Quality Program are performed at each project location.

At each project, we develop a thorough, site-specific Quality Plan that strives to achieve a uniform and high quality level of workmanship throughout the phases of procurement, fabrication, construction, and final facility testing and delivery.  Discussion about Quality Assurance and Quality Control is on the agenda at our daily, weekly and monthly meetings onsite and off.

In working with Quality Control (QC) inspectors, we know that our focus on Partnering and teamwork is essential. Our good relationships at the field activity level have been noted by all types of construction personnel. This practice of open communication lends itself to keeping Quality in the forefront of every individual’s work goals.

Keys to Our Program

We have found that the keys to a successful Quality Program include:

• Communication of expectations with the Engineer, Owner, supervisory staff and craft  workers
• Conformance with Contractual requirements
• Documentation of inspections, tests, and certificates
• Maintenance of supervised controls and written instructions governing Quality Control
• Earning trust by doing what we say we are going to do

Certifications and Memberships

Anritsu Certified
PIM Certified
T1 Testing Certified
Gin Pole and Hoist Certified

Rural Cellular Association (RCA)
CTIA – The Wireless Association
National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE)
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