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Although it’s still a bit of an urban legend as to who holds the title of MKJ Communications’ first employee, one thing is for sure, Neil Macias has been with MKJ from the very beginning – way back to a small basement level office in 2006.
An asset to our team for almost fourteen years, Neil is always eager to learn, loves a good challenge and makes friends on every job he’s part of – he’s the original collaborator and problem solver. With a Masters in Electrical Engineering, Fiber Optic Certification and EST2 Program and Network Certification, he brings a lot to the table as MKJ’s newly minted Transit Group Manager.
Why does Neil think MKJ stands out in the industry? “We really care about each and every job on a personal level. We give 110% no matter what obstacles we encounter because we are problem solvers and we show up; days, nights, and weekends. Whatever it takes to get the job done, we do it.”
Jennifer Herman, our Founder, believed this promotion was not only well deserved but extremely needed, anticipating the need for a leader while forecasting the NYC Transit’s workload for 2020 and beyond – especially in the realm of design-build, elevator, and the ADA compliant jobs we have ahead of us.
With every project, Neil’s goal is to gain experience and then share that with our team. Out of all the projects that he’s been a part of here at MKJ Communications, the project he is most proud of is the System-Wide Station Migration W-32678 // W-32675-R.
Neil and his team knew from the start this would be an immense undertaking but were excited by the challenge – this project was essentially the Superbowl of systems integration. Relocating the existing telephone terminal boxes/boards from manholes and subway tracks and then moving them to the newly created communication rooms challenged Neil to use all of his acquired NYCTA skills and knowledge. This was a HUGE job that required an unbelievable amount of coordination and complicated design that required out of the box thinking.
The biggest challenge of all was finding solutions that arose in real-time when there wasn’t actually time for delays in the schedule. All of the systems had to be shut down to complete the individual track work, and if you’ve ever seen a disgruntled subway rider when the train is delayed, Neil’s team knew that had to be avoided at all costs or the NYCTA would not be happy.
Every one of the subway systems in use was affected, from the public address, emergency alarms, EBCS, AFC, radio, telephones, HDSL, TDS, ATS, and audio, so the NYCTA only allowed the work to be done over the weekends. Neil and his team completed a total of 94 stations in two years and it was a fast and time-consuming job.
“Every weekend each of the above systems had to be shut down because we had to minimize the downtime. We worked long hours under all kinds of weather conditions, definitely not an easy job, but when I see the telephone terminal boards we installed I remember what a great learning experience it was.”
His favorite part about working for MKJ? “I love the teamwork and how everyone comes together as one big family. We respect each other, we learn and we teach,“
Moving forward, Neil remains committed to life-long learning in this ever-evolving field of technology but is equally excited to share his acquired knowledge and take on the role of MKJ’s Transit Group Manager and become a mentor – teaching the MKJ way of learning all aspects of design/build and problem solving from the ground up.
Often required to deliver high-quality projects and repairs by a deadline and on budget, Neil’s intention is to be organized and capable under pressure in these new shoes he is set to fill. His key to success? “Essentially, it’s all about communication,” he says.
If you haven’t already had the opportunity to personally communicate with Neil, we hope you will soon.
MKJ is a company made up of extremely flexible project engineers who can not only integrate any communication system a client needs but who also know how to solve any problem that arises, whether from a full design or design-build. Because of this, we’ve been able to successfully complete every project we’ve ever supervised, on budget and on time. We’d love to successfully complete your next project. Contact John Massaro at Jmassaro@mkjcomm.com to get started, or learn more about MKJ Communications here
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