Manitowoc company helps install TV towers, wind turbines, other technology

By Michelle Turcotte, Herald Times Reporter

Name of Business: Cerberus Tower Services
Ownership: Casey and Jill Lehman
Origins of business: Casey Lehman started Cerberus Tower Services in fall 2007. Lehman, who has a computer science degree, began his climbing career  working for wireless Internet providers. He is owner  and also a climber. "I'm on every job site," he said. "I am involved in  every aspect, from breaking the ground all the way up to putting the last bolts in the top of the tower."
Location: 917 York St., Manitowoc
Phone number: (920) 242-3733
Web site: www.cerberustowers.com
Hours and days of operation: 7 days a week by appointment, year-round

Services provided-products sold: Cerberus Towers  installs residential and commercial television towers, high-definition digital television antennas, GPS-based towers for tractor guidance systems and point-to-point wireless network towers.

"A lot of businesses will have an office a couple blocks away or across the plant," Lehman explained. "They need to have point-to-point, where you set up an antenna on one side and an antenna on the other side so they can communicate across their network wirelessly."

Cerberus Towers also installs wind turbines, residential or "small wind turbines" in particular, which range from about 50 to 100 feet. They also offer cabling services (such as residential router installation), tower maintenance and repair, tower removal, and climbing services such as beacon light change-outs.

How has business changed since opening: "It's changed quite a bit," Lehman said. "We started off in our garage working on just small residential TV towers and wireless Internet installation. We expanded and are now doing commercial climbing, construction, removal, and the residential wind turbines. We handle everything from start to finish."

Lehman moved to his shop a year ago and has five employees, including three other climbers.

"We'll do residential work as long as we're open," he emphasized. "I don't ever foresee us going 100 percent one way or the other. We're a small family company and we do what needs to be done."

Who are the customers and from where: Lehman said the majority of their current customers are residential, but they are growing their commercial client base. They have customers from across Wisconsin and into upper Michigan. Tower Services will be working in Waupaca this week to install a 150-foot GPS tower for implement equipment companies in the area.

Who or what is the competition: "There's really not a lot of other companies out there that do what we
do," said Lehman. "We're really kind of unique to our area. There are a handful of companies in the entire
state that do what we do, and even less that are doing residential wind turbines right now." There are some other larger tower companies that tend to contract with one particular company, typically cell phone providers.

How is marketing done: Lehman said marketing includes print ads and they are working on a couple radio spots, though most of their marketing is word-of-mouth. He plans to do more extensively advertise this year.

Tower Services also had a booth at the county fair and plans to do the same this August.

"It's nice to get face-to-face with such a huge variety of customers," Lehman said. "That worked out really
well, and it was fun."

What are the keys to future success: Lehman is charting further expansion in the future with plans to get into manufacturing residential turbines.

"We're in the beginning design stages for what's called a VAT — a vertical access turbine," he said.
"It's a smaller turbine that can be put in the city as opposed to the bigger ones that go on towers in the
country."

Lehman said it's also crucial to keep pushing forward with the newest technology, whether it's something they are designing or installing for a client.

Factors under control or not under control of ownership: "I control all aspects of service," Lehman said. "I'm on every job site from excavation, concrete, tower assembly, to climbing — I'm very hands on."

He said what the business can't control are local  and state ordinances for wind turbines, but said  they are getting better. He agrees with state legislation creating more uniform wind siting regulations.

"It was always kind of hard to put up a turbine in the state because of the land constraints and local ordinances," said Lehman. "Now there's not 100 different ordinances, there's just one across the board."

What is the role of creativity: Lehman said creativity is how he chooses to run his business.

"I'm very grassroots," he said, "so I spend a lot of time talking to anyone who's interested. Towers, antennas and turbines are confusing to some people, and people always have questions." If you call Tower Services, Lehman is the man you will speak with.

"The way I see creativity is how I interact with customers," he said, "and it's how I handle the day-to-day questions that come with big purchases like towers and turbines."

What is challenging or frustrating: The biggest challenge is that people don't really know what services Cerberus Towers offers, said Lehman.

"A common misconception we deal with is people think just because we are a professional climbing
company that our residential services are very expensive," he added. "It's the furthest thing from
the truth because we actually have commercial and residential rates."

Though they are getting better — new laws differentiate small residential turbines from large
commercial ones — Lehman said ordinances and zoning laws still pose challenges.

He said a lot of planning goes into putting up a turbine other than construction. For example,
clients must file paperwork for incentives and interconnection agreements if they wish to sell the
extra energy generated to their power company.

What is enjoyable: "That's easy," Lehman said. "I have the best office with a view in town. I love my job. I spend a lot of time up in the air — you're just away from the grind. It's definitely, definitely different than most people's jobs."

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