Dave Fridley

Mr. Fridley is a native of South Dakota. He graduated from South Dakota State University (SDSU). He began his telecommunications career at DeWilde, Grant, and Reckert (DGR) of Rock Rapids, Iowa. DGR worked with Tier 3 (Cooperatives and privately owned family companies) and Tier 1 (Qwest; now CenturyLink) clients. In 1986, Fridley joined Martin Group, Inc. of Mitchell, South Dakota. In 2009, Martin Group merged with CHR Solutions, Inc.

Mr. Fridley was formerly in charge of the CHR Engineering Field Services group. At the time of Mr. Fridley’s departure from CHR Solutions, this group had 120+ full time employees plus access to an additional 50+ employees via sub-contractors. Under Mr. Fridley’s leadership, the group more than doubled in size in less than 3 years. A large percentage of this growth came about as a result of Mr. Fridley's leadership in promoting clients to apply for loan/grants from the ARRA Stimulus program.

Mr. Fridley has participated in the building of several statewide networks and many large regional networks. He has provided background technical information for testimony for state utility commissions in Iowa, South Dakota, Minnesota, New York, and Idaho.

Mr. Fridley has also written electronics plans and specifications for multiple clients. He has written plans and specifications, provided negotiation assistance, and project managed projects for over 500 new stored program control and next generation softswitches (Class 4 and Class 5). He has also prepared specifications for over 300 major upgrades to digital switches, prepared specifications for over 150 lightwave specifications, and has prepared a multitude of miscellaneous equipment specifications.

Mr. Fridley is a frequent presenter at industry events concerning present and future technologies as well as future infrastructure requirements. He has been a regular speaker or moderator at telecommunications industry events for the past 26+ years.