On the latest edition of Data Movers, the President of Comstar Technologies breaks down his unique career arc, his approach to leadership, the influential trends he sees steering the telecom industry – and, of course, where to get the best cheesesteak in Philly.
The episode begins with Johnson discussing his humble beginnings as a cook turned cabling technician. He discusses how his path at Comstar led him from manager to Vice President of Infrastructure, to COO, to his current role as President. This experience affords Johnson a unique perspective on the company, as he has personally led almost all aspects of the project lifecycle – from quoting and designing to installations and invoicing. Later in the podcast, Johnson explains how his understanding of internal operations and client experience throughout his career has permanently shaped his business philosophy:
“Reflecting on my journey, really early on, I pictured myself as an employee of our clients. I was probably out in the field 80% of the time, so it was really easy to see it that way. That puts me in a perspective where I am our clients’ employee. I think that’s the key: becoming an employee of your clients and advising them, really putting yourself not just in your client’s shoes, but like you literally work there.”
As the episode moves on, Data Movers hosts Jaymie and Evan take a deeper dive with Johnson about the changes he’s seen over his time at Comstar Technologies and how the company has responded. He notes that on the telephony side, the emergence, then prominence, then pervasiveness of UCaaS has been a massive influence on how he views their business phone services. He has seen firsthand how Comstar and others needed to respond to hardware converging into the network – cameras, phones, everything joining the IT space.
In relation to this evolution, Johnson also provides insight into where he sees this aspect of tech and telecom heading—describing a future where the convergence of the hardware side that has taken place over the last decade will move to applications. Citing an example where UCaaS platforms and CRM systems will soon merge, David explained, “Whether you acquire them separately and get two different bills, that’s fine, but really you’re going to see a true integration of the application layer where it’s not just that they talk to each other, they will literally exist as one from the end-user experience. I think that’s what we’re really at the forefront of right now.”
To learn more about Johnson’s history, his views on the industry and Philly cheesesteaks, check out the Data Movers episode here.
