Where do Motorcycles, Biryani, and Network Design intersect? Only at IMMCO.
IMMCO continues with stellar growth in 2022, adding several new customers and exciting projects with existing customers. As part of the building momentum, two members of our India-based design team arrived in Canton, Georgia (IMMCO’s headquarters) in August of this year to help with the training and development required for several RDOF (Rural Digital Opportunity Fund)-related programs.
Shoukkath (pictured above) and Lison (pictured below) have both spent about 14+ years at the company and are leaders of IMMCO’s Telecommunications Engineering and Network Design Team. With the support of both IMMCO U.S. and GTS (IMMCO's parent company), they spent their time initiating RDOF activities and streamlining major projects along with doing PoC (Proof of Concept) for multiple FTTH & permitting projects.
One of the advantages of being physically present in the United States was that it provided them with the opportunity to see the digital designs they helped create at their desks come to life in the field. In September, IMMCO CEO Keith Hayes, Lison, and Shoukkath traveled to Perry, GA to visit a GTS FTTH construction site (shown below). Here, they spoke to an on-site manager who explained the challenges that were faced when implementing design in the field, allowing them to more closely integrate their design expertise with live construction activities.
Their trip was also an immersive experience of southern culture in the U.S. Both Shoukkath and Lison have now learned to operate a tractor, a zero-turn mower, and an all-terrain vehicle. They have ridden more than 1,000 kilometers with Keith, racking up many of those kilometers on a two-day weekend trip from Canton, Georgia to Gatlinburg, Tennessee (picture below) experiencing great motorcycling roads including the Cherohala Skyway, part of the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the most famous two-wheeler road in the south, The Tail of the Dragon featuring 318 curves in only 11 miles. The gorgeous vistas of trees changing colors during the fall amid the twisting turns of their route made this one of their favorite experiences of the trip.
Lison and Shoukkath shared a taste of Kochi by preparing an outstanding dish of shrimp biryani for Keith and his wife, Pam. They in turn (well…Pam did) prepared a southern favorite, roast beef, for them. And of course, being in the Southeast, their trip would not be complete without a visit to Cracker Barrel for some meatloaf and mac n’ cheese. Lison and Shoukkath also got to experience Halloween season in the United States, carving their own pumpkins (see below) and even baking the leftover pumpkin seeds for a salty snack.
They both agreed that it was an all-round learning experience filled with fantastic exposure to the culture in the U.S. As Shoukkath said, “it was like an action-packed film filled with a lot of adventures, food, work, travel, and sports (check out the whiteboard of activities they accomplished below).” The experience was rich with camaraderie, and both Lison and Shoukkath encourage all future visitors to the IMMCO U.S. team to “Feel free to share your opinions and suggestions with anyone here. Communicate often." Now, Lison & Shoukkath are en-route to India, heading back home to their families in time for the holiday season. We are all looking forward to more cross-cultural exchanges soon!
