ANS Founding and Today

 

In order to preserve the values and key qualities that have made a business successful, it is important to go back and analyze just how a company got to where it is today. The founding of Atlanta Network Systems can be described as a story of keeping faith in a shared vision, taking risks, and overcoming challenges. The stars of the story include former Scientific Atlanta employees Jim Drummond, Vicki Burrell, and Brenda Durham. After coming together into the same work division at Scientific Atlanta and realizing the potential that the three could generate together, Jim proposed an idea to Vicki and Brenda that would change their lives forever.

 

Formula for Success

The idea to break away in search of more responsibility, potential for growth, and the pride of calling a business their own was launched. Although the potential risks were large, the three combined their strengths to produce the perfect formula of resources for success. When combining the team’s knowledge and experience along with each person’s unique strengths, everyone had a perfect role in the business model. Brenda’s exceptional accounting skill, Vicki’s experienced operational skills, and Jim’s leadership skills, created confidence among the group. A common level of trust and respect instilled throughout the group confirmed that they were ready to take this great leap. Plans were created, resignation letters signed, and Atlanta Network Systems was born.

 

Setting the Standard

After having Scientific Atlanta primarily as their customer, ANS’s work excellence and dependability didn’t stay quiet long. Customers soon caught on and learned to admire Atlanta Network System’s values that Jim, Vicki, and Brenda incorporated and modeled into their entire lives. It was obvious that ANS valued integrity, and set an extreme importance on being completely accountable on doing the best job possible. Jim set the standard for doing things correctly, completely, and on time. The feeling of truly being valued by the company kept customers coming back again and again. The passion that Jim instilled throughout the company to do things the right way has helped sustain over 20 year old relationships between contractors that still exist today such as (Mark Willets, Tod Raycraft, Eric Rentscler, Andy Stone, Jeff Smit) and many others.

 

Responsiveness, Quality Work, Experience

The key qualities that made ANS successful from the beginning include excellent responsiveness, exceptional standards on the quality of work, and the precise cross training of employees. The excellent responsiveness places emphasis of valuing the customers time. When the phone rings or an email sent, someone is always available and ready to serve the needs of the customer. Exceptional standards and quality of work is based on extreme dependability and attention to detail. Work with ANS is done correctly and precisely every time. Perhaps one of the most valuable qualities that are offered to the employees is that they are all cross trained to effectively work with customers in many different ways. Employees have first hand experience when dealing with the scope of work on sites. Employees have been trained to fulfill many positions and are capable of providing information in many scenarios. Employees are constantly analyzed so they can use their strengths in order to maximize potential in their selves, thus keeping ANS operations at optimum efficiency.The key qualities that have made ANS successful over 20 years ago have only been refined and innovated over time to the service business today.

 

 

When sitting down with Brenda and Vicki to pause and reflect on the first days of ANS and the challenges that were presented, it seems obvious that the limited amount of employees was at the top of the list. However, the solution was in them from the start. They found a way to prove that with hard work, determination, and a family like bond, that they always had more than enough to get the jobs done. In time, they would find that these challenges could be quickly turned into minor speed bumps in the road. When asked about certain memories of the first days at ANS, Brenda recalls the excitement and great sense of pride over their company and work. Vicki Burrell describes the journey from the first ANS days to the present as being nothing short of a beautiful ride. ANS employees are considered as close as family. Jim, Vicki, and Brenda are perfect examples of how dedication over the years can produce not just a great business, but a team as close as a family that can always be depended on.