Stelera Wireless executive talks technology to students at MCCTC

Staff report

Canfield

If you asked Tim Duffy, chief executive officer of Stelera Wireless, what the Internet will look like in 30 years, he says, “It’s up to these students to dream up what’s next.”

Duffy, a former chief technology officer for Wilcom Cellular and vice president at AT&T, visited Mahoning County Career and Technical Center earlier this month to speak with X-treme Engineering Technology and Information Technology students about the wireless technology industry and the many careers available.

“Taking this industry forward, that’s your challenge,” Duffy told the students.

In addition to Duffy’s work in the wireless-technology industry, he also serves as an example of entrepreneurship. After leaving AT&T, Duffy set out to create Stelera Wireless, a company that provides internet access to rural parts of the country.

The visit was arranged by Bob Dukish, the X-treme Engineering Technology instructor at MCCTC. During the lecture Dukish said, “Mr. Duffy doesn’t have a job, he has a career — and he loves it. Hopefully when you leave here, you’ll be able to go out and do what you love and not just have a job.”

Duffy added, “If it’s what you love, then follow it. And don’t be afraid to fail. You never know what you’re capable of doing, until you have to do it.”