The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 43
Wilkin talks about OCC as
a "small company with a
big footprint." He stresses
OCC "is in the top four fiber
optics companies in North
America" and "some say
that should be the top two."
good sense to hire Neil Wilkin as its knight in shining armor. Wilkin produced spectacularly and rapidly
and today OCC has become one of the most respected
manufacturing companies in the region, easily moving
from production of fiber optic cables to its international position engineering and making a comprehensive line of high-end cable and connection products
that involve more than just fiber optics.
Kopstein, one of 25 brilliant engineers let go by
ITT in Roanoke in the early 1980s when it closed
its fiber optics business (a great story of initiative
for these engineers), founded the company in 1983
and produced sturdy, light, tough fiber optic cable
that was transmitting huge amounts of data-for that
time-especially for the military. That cable helped in
the evolution of the industry. After Kopstein's misadTHEROANOKER.COM
ventures, OCC had to hustle to re-take its industry
position and hustle Wilkin and his teammates did.
By 2009, they added plants in Asheville, North
Carolina and Plano, Texas, and their employment
grew from 200 to 350 (210 of those in Roanoke).
Wilkin talks about OCC as a "small company with
a big footprint." He stresses OCC "is in the top four
fiber optics companies in North America" and "some
say that should be the top two."
OCC, which is publicly traded via NASDAQ,
doesn't "generally sell to the [big data] carriers," says
Wilkin, concentrating on mining, oil and gas industries, broadcast, harsh environment and "specialty
markets" in more than 70 countries. Innovation "is
part of a continuum," says Wilkin, made necessary
by an ever-changing industry.
OCC, says Wilkin, is in the advantageous position
of not "seeing a lot of foreign competition" and in
concentrating much of its marketing here.
This is also a company that takes its corporate responsibility personally and is deeply involved in everything from scouting to the arts to the Roanoke/
Blacksburg Technology Council.
Wilkin likes to note that you can find OCC cable
in such diverse places as NASCAR infields, Tech football games, military deployments and missile programs and a wide range of other uses. In general, if
you see a cable that looks like an OCC product, it
probably is one. I
OCC's Neil Wilkin
"In general, if you see
a cable that looks like
an OCC product, it
probably is one.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 | 43
http://www.THEROANOKER.COM
The Roanoker - January/February 2017
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Roanoker - January/February 2017
Front Cover
Letters/Worth a Click
From the Editor
Lunch With . . .
Streets of Roanoke
The Gist
Events
25 Great Things in Roanoke, 2016
Five National Best-Selling Authors Right Here?
Making it in Roanoke
The “From-Scratch” Bullington Home
Blue Apron, La Petite Fondue: Two for Distinctive Dining
The Dish
SPECIAL SECTION: Valley Life
SPECIAL SECTION: The Menu Dining Guide
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - Intro
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - Cover1
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - Cover2
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 3
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 4
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 5
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 6
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 7
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 8
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 9
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - Letters/Worth a Click
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 11
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - From the Editor
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 13
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - Lunch With . . .
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 15
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - Streets of Roanoke
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 17
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - The Gist
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 19
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 20
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 21
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - Events
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 23
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 24
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 25
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 26
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 25 Great Things in Roanoke, 2016
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 28
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 29
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 30
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 31
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 32
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 33
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - Five National Best-Selling Authors Right Here?
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 35
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 36
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 37
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - Making it in Roanoke
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 39
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 40
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 41
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 42
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 43
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - The “From-Scratch” Bullington Home
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 45
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 46
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 47
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 48
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 49
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 50
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - SPECIAL SECTION: Valley Life
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL2
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL3
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL4
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL5
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL6
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL7
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL8
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL9
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL10
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL11
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL12
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL13
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL14
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL15
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL16
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL17
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL18
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL19
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL20
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL21
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL22
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL23
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL24
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL25
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL26
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL27
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL28
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL29
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL30
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL31
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL32
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL33
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL34
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL35
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL36
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL37
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL38
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL39
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL40
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL41
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL42
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL43
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL44
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL45
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL46
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL47
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL48
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL49
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL50
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL51
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL52
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL53
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL54
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL55
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL56
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL57
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL58
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL59
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL60
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL61
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL62
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL63
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL64
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL65
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL66
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL67
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - VL68
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 51
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 52
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 53
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 54
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 55
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - Blue Apron, La Petite Fondue: Two for Distinctive Dining
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 57
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 58
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 59
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 60
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 61
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 62
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 63
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 64
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 65
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - The Dish
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - Cover3
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - Cover4
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - SPECIAL SECTION: The Menu Dining Guide
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - M2
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - M3
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - M4
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - M5
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - M6
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - M7
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - M8
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - M9
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - M10
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - M11
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - M12
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - M13
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - M14
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - M15
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - M16
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - M17
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - M18
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - M19
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - M20
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - M21
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - M22
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - M23
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - M24
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - M25
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - M26
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - M27
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - M28
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - M29
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - M30
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - M31
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - M32
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - M33
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - M34
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - M35
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - M36
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - M37
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - M38
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - M39
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - M40
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - M41
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - M42
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - M43
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - M44
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - M45
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - M46
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - M47
The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - M48
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