By Brian Galante
Special to Weekly Tech Roundup
He’s enjoyed a 43-year career that saw him join GatesAir predecessor Harris Corp. in 1981 through his association with Midwest Corporation, a satellite news-gathering systems and services operation Harris purchased in 1989. Now, Joe Mack is enjoying the first weeks of retirement.
Mack’s final day at GatesAir was September 30, and he exits after four years as Chief Revenue Officer for what is now a unit of Thomson Broadcast of France.
Mack began his career as a sales engineer in Midwest’s call center and soon found himself contributing to many of Midwest’s biggest projects, including the design and deployment of the company’s earliest satellite uplink facilities. Along the way, he was instrumental in developing instant news as we know it today and managed satellite flyaway terminals and projects for major broadcast networks worldwide. Key achievements from this early phase of his career include the Reagan-Gorbachev summit in Iceland, along with the Tiananmen Square uprising in Beijing.
In fact, Mack’s understanding of how satellite and over-the-air technologies aligned to benefit the television broadcaster, as well as his expertise working across international regions, inspired a gradual rise through the ranks within Harris. “We developed large satellite distribution models for broadcast networks, which opened their eyes to a new revenue stream through the ability to transmit ENG and SNG content over the air,” he said. “Harris was already making TV transmitters, but this opened a new era of exploration and innovation in the company that never ceased and continues today at GatesAir.”
Mack’s responsibilities at Harris first focused on working with partners and customers in Southeast Asia and other regions before taking on a regional sales role in North America that, by the early 2000s, led to his first leadership role as Director of TV Transmission Sales, North America for Harris Corporation’s Broadcast Communications Division. He became Vice President of Sales, Americas upon the rebranding of Harris Broadcast’s transmission business as GatesAir in 2014, and was elevated to Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) in 2020. As CRO, Joe was responsible for all worldwide sales activity, returning to a role that found him once again working with partners and customers worldwide while leading a large and experienced global team of sales professionals.
He has spent the 18 months working alongside GatesAir CEO Barbara Spicek as her Deputy CEO, helping to support global business operations through the unique level of knowledge and experience that comes with such an impressively long company tenure.
“One of the most important qualities of this businesses is the personal relationships that you develop with your partners and customers,” Mack noted. “Whether it is business or personal, they know how to reach you and feel confident that they can call you at any time. These long-term relationships turn into friendships over time. I am thankful for the ability to stay in this business over all these years and to have some of the very best customers, partners and colleagues in the business. GatesAir has always been an extraordinary company and the foundation there today will ensure that continues for many years to come.”
In related news, GatesAir is welcoming Emmanuel Franco as a Service Support Engineer, reporting to GatesAir Service Support Manager David Motley. He previously spent 15 years at Broadcast Electronics, installing and servicing AM, FM, and TV transmitters, among other support responsibilities. “He will play a pivotal role in elevating global customer support efforts, with responsibilities including on-site installations, remote technical support, and customer training seminars,” GatesAir said.
“I am excited to join GatesAir and continue my passion for supporting over-the-air broadcasters around the world,” Franco said. “I look forward to building strong relationships with our customers and ensuring they have the tools and assistance they need to keep their operations running smoothly. My approach blends hands-on, problem-solving technical support with knowledge-based tools that ensure our customers understand how their systems work.”
