PETERBOROUGH, ONT. — Capella Telecommunications announced this week company founder Norm Slater is retiring after a career in the cable and telecom industry that spans 40 years, including 23 years as Capella’s president.
Slater helped found Capella Telecommunications in 1993 with a focus on providing technical solutions to the broadcast, cable TV and telecom markets. During the 23 years that Slater served as Capella’s president, the Peterborough, Ont.-based company has evolved with the Canadian industry and continues to offer solutions as a full-service distributor and system integrator of video, voice and data products. Under Slater’s leadership, Capella expanded its business and established satellite offices in Montreal and Vancouver, enabling the company to provide customers with national coverage and support.
At the beginning of his career, after graduating from the University of Western Ontario with a degree in engineering, Slater joined Cablesystems Engineering (the forerunner of Rogers Engineering) in 1976. He was involved in the engineering of cable plant as Rogers expanded into the U.S. marketplace in the early 1980s, and he eventually joined Comlink where he supported customers deploying technically complex systems. From there he went on to found Capella.
“The industry has been very good to me over the years with the opportunity to make many friends and to be part of an exciting period of technical change. After 40 years, I’ve decided to spend more time with my family,” Slater said in a news release announcing his retirement.
Replacing Slater as Capella’s president is Wayne Rabey, a 38-year veteran of the industry, having spent 24 years with Jerrold, GI and Motorola before joining Capella.
“Capella will continue to focus on providing customer service while supporting a range of technical solutions for the communications industry. With the recent acquisition of Incospec, we have increased our ability to support projects requiring technical expertise. We will continue to work with our advisors to enable a smooth transition and assess new strategic options that will strengthen our company and enhance our competitive position,” Rabey said in the news release.
