Posted in Inside DQE on 06.06.2022

Getting to Know: Paul McGinn

As Senior Manager of IP Services, Paul McGinn manages, maintains, and expands the DQE Lit Services Network and ensures that IP Services continues to offer the top-tier support that our customers have come to know and expect.

BEFORE WORKING AT DQE, WHAT WAS THE MOST UNUSUAL OR INTERESTING JOB YOU’VE EVER HAD?

For some time, I collaborated with inventors to visually realize their products. My role was to work up a series of sketches of the customers’ potential inventions and deliver these to 3d artists to create renderings. The renderings were used to advertise to product manufacturers.

TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOURSELF THAT WOULD SURPRISE US.

I enjoy being disconnected from the digital world. The best spots are those without cellphone coverage where it’s just you, the people you love, and the great outdoors.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR FAVORITE PROJECT SO FAR AT DQE?

There are a couple, and both start with working through customer solutions. I’ve had the opportunity to work on our most prominent and most visible customers in my time at DQE. The two customer solutions that come to mind include service redesigns. One to perform a network upgrade, and the other to enhance service function and redundancy.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO IN YOUR SPARE TIME?

I enjoy gathering with friends and family, coaching my kids’ soccer teams, and spending time outdoors hiking, camping, and fishing (though I’m terrible at fishing).

WHAT ARE THREE CAREER LESSONS YOU’VE LEARNED THUS FAR?

Listen to those around you, never make assumptions, and think about events and situations from the opposite side’s point of view.

WHAT DOES TRUE LEADERSHIP MEAN TO YOU?

True leadership is developing trust with your team and peers. It means challenging them enough to allow career or skill growth but not overwhelming them in a task they are not ready to complete. There is nothing more satisfying as a leader than celebrating a team member who has succeeded in any assignment, big or small.

WHAT DREW YOU TO DQE INITIALLY?

DQE must be positioned at the forefront of technological advancement to stay ahead of the competition as a service provider. That meant I’d be able to get my hands on or acclimated to new processes that would continually push my knowledge further.

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR PROSPECTIVE DQE CANDIDATES?

We are looking for curious individuals who are driven to succeed and advance in a very fast-paced environment.

WHAT ARE YOUR HOPES FOR OUR INDUSTRY?

I’m looking forward to our industry’s continued drive in network automation, self-healing, and increasing capacity. Automation will help increase efficiencies in existing processes. Self-healing will enhance service reliability, assisting operators in keeping their customers connections up and running. Customer demand will continue to push network capacity forward. We will see greater throughput and network performance with each generation of hardware.