Viewpoints

By: Bryan J. Rader, President, Pavlov Media

Dan Terheggen left a memorable track record and legacy for all of us to remain “connected,” now and in the future.

This past week we lost a stalwart in our industry, Dan Terheggen, who left an incredible legacy on our business, and on me personally. Dan enjoyed a 50-year career providing services to the multi-family industry, first with coin operated laundry machines, then digital TV, and eventually broadband.

Along the way, he touched so many lives as a leader, bridge-builder, and advocate for our industry, and all of its participants.

I met Dan in the mid-90’s, when we both sat on the board of the Independent Multi-Family Communications Council (IMCC), our leading trade organization serving private cable operators, MDU owners and vendors. He was such a strong voice for all of the association members, and called out for others to get involved, show up, and take a stand on whatever issues faced us at the time.

And there were many. Inside wiring. Satellite dish attachment rights. Shared lock boxes. Exclusive access. He had a strong opinion about each of these critical issues, and fought hard to bring our views to Congress, and to the FCC.

He succeeded me as President of IMCC, and for the next decade we worked together to advocate for the “small independent operators” to have a seat at the table, and to win our share of the MDU market. We held conferences all over the place. Dallas, St. Louis, Las Vegas, Chicago. He wanted everyone in our industry involved in these efforts.

When participation in one event no longer suited the group, Dan pushed to create our own meetings. He was always working hard to get things done, and it was never selfish. It was for the benefit of all.

I remember once when he called me right before Thanksgiving and said “you have to join me next week in Washington D.C. We are meeting with two of the FCC commissioners on key issues.” And of course I did.

Dan would meet with newcomers to the industry all the time. “Hey, you’ve got to join our business. It’s an incredible time to be an ISP for MDUs.”

He helped IMCC (which eventually re-named itself Multifamily Broadband Council) become connected to the National Multi-Housing Council (NMHC), and to WISPA (Wireless ISP Association), all in an effort to gain awareness and interest in the “little guys.” I stood by him during many of these moments, marveling at his skill to “move the mob” in the same direction.

Dan was truly a leader, a motivator, and a mentor. I speak for all of us who worked with him that we will truly miss him.

I find myself saying this a lot lately. The “connectivity” that exists in our industry among our participants is so impressive and uplifting. I love going to conferences and seeing long-time friends and sharing stories about our kids, our companies, and our challenges.

It’s this kind of connectivity that makes the multifamily tech industry so amazing. We sit on committees together, share the stage on a panel together, and often work side by side on projects. These are not LinkedIn connections. They are real, genuine, personal relationship “connections.”

I just watched a Netflix documentary on the making of the “We Are The World” hit from the mid-80s, where about thirty musical superstars get together one night to record a pop hit to raise money. Lionel Ritchie led the effort and pulled all of these famous singers in the same direction across one magical evening. If we did something like this in our industry with all of our superstars, Dan would have played the part of Lionel Ritchie. The band conductor. The producer. The leader.

Years ago, my wife and I were on a vacation in California and interrupted our trip to meet Dan and his wife for lunch. Afterward, my wife said, “I see why you are so close with him.”

I encourage everyone to continue Dan’s message of getting involved, being active, and supporting the bigger mission.

We will miss you, my friend.