Trilogy Communications has design on success

PEARL - When in 1985 the husband and wife team of Shinn and Grace Lee bought a television cable manufacturing division from a large corporation with the intention of turning it into a stand-alone business, they came to the metropolitan Jackson area with some misgivings. Formerly living in the Northeast,

But both Lees said they were pleasantly - and instantly - surprised by the charm and quality of life the area offered as well as the work ethic of Mississippians that was vastly superior to what they were accustomed. They are now very active in community endeavors, raising their children and feeling at home in Central Mississippi. And they're also very successful entrepreneurs.

While the Lees had some doubts about Trilogy Communications' locale, they never doubted their product. Designed in-house around never-before-used technology, the company now counts customers throughout the U.S. and beyond and has shipped approximately three billion feet of television cable over its history, 17 million feet in September 2003 alone.

"We didn't really expect this much success when we first started," said Grace, Trilogy Communications' vice president of corporate planning who was recently inducted into the University of Connecticut Hall of Fame. "But we knew we had a superior product. And every year, we kept hitting our goals."

Trilogy Communications' story begins in the mid-1980s when Shinn was working for a large manufacturer. According to Shinn, a New York-born Asian American,

the parent corporation was so big, and its Pearl-based division was so small, that the plant didn't get the management attention it deserved and was an underperformer. But the Lees saw a lot of potential in it. So, when the corporation offered to sell the division to management, Shinn and Grace donned their entrepreneur's hat. (Grace, who was born in Taiwan, worked as a financial analyst with such entities as General Foods before joining Shinn at Trilogy Communications.)

Today, Trilogy Communications, an ISO 9001-certified manufacturer, employs more than 400 workers. The company comprises a total of approximately 500,000 square feet of manufacturing and warehouse space between its main plant and corporate offices complex in Pearl and a second facility located nearby. (The second facility was purchased in 1989.) While the company's main market is primarily in the U.S. (25% of sales are domestic), it has customers in 40 countries, many of them large concerns such as Time Warner, Adelphia and the government of China.

"While the Lees attribute Trilogy Communications' success to such factors as aggressive sales, a well educated workforce (many workers hold post-graduate degrees) and keeping close tabs on the bottom line, it is the company's unique design that has allowed it to become the third-largest coaxial cable manufacturer serving the CATV industry. Its product is also used in cellular, PCS, paging and networking applications.

Designed by a Trilogy Communications engineer, the company's product is called air dielectric cable. Simply put, Trilogy Communications' competitors use foam to insulate their cable. Trilogy Communications instead uses air for insulation, which, according to the company, means superior quality for its users. "The air does not allow moisture to get in, which leads to loss of signal," explained Shinn, who serves as chairman, president and CEO of Trilogy Communications. With a smile he added, "Once we get a customer, they find it hard to get rid of us."

The design has allowed Trilogy Communications to become a world leader in manufacturing of its MC2 (broadband), PerfectBond 10 (broadband universal replacement coaxial cable) and MVP (for CATV applications) products.

Now Trilogy Communications is poised to make a place for itself in a different arena - wireless. In 1994, Trilogy Communications established a new division called AirCell Transline Cable. It provides the same air dielectric technology but for wireless applications. These applications include PCS, cellular, paging, SMR, broadcast, microwave, LAN/WAN, wireless PBXs and military.

The Lees are expecting big things from AirCell, particularly post-Sept. 11. Now, many buildings and infrastructure such as subways are looking for WiFi technology, providing not only convenience but safety, as well. A perfect example is the subway system in Washington, D.C. The system is using Trilogy Communications' cable that will allow passengers and others to use their cell phones and other wireless devices while traveling underground. That not only gives the subway's customers an added value, it allows for two-way communication in the event of a catastrophe, whether manmade or not. Shinn said he believed that AirCell, offered Trilogy Communications product diversity, and that the wireless segment would be the company's "star" of the future.