Name: Ray Horak
Occupation: Telecommunications Consultant, Expert Witness, Author, Writer, Columnist, Analyst
How long have you been in this industry? Since 1970 = 50 years
What is your background, work experience, and education?
AA, Del Mar College (Corpus Christi, TX). BBA & MBA, The University of Texas at Austin. Ray worked for Southwestern Bell Telephone Company in middle management (Dallas area), then Continental Telephone Company (CONTEL) at the Director (Phoenix) and AVP (Bakersfield) levels before founding a CONTEL subsidiary (Atlanta, St. Louis) and serving as General Manager of a CONTEL Executone (Houston) operation. Spent a year or so as VP Marketing & Sales for a software company (Philadelphia) before forming his own consulting practice. Ray has written hundreds of articles, white papers, and columns. He has additionally authored 5 peer reviewed technical books, 4 of which are best sellers.
Number of years living/working in the Skagit Valley?
Ray moved here 25 years ago to join Margaret, with whom he worked during the CONTEL years.
What inspires your work or sets your business apart? Currently, he serves largely as a consulting/testifying telecommunications expert in litigation and pre-litigation scenarios. "I find the work interesting and challenging. The attorneys with whom I work generally are highly intelligent and appreciative of my expertise".
What is something most people don’t know about your industry? The only secure computer system is one disconnected from the outside world, including most especially the Internet, turned off, encased in lead, buried in a concrete vault at least 20 feet underground in Death Valley, and booby trapped.
What does community mean to you? “Community” is all about commonality. The common physical space we share certainly is important but does not limit us, whether the great little town of Mount Vernon, the beautiful Skagit Valley, the great State of Washington, the Good Old USofA or the Earth in its entirety. It is up to us to honor and respect ourselves and our families, those unrelated who share this space with us (especially those in need and crisis), regardless of race, creed, color, religion, and sexual orientation. Our common humanity demands that we do so … and that we serve as good stewards of the land upon which we live, the water we drink, and the air we breathe, and the animals with which we share this space. Fundamentally, we have more in common that that which sets us apart.
What are your hobbies/interests outside of work? I am a voracious reader by nature, a gardener out of necessity, a competitive weightlifter by choice, and a loving husband out of respect and passion for a wonderful woman.
Besides Rotary, what other community organizations are you involved in? The Lincoln Theatre, Pacific Northwest Opera, Skagit Symphony, Community Action, Mount Vernon Farmers Market.