Levi Smylie
President
Ron Rippley
Vice President of Safety
Mike Watson
Vice President of Wireless & Engineering
Joe Kirkpatrick
Vice President of Engineering
Levi Smylie
Prior to joining Butler America, Levi served as a Foreign Service Officer in the U.S. Department of State where he led the economic and commercial sections of the U.S. Embassies in Skopje, Macedonia, Guatemala City, Guatemala, and Dakar, Senegal. As a U.S. diplomat, Levi worked closely with executives of major international telecom companies to fight political corruption and graft within the telecom industry. Additionally, Levi led U.S. government efforts in Senegal to develop the mobile smart phone industry and to support the development of mobile apps to solve problems unique to the Senegalese economy and digital ecosystem. Levi helped U.S.-based companies open new markets for their goods and services in Eastern Europe, Central America, and West Africa. Prior to joining the State Department Levi practiced law in New York City and was an adjunct professor at Parson School for Design & Management where he taught courses in business law and social entrepreneurship. Levi served as the Country Director for Choice Humanitarian in Guatemala where he led grassroots development projects in education, vocational training, medical relief efforts, and communal banking. Levi completed his Juris Doctorate at the University of Utah and a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Brigham Young University.
Ron Rippley
Ron Rippley has decades of experience in the wireless industry. Ron has a background in Radio Frequency Construction and has specialized in all forms of backhaul transport. He is trained and certified with various OEM equipment providers, as well as Fiber connectivity. Ron holds various certifications with years of experience installing and turning up a variety of DAS installations from Carrier-based to the private sector and public safety. Ron has worked with all the major wireless carriers and is known for fulfilling challenging run rates and on-air projections.
Mike Watson
Mike Watson has been in the wireless industry since 2012, all with Butler America/Core Development Services. Before that, he was an asset manager for a real estate investment company. He is known for his fierce work ethic and competitive nature. He strives for excellence on behalf of our clients and instills his competitive spirit into those that he leads. He began his career as a leasing agent, and shortly thereafter became known for “no change” leases. In his time in the industry, he has worked on nearly every project for every carrier. Mike attained a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Southern California in 2005. He is a rabid USC Trojans fan and bleeds Dodger blue.
Joe Kirkpatrick
Joe has a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology from San Diego State University and a Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering from California State University Los Angeles. He holds licenses in Civil Engineering and Structural Engineering.
His career began as a lab and field tech for a geotechnical and materials testing company and, prior to Butler America, culminated as the manager and chief building official for the fastest-growing city in Orange County, California. In between, Joe’s career included work as a building inspector, plan check engineer, design engineer, and project engineer overseeing multi-million-dollar construction projects. Active throughout his career, Joe has served as president of the local chapter of the International Code Council and as a board member for the California Building Officials (CALBO) organization.
Levi Smylie, President
Prior to joining Butler America, Levi served as a Foreign Service Officer in the U.S. Department of State where he led the economic and commercial sections of the U.S. Embassies in Skopje, Macedonia, Guatemala City, Guatemala, and Dakar, Senegal. As a U.S. diplomat, Levi worked closely with executives of major international telecom companies to fight political corruption and graft within the telecom industry. Additionally, Levi led U.S. government efforts in Senegal to develop the mobile smart phone industry and to support the development of mobile apps to solve problems unique to the Senegalese economy and digital ecosystem. Levi helped U.S.-based companies open new markets for their goods and services in Eastern Europe, Central America, and West Africa.
Prior to joining the State Department Levi practiced law in New York City and was an adjunct professor at Parson School for Design & Management where he taught courses in business law and social entrepreneurship. Levi served as the Country Director for Choice Humanitarian in Guatemala where he led grassroots development projects in education, vocational training, medical relief efforts, and communal banking. Levi completed his Juris Doctorate at the University of Utah and a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Brigham Young University.
Ron Rippley, Vice President of Safety
Ron Rippley has decades of experience in the wireless industry. Ron has a background in Radio Frequency Construction and has specialized in all forms of backhaul transport. He is trained and certified with various OEM equipment providers, as well as Fiber connectivity.
Ron holds various certifications with years of experience installing and turning up a variety of DAS installations from Carrier-based to the private sector and public safety. Ron has worked with all the major wireless carriers and is known for fulfilling challenging run rates and on-air projections.
Mike Watson, Vice President of Wireless & Engineering
Mike Watson has been in the wireless industry since 2012, all with Butler America/Core Development Services. Before that, he was an asset manager for a real estate investment company. He is known for his fierce work ethic and competitive nature. He strives for excellence on behalf of our clients and instills his competitive spirit into those that he leads.
He began his career as a leasing agent, and shortly thereafter became known for “no change” leases. In his time in the industry, he has worked on nearly every project for every carrier. Mike attained a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Southern California in 2005. He is a rabid USC Trojans fan and bleeds Dodger blue.
Joe Kirkpatrick, Vice President of Engineering
Joe has a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology from San Diego State University and a Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering from California State University Los Angeles. He holds licenses in Civil Engineering and Structural Engineering.
His career began as a lab and field tech for a geotechnical and materials testing company and, prior to Butler America, culminated as the manager and chief building official for the fastest-growing city in Orange County, California. In between, Joe’s career included work as a building inspector, plan check engineer, design engineer, and project engineer overseeing multi-million-dollar construction projects. Active throughout his career, Joe has served as president of the local chapter of the International Code Council and as a board member for the California Building Officials (CALBO) organization.