The 2025 STAC Awards took center stage at the close of the first day of the STAC 2025 Conference & Exhibition, as STAC Co-Chairs Marty Stephenson and Jeff Selby proudly recognized this year’s outstanding recipients.
A huge congratulations to Blair Bittner (WesTower), Trevor Bolt (Varcon Inc.), Mike Powell (Bell Mobility, retired), and Jerry Bezner (Trylon TSF) for their remarkable contributions to the industry. Each of these individuals has demonstrated exceptional dedication—whether through advancing workplace safety, driving industry innovation, or strengthening STAC’s mission.
Selected by the STAC Steering Committee from a pool of distinguished nominees, the STAC Awards celebrate those who have gone above and beyond to improve safety and support the telecommunications tower sector in Canada.
Learn more about the achievements of this year’s winners through the links below.
Once again, congratulations to Blair, Trevor, Mike, and Jerry—and thank you for your lasting impact on the industry!
STAC Volunteer of the Year Award
Blair Bittner
Blair Bittner, P. Eng., is the National Engineering Services Manager at WesTower and a respected leader in the Canadian telecommunications industry. Blair’s contributions to STAC have been equally impressive. Most recently, Blair played a leading role in the development of a critical STAC document on the use of DTI washers in the Canadian tower industry—a follow-up to a previous project he helped lead on the turn-of-nut method.
For his outstanding contributions to STAC and his dedication to advancing industry knowledge and safety, we are proud to recognize Blair Bittner as the recipient of the 2025 STAC Volunteer of the Year Award. Please join us in celebrating his achievements and thanking him for his efforts.
Read more about Blair and the STAC Volunteer of the Year Award.
STAC Safety Leadership Award
Trevor Bolt
Trevor Bolt, P.Eng., FEC, is the Chief Technology Officer and co-owner of Varcon Inc., bringing almost 30 years of engineering expertise to the telecommunications tower industry. As a member of the STAC Steering Committee from 2021 to 2024, he played a pivotal role in driving key safety initiatives. Most notably, he served as a catalyst and leader in the development of a series of STAC bulletins addressing critical safety topics, including the proper use of trolleys, vertical fall arrest system installations, fall protection system labeling, and fall protection system inspections.
Please join us in congratulating Trevor on his selection as the 2025 STAC Safety Leadership Award recipient and in thanking him for his dedication to improving tower safety.
Read more about Trevor and the STAC Safety Leadership Award.
STAC Lifetime Achievement Award
Mike Powell
Mike Powell is a respected leader, innovator and inventor in the Canadian telecommunications industry, with more than 40 years of experience shaping wireline and wireless network technologies and deployment strategies. Throughout his career, Mike was the architect behind numerous innovations and patents at Bell, including Modular RAN Designs & Deployment Strategies, Pre-assembly Programs, Pine Tree & Meso Tower Designs, Small Cell Installation Strategies, ground level Ice bridge, tower light shielding technologies and Practical Drone Applications. With each of his innovation projects, Mike not only advanced network deployment efficiency but also carefully considered the potential impact on tower integrity and worker safety.
For his lasting contributions to industry innovation and his commitment to ensuring safety remained at the forefront of these changes, we are proud to recognize Mike Powell as a recipient of the 2025 STAC Lifetime Achievement Award. Please join us in celebrating his remarkable career and invaluable impact on the industry.
Read more about Mike and the STAC Lifetime Achievement Award.
STAC Lifetime Achievement Award
Jerry Bezner
Jerry Bezner’s career in the wireless telecommunications industry spans more than 50 years, with a legacy of leadership and dedication to workplace safety that has left a lasting impact on the tower industry. Jerry’s journey into the tower industry began in 1998 when he joined Trylon TSF, marking the start of his deep involvement in workplace safety. When STAC was formed, Jerry immediately recognized the opportunity for collaboration and helped facilitate a meeting between STAC and NATE—an initiative that has strengthened both organizations. Jerry is also a long-time member of the STAC Workplace Health and Safety Committee, through which he played a key role supporting the Canadian tower industry during the outset of the COVID pandemic.
Please join us in celebrating Jerry’s remarkable career and his unwavering dedication to the tower industry.
Read more about Jerry and the STAC Lifetime Achievement Award.