Eric Grandstaff, Broadband Specialist, fully retires after four years volunteering with NLEA.
By Sam Bailey, Strategic Initiatives Manager
Eric Grandstaff, NLEA Broadband Consortium Staff Specialist and Consultant on Broadband, has stepped away from the organization to embrace retirement more fully. Eric joined the NLEA in 2019 as a volunteer, bringing more than 40 years of information technology and broadband experience at the University of Michigan, North Central Michigan College, and Western and Eastern Michigan Universities.
Volunteering his time and expertise, Eric helped local businesses and communities sift through the often-perplexing world of broadband, apply for state and federal grants, and advocate for rural broadband needs at every level of government. Buck Love, NLEA’s Business Retention and Growth Specialist, remembers working with Eric fondly; “I know of no other person that has the breadth and depth of historical and technical knowledge to guide decision making for either community or private sector projects.”
In 2019, Eric supported the formation of the NLEA Broadband Consortium, with the mission to proliferate gigabit high-speed, reliable, and cost-effective broadband services throughout the agency’s service region. Eric’s work was integral in Tube Fab’s upgrade of their fiber optic service in Cheboygan County and Antrim County’s effort to map underserved areas and explore multiple solutions from various broadband providers.
NLEA President David Emmel describes Eric as critical to developing his understanding of the regional internet ecosystem when he joined the organization in 2020. Emmel stated, “His depth of technical knowledge, across all domains, has benefited our region on what we all recognize is a herculean goal of internet for all. Laying the foundation for internet expansion has positioned the region for our future. And for that effort, we are grateful for his counsel and wish him well in his retirement, travels, and the additional time he will now devote to his family.”
From everyone at the NLEA, thank you Eric.
