Bob Ritter Email & Phone Number

Pittsburgh, Pa, Us

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Us

Leading legal and compliance functions and EMT member for established regional enterprise fiber network provider. DQE, the premier fiber provider based in Western Pennsylvania, is a portfolio company of GI Partners.* Responsible for leading all aspects of legal function, including contracts, regulatory, corporate governance, dispute resolution and labor & employment* Responsible for leading cross-functional compliance team, overseeing corporate and regulatory compliance, internal process and procedures, and USF, CPNI, SOC2.* Reviewing, updating and evolving processes and systems for scalability in high-growth environment.

Philadelphia, Pa, Us

 Lead team forging positive relationships with local governments and related groups across 4-state region, and driving maintenance, renewal and compliance for 20% of total company franchises  Engineered 23% improvement in team employee satisfaction score within 6 months of hire Lead high-volume acquisition of new franchises supporting subsidized builds and opportunistic growth Provided leadership in obtaining $66M+ in state and local subsidies for broadband expansion Built effective public-private partnerships to solve for universal broadband and digital equity

Houston, Tx, Us

● Day-to-day strategic advisor to a wide range on internal stakeholders, including government affairs, external affairs, engineering, project management, construction and operations● Key member of policy and deployment teams gaining approvals for right-of-way projects across an 18-state region● Serve as an educational resource before local zoning boards and governing bodies for the purpose of drafting, commenting, and lobbying on new ordinances promoting small cell and fiber technology ● Drafting of comments, model ordinances, legal/policy letters and other document templates to agencies such as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and state public utility commissions ● Receipt of many internal, client nominated awards as a trusted advisor

Houston, Tx, Us

● Tapped to pioneer company growth into new markets by developing and implementing municipal strategy, including securing entitlements needed in multiple markets. Partner with cross-functional teams to roll out large regional development projects● Strategically negotiated unusually favorable agreements with several utilities by establishing a positive rapport and building trust, notwithstanding the ordinarily contentious nature of such transactions● Drive multimillion-dollar projects to completion by successfully procuring all entitlements, community support, zoning and regulatory approvals

Houston, Tx, Us

Provide business-focused legal leadership by partnering with executive management to drive corporate initiatives, including commercial real estate development, M&A, corporate development & strategy and joint ventures. Negotiate / draft / implement wide range of agreements, including customer and vendor, right-of-way, network development and real estate leases for towers and DAS. Instrumental in negotiating significant $300M joint venture with $8B venture capital fund during economic downturn. Completed transaction in 30 days to solve a capital funding gap and prevent layoffs.Real Estate■ Draft and negotiate high-volume, multi-unit development real property leases; interface with landlords; counsel property management group; remedy title issues.■ Integrated complex master lease-tenant leaseback agreement for 8K+ sites following an acquisition, including negotiating amendments and providing internal training and ongoing problem solving on a daily basis.■ Facilitated roll out of new business line by creating templates, negotiating master agreements and implementing a national leasing program to unify and streamline forms and processes throughout multiple regions.■ Oversaw day-to-day real estate issues for offshore business unit, interfacing with management across organization.Mergers & Acquisitions■ Persevered through two major acquisitions / integrations in less than two years, each accompanied by sweeping leadership and operational overhauls as division grew three-fold.■ Led due diligence and obtained government consents for $100M+ multiple cash-for-stock acquisition.

Potomac, Maryland, Us

Recruited by lead partner to oversee commercial transactions and represent clients before government authorities in regulatory matters.■ Commended by two significant clients (NASCAR and Intel) for researching and producing comprehensive analyses of complex regulatory issues that enabled commencement of business projects.■ Created marketing and informational website that increased firm’s visibility and attracted new business.■ Developed sports agency practice for firm, beginning with recruiting sponsorships for rising NASCAR driver.

Tysons, Virginia, Us

■ Obtained angel financing to start up business consultancy to serve entrepreneurs while simultaneously developing a legal practice.■ Created a business plan and served as counsel for start-up venture capital firm.■ Established initial portfolio company (HR outsourcing firm) for clients, including market research, entity creation, and operations launch while serving as president.

■ Director, Public Sector Business Development (2003)■ Director & Attorney, Corporate Strategy (2000-2003)■ Senior Manager & Attorney (1999-2000)■ Manager & Attorney (1998-1999)■ Attorney (1996-1998)Hired by company founder / vice chairman and rapidly promoted through positions of increasing responsibility. Led legal and business negotiations for hundreds of transactions totaling $750M+, including asset and stock purchases, mergers, options and leases in 20-state region. Retained attorneys, business negotiators, administrative staff, contractors and outside counsel. Fostered public-private partnerships with forward-thinking state and local officials.■ Chosen to spearhead creation of Wireless E-911: The PSAP Readiness Fund, a non-profit organized to coordinate the dissemination of $25M in grants to the public safety community to improve wireless enhanced 9-1-1 (E-911) services across the country.■ Created entity structure and collaborated with business units to establish a business plan aligned with company objectives.■ Served as vice president and executive director; recruited and assimilated board of directors; managed day-to-day operations.■ Negotiated and administered multiple grant agreements with total value of more than $24M.■ Played integral role in deployment of critical market launch worth millions of dollars by orchestrating 30 transactions in 30 days, entailing 80-hour work weeks across the nation for a month.■ Appointed to FCC Network Reliability and Interoperability Council (NRIC) working group to provide advice on protecting communications networks against security threats. Drafted proposed regulations for presentation to FCC.

Certificate Of Qualification, Law

M.A., American Government

J.D., Law

B.A., Political Science

Education record