Living Your Legacy: Top Tier LineWorx – Building Networks Where Precision Is Everything

Podcast: Living Your Legacy
Host: Ray Gutierrez (standing in for Rudy Mawer)
Guest: Clayton Curtis, Founder of Top Tier LineWorx
Date: January 22, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode features Clayton Curtis, the founder of Top Tier LineWorx, a company specializing in the installation and maintenance of fiber optic communication networks. Clayton shares his journey from hands-on lineman to entrepreneur, explains the critical role his company plays in modern digital infrastructure, and discusses the technical, regulatory, and operational challenges of building (and maintaining) the networks that keep us connected.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Clayton’s Background and Company Mission

• Introduction to Fiber Optic Linemen
  • Clayton’s journey: from traditional lineman to building his own company with a focus on doing things the right way.
  • "You guys are going to learn basically kind of my backstory to where. How I became entrepreneur, kind of what drove me as my work drive." (00:56)
• Top Tier LineWorx's Role
  • They partner with local co-ops to lay down fiber optic infrastructure, which is increasingly replacing traditional power lines and copper wiring.
  • "We're a communication business. So we build what you stream off of, all the Internet that's provided to you. Our lineman crew is the ones that place it." (01:04)

2. What is Fiber Optic Work Really Like?

• Complexity and Precision in Fiber Installation

  • Explaining the technical detail: fiber cables are glass as thin as a hair, bundled into protective tubes.
  • The challenge: running lengths up to 15,000 feet with zero breaks, often through difficult terrain.
  • "When you crack into it, it's got 48 fibers that is in there. And these fibers are like, if you pull a hair and you look at a hair, that's what they look like. And they're glass tubes." (02:30)

• Light-Speed Connections

  • Testing and awe at seeing light shoot through miles of cable.
  • "We'll have a light that's testing a light. And we'll shine it at the end of that tube or the end of that fiber and it'll roll through that whole 20,000 foot reel and shoot a red light out the other end. Holy moly. Absolutely insane..." (03:57)

3. Motivation and Company Culture: Doing the Job Right

• Not a tech head, not a gamer—just hands-on and obsessed with quality work.
• Frustration at poorly done jobs inspired Clayton to build a company known for its high standards.
  • "I'm not even like a damn. Like, I'm not even like an Internet kind of guy...but I'm a hands on. I like to, you know, build stuff. I think that's what sparked a lot of it." (04:45)
  • "I want people to be like, oh yeah, yeah. Top tier built that because I mean, it's in the name." (05:38)

4. The Ongoing Challenge: Maintenance & Response

• Maintenance is Critical
  • Outages due to storms, fallen trees, squirrels chewing on cables.
  • Dedicated, on-call crews to respond to emergencies and keep towns connected.
  • "You know, we're on it like, okay, we've got. I've always got a crew that's on call... because we know it's going to happen through the night." (07:06)
• Maintaining Relationships (And Fiber!)
  • Contractors often leave after installation; Top Tier sticks around for the long haul.
  • Expanding to multiple co-ops by becoming the go-to for maintenance needs.
  • "There's already a demand in this kind of a business, but who's maintaining this?... that's what I did... led me to another co op. To another co op. And they're like, hey, hold on. You can maintain fiber. You want to maintain ours." (08:09)

5. Regulatory & Field Challenges

• Permitting & Redesigns
  • Navigating layers of local, state, and federal permits; forest and conservation permits; disputes over pole ownership.
  • Constant difference between engineering plans and reality on the ground.
  • "Permitting's a big one. Redesign's a big one. A lot of times we'll get out to the field, and our crews will be like, okay, yeah, it's supposed to be ran like this. Although these seven poles aren't here..." (09:21)
• Problem-Solving Ethic
  • Refusing to do shoddy work or walk away from tough jobs; always finding and proposing viable solutions.
  • "Usually it's always like, there's a problem. Here's how we would fix it. But do you want us to do it that way?" (11:57)

6. The Future of Communication Networks

• Tech Evolution and Company Longevity
  • Concerns about the long-term demand as tech evolves (6G, 7G, satellite).
  • Transitioned from coax and copper to fiber thanks to government incentives; now pivoting to maintenance as the build-out plateaus.
  • "It's always a fear, honestly, as the CEO... I can't say that we're going to be steady book in 10 years from now, but I would love to say we're going to be steady book in 10 years..." (12:15)
• Securing the Future Through Maintenance
  • Holding multiple maintenance contracts secures the company’s future.
  • "If I can get multiple around secured, then I mean, I'll always be busy, dude." (13:21)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "The Internet is a series of tubes."

  • Ray Gutierrez, making a playful 90’s reference (01:37)

• "Nothing's faster than speed of light."

  • Clayton Curtis, marveling at the fiber optic technology (04:26)

• "You're literally doing God's work. You're moving light from one point to the other."

  • Ray Gutierrez on Clayton’s impact (08:49)

• "It's essentially the next leap from electricity to Internet."

  • Ray Gutierrez on the importance of fiber infrastructure (09:02)

• "A lot of times... engineers, they're behind the computer and it's not out in the field... it was 20 years ago. But it's totally different now."

  • Clayton Curtis on the disconnect between plans and reality (10:43)

• "I want people to be like, oh yeah, top tier built that because I mean, it's in the name."

  • Clayton Curtis on company pride (05:38)

• "You're prime for a TED Talk because... I literally connect people. Be like, huh? I'm the Series of Tubes."

  • Ray Gutierrez, summing up Clayton’s unique entrepreneurial legacy (13:34)

Timestamps For Important Segments

• 00:56 – Clayton explains his backstory and Top Tier LineWorx’s mission
• 02:30 – Demystifying fiber optic cables and installation challenges
• 03:57 – The magic of transmitting light through miles of fiber
• 05:38 – Clayton’s drive for quality and pride in the “Top Tier” name
• 07:06 – Responding to outages and the importance of maintenance
• 09:21 – Navigating regulations and real-world construction obstacles
• 11:57 – The Top Tier approach: always proposing solutions, not problems
• 12:15 – Fears and strategies for the company’s future in a rapidly evolving tech landscape
• 13:34 – Securing the business through maintenance relationships

Where to Find Top Tier LineWorx

• Facebook: Active page for company news and job applications
• Phone and Email: Clayton is “always on the phone” for business inquiries (14:13)

Conclusion

Clayton Curtis’s episode on Living Your Legacy is an engaging, insightful look at the unsung work behind our digital connections. His commitment to quality, adaptability in the face of technological change, and hands-on leadership offer valuable lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs and anyone interested in the networks that power our world.