About Comtrain
Comtrain, the most respected name in tower safety training for over 25 years, still sets the standard for excellence. Comtrain was the FIRST to develop a standardized, reviewable, and accepted Tower Safety & Rescue Training program for an industry that has become so vital to all of us. Since 1996 Comtrain has provided climbing safety, fall protection, rescue, rigging, and technology training for hundreds of companies, government organizations, and all US Armed Forces branches around the globe. Our instructors are the BEST in the industry! The curriculum offered is of the highest quality and is updated regularly. The Comtrain In-House Instructor programs are the premier Train-the-Trainer programs in the industry. The best companies and agencies deliver Comtrain courses to their climbers, riggers, and employees. Comtrain certifies about 25,000 climbers per year in various disciplines. Our total graduate count is well over 350,000 and growing weekly! Comtrain open enrollment classes are scheduled in cities throughout the United States and Puerto Rico and we service clients around the world. Comtrain also offers over 25 online classes.
Meet the Comtrain Team
John Paul Jones
JP is the President of Comtrain. JP started his career in the telecommunications industry with Allied Tower Company in Houston, Texas in 1976 at the age of 16. Since then, JP’s career has spanned 47 years, 25 of those as a professional Tower Safety & Rescue instructor.
JP has erected, maintained, modified, or dismantled towers and telecommunications sites in 27 different countries many of which were small Island nations in the South Pacific Ocean where Broadcast and Satellite telecommunications are crucial to education, news, and everyday life.
John Paul is a past member of the NATE Board of Directors and is the Vice Chairman of the NATE OSHA Relations Committee. He also serves as the chairman of the NATE-OSHA-FCC Strategic Partnership, Chairman of the NATE Climber/Rescuer Training Standard (CRTS), Co-Chairman of the NATE Rigging Training Standard (RTS), a member of the Safety Equipment Manufacturers Committee (SEMC) and an active member of the ANSI 10.48 Standard Committee, TIA TR-14 working group and ANSI Z359 and ANSI Z459 Rope Access standard. John Paul is also a member of the Society of Professional Rope Access Technicians (SPRAT).
JP is a founding partner of Comtrain and oversees all curriculum and training activities. He works to ensure that all curriculum and instructors remain the best the industry has to offer. JP also serves as President/CEO of Austin, TX-based Tower & Turbine Technologies Inc.
Benjamin Bowman
Ben has a strong background in the construction industry with a background in concreting and home construction where he was a site manager and helped implement several safety measures on the work site. Ben’s goals at Comtrain is to raise an awareness of the difference between a safety course that gets you a certification, and a safety course that has proper teaching and curriculum.
Shayne Campbell
Shayne began his career in the telecommunications sector in 2012 and has since made significant contributions at Comtrain. His experience encompasses a diverse range of projects, including course instruction, curriculum development, and the management of online learning systems. In addition to his primary responsibilities, Shayne actively participates on multiple committees within the communications industry, demonstrating his commitment to enhancing safety standards. His primary focus is to innovate and implement effective strategies to ensure the safety of communication workers.
Jackson Weaver
Jackson oversees Comtrain’s online courses as well as coordinates training and NWSA exams at our Columbia, MO location. He has a background working in the industrial sales and the broadcast industry and joined Comtrain to provide the highest level of customer service and support for our customers and trainers. Jackson is the go-to person for any additional information about our online courses.
Dave Clevinger
David started in the commercial construction industry in 1985 working as a warehouse manager and mechanic. He is one of the founding partners in Skyline Services LLC where he takes the leading role in a safety program that has been accident-free for over 15 years. He has continued to advance the safety program by teaming up with Comtrain to ensure that people get proper training.
Sean Cooper
Sean’s climbing career began in 2001 when he entered the industry as a tower hand. In 2007 he started training at Shenandoah and has taken hundreds of climbers on their first tower. Sean founded his own tower service company in 2014 and helped write and edit the ANSI/ASSE A10.48 Criteria for Safety Practices with the Construction, Demolition, Modification, and Maintenance of Communication Structures.
Jeremy VanBronckhorst
Jeremy’s telecommunications career spans 16+ years. He specializes in erection and maintenance of telecommunications towers and antenna systems. Jeremy is based in Hawaii where he runs his own personal business in addition to providing training to the Pacific Rim, Pacific Northwest, and Alaska on for Comtrain.
Nathan Sizemore
Nathan has 15+ years of experience in the Construction Industry. When Nate joined the GME Supply & Columbia Safety, where he is the Branch Operations Manager, in Atlanta, GA his focus on dual rope systems began. He is an in-house trainer for GME & Columbia Safety, designing and instructing multiple training programs geared toward at-height work in the Construction and General Industries.
Nick Ontiveros
Nick got into the telecommunications industry when he was just 20 years old. Throughout his 14 year career, he has worked his way up from a green hand learning what the tools were and cleaning out trailers to earning a spot up on top of the tower after a few years. Soon after, he was given a truck trailer and a crew and traveled the country, stacking towers, swapping booms, doing decoms and troubleshooting. Nick trains for climber/rescuer, rigging, first aid CPR, and is cross training with our sister company TEAM-1 Academy in the wind industry. Nick is always eager to learn something new and his drive to become a great trainer is obvious for anyone that has sat in one of his classes! Nick has been with his wife for 15 years and married for 5. He is the proud father of three, 2 boys and 1 girl. Nick's brother passed away due to a tower incident in 2018, further spurring his passion to learn and share as much of his safety knowledge as possible with the industry.
Dylan Wagner
Dylan started his professional journey in the industry during his high school summers. After graduating, he dedicated himself to climbing towers full-time for his family's business. However, he quickly recognized a gap in safety and training within the industry. This sparked his passion for safety and training, leading him to become a safety and training manager within the family business. Eventually, he started his own consulting firm that specializes in assisting small businesses with developing effective safety programs. In addition to this, Dylan also serves as a trainer for Comtrain, where he finds joy in helping new climbers acquire vital skills and helping experienced climbers expand their knowledge base. He is fully committed to continuously improving his expertise in the industry.
Richard Teckenbrock
Rick entered the industry in 1998 with a solid foundation as an electrician. He began his career as a tower climber and quickly developed a passion for the field. By 2005, Rick had transitioned into a role as a safety and rescue trainer, dedicated to ensuring his colleagues' safety while continuing hands-on work in the field. His expertise and commitment led him to become a Safety Director for a prominent Midwestern company, where he also served as a Subject Matter Expert in the development of the NWSA program.
Eric Walls
Eric’s journey into the tower industry began in high school, where he discovered his passion for working with metals. After graduating, he dove into the construction field, which sparked his enthusiasm for training others. He eventually transitioned to the tower construction sector, collaborating with a family business on cellular systems and structural modifications. Eric has played a key role in tower construction, safety training development, and program monitoring. Today, he serves as a lead instructor for tower safety and rescue classes, as well as rigging courses, sharing his expertise and commitment to safety with the next generation of professionals.
“I recently attended a Tower Rescue Technician course held at the Mississippi State Fire Academy. The class was the first of its kind held on campus and was attended by some of the best rescuers the state has to offer. Cody spent the week with us, demonstrating techniques and answering any questions we had regarding the towers and technicians we may run across in a rescue situation. Cody’s knowledge of all aspects of the tower world was incredible. He had immediate answers for any question asked of him and showed many tips to make our time on the tower a lot more productive. He was able to make a contact to SBA and gain access to a live tower for us to do training on during the last day of the course. Everyone in the class truly appreciated having Cody around throughout the week. It would not have been the same without him. He represented Comtrain in a superior fashion. I hope I am able to conduct more training in the future with Cody or any of the staff at Comtrain.”