Adelaida V. Severson’s diverse background includes public relations, broadcast journalism, marketing, events management, philanthropy and satellite communications. Additionally, she teaches courses on international communications at the university and corporate levels. She has over 20 years of experience in event coordination and broadcast satellite production. She and her husband, Barry, started Bushtex in 1994 and reorganized in 2003.
Severson, who was born and raised in Hawaii, worked domestically and internationally in the broadcast television industry for eight years, and later in higher education administration for 12 years. She started her career as a journalist and reporter, and eventually fell into the satellite broadcast industry while working in Los Angeles as the operations manager for Transvision (formerly Vision Accomplished). Her experience in the satellite industry includes coordinating televised NFL Super Bowls, the Summer and Winter Olympics since 1990, the first live legal depositions via satellite from Puerto Rico, and countless events around the United States and the world.
Q: Can you give us an overview of Bushtex?
A: Bushtex technical operations and crews provide complete capabilities to build, produce, originate and transmit information through satellite communication—video, audio, IP data and voice data. We specialize in remote areas of the world (even at sea), transmitting and receiving information in service to United States government strategic concerns, for professional broadcast, private enterprise and Internet content delivery. With our special attention to detail, no job is too big or too small. Our mission is to provide quality satellite communications service to our domestic and international clients with responsiveness, honesty, professionalism and clarity.
Q: What types of products and services are you offering to military and other government customers?
A: We provide a myriad of services to the end-user, including custom-tailored satellite solutions. Not every client knows what they really want, but they know what they want in the end, so we guide them in the process of what is most efficient, cost-effective and timely for their application. Most times, they are mission critical, and our strength is that we are sensitive to this. Having said that, more specifically to the government and military customers currently, we provide operational and technical support for satellite systems that we either inherit or build, integrated satellite transmit systems for backhaul purposes, and satellite space segment. In addition, we have built and upgraded satellite systems for government end-users looking to upgrade or improve their current systems.
Q: What unique benefits does your company provide its customers in comparison with other companies in your field?
A: We are a small and nimble company, able to provide service in a critical time and specialize in remote areas, especially high conflict areas. In addition, we provide custom level systems that are streamlined, coupled with space segment options and connectivity expertise.
Q: What are some of the most significant programs your company is currently working on with the military?
A: Currently, we are providing satellite space segment for training purposes to the Air Force and Army, as well as transmission and backhaul satellite services for unmanned aerial vehicle efforts.
Q: Can you give us some other examples of your work with government?
A: One example is the National Weather Service, which wanted to upgrade and add satellite transmissions to their existing operations in various parts of the country. Bushtex built and installed permanent systems both on the ground and on rooftops to ensure the weather service was up and running, no matter the climate or terrain.
In addition, the U.S. National Guard wanted to view coverage in remote parts of Alaska using an unmanned aerial vehicle, but line-of-sight coverage was not an option due to the mountainous terrain in the region. Bushtex built, licensed and operated a temporary ground station to transmit and receive data from the airplane to the various federal agencies that needed the information. In fact, it was the first ever UAV flight that covered such terrain. From providing communications in disaster areas to building temporary ground stations for the transmission and reception of data from unmanned vehicles, we help make things run smoothly.
Currently, we provide custom satellite transmission systems for U.S. Customs and Border Protection in various areas nationwide and other agencies internationally for UAV efforts.
Q: Is there anything else you’d like to add?
A: We are a woman- and minority-owned small business and also enjoy doing business with the commercial world for broadcast networks and corporate entities. ♦
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