About John M. Holmes

John is a veteran of over 45 years in telecommunications and is currently trying to retire on his ranch located 50 miles SE of Reno. Entering the communications world in 1956 with the U.S. Air Force, Holmes gained a broad knowledge of the engineering and installation of a wide variety of electronic communications equipment.In 1964 he returned to college to enhance his engineering background with a B.S. degree in Industrial Management from California State University at Sacramento and later with graduate work in market research at Princeton and Wharton. Holmes joined the Bell System in 1967 in the Engineering Department. Subsequent assignments in the Rate and Tariff, Marketing and Regulatory Departments in Pacific Telephone and Nevada Bell gave him an in-depth knowledge of Bell’s operations. A tour at AT&T’s New York headquarters added the perspective from the top, plus an understanding of the Federal regulatory arena. The first of many trips to the witness stand in state regulatory matters began in California in 1969 and continued for 30 years in Nevada, Arizona and Indiana. He was Professor Emeritus and Dean of the Bell System Pricing School in the late 70's.An appreciation for the problems of the small independent telephone companies comes from having been V.P. and G.M. Of Nevada Telephone-Telegraph Co. in the early 80's.Holmes achieved his greatest comprehension of the regulatory process as Director of Regulatory Operations for the PSC of Nevada. While there, he testified for the State on divestiture before the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee and provided input to the Nevada legislature on regulatory issues. The 2001 Nevada Legislative session capped 22 years of John’s testifying before that body.John was responsible for the administration and review of telecommunication projects and research studies at Overland Consulting of Kansas City. He has also coordinated the expansion of telecommunications services in offices in other cities.

Holmes has conducted seminars on telecommunication/regulatory matters for U.S. Telephone Assoc., Arthur Andersen & Co. and New Mexico State University. Several of his articles on post-divestiture issues have been published in trade journals.Mr. Holmes is a Charter Senior Member of the National Association of Radio and Telecommunications Engineers (NARTE). John served on the NARTE Board for 10 years and was honored by his peers with the Marconi-Bell Award. He is a NARTE Certified Engineer, First Class with Master Endorsements in RF and NonRF Radiating categories and has held an FCC First Class License with Radar Endorsement since 1957.

After nearly a half-century of pursuing telecommunications matters, John has returned to his hobby interests. Starting out as a kid in the early 50's in a Nash dealership, he is back doing what he loves most, working on vehicles. Holmes is currently employed by Carson Dodge/Chrysler in Carson City, NV where he developed a quality control program to improve customer satisfaction by repairing problems on the first visit. He provides technical assistance on diesel trucks and supervises the safety program for the agency. He teaches a class for new diesel owners on operation and maintenance procedures. Mr. Holmes and his wife Polly have both become nationally recognized as columnists for the Turbo Diesel Register (TDR) magazine by those owning Dodge/Cummins Ram trucks. A decade of providing technical tips about those trucks, conducting seminars and organizing rallies have taken them throughout the country, providing them the opportunity to meet many others with similar interests.Academic Honors include the Dean’s List, Beta Gamma Sigma National Honor Society in Bus. Admin., Blue Key National Honor Fraternity, Associated Students Service & Leadership Award, National Transportation Assoc. Scholarship Award and Alumni Campus Advancement Award.John has been married to Polly for over 39 years. They have traveled throughout the U.S., Caribbean, Europe, Far East, Middle East, South Pacific, Australia, Africa and Russia. They were active members of the Jacks Valley Vol. Fire Dept. for 15 years. Holmes serves as Treasurer for the Nevada Fire Fighters Memorial Board. He has served as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Sierra Estates G.I.D. and Chairman of the Nevada State Committee for SEMA. He is past President of the Ridge Sierra POA at Lake Tahoe and still serves on its Board of Directors along with the Board of Club QM in Reno. John has been active in both the Republican State and County Central Committees.

His local business interests include real estate development, automotive parts manufacturing and ranching. As a life-time automotive enthusiast, John, for many years, has written for national automotive publications including, JAVAMX’s Rallye American, Pantera International, Classic Chevy, Pickups ‘n Panels, TDR and Viper Notes. He enjoys restoring and showing vintage vehicles such as his rare 1955 Chevy Cameo Pickup, a ‘56 BelAir sedan and a ‘57 BelAir convertible. John is a member of Reno’s National Automotive Museum (Harrah’s Collection) where he has organized special events and teaches automotive history at Sacramento’s Towe Auto Museum.

Lilacs and a '57 Chevy Rag - SWEET!	John and Polly are both Vintage Car Nuts