Former Verizon exec named to utilities post in Palm Beach

The town has named a former Verizon executive to be its underground utilities project manager.
Steven Stern started the job June 30 and is reporting to Town Manager Tom Bradford, who introduced him Thursday to the town’s Underground Utilities Task Force.

Stern “will be responsible for the overall communication and oversight of the program and work closely with internal departments, vendors, consultants and our resident community,” Bradford said.

Stern was named to the new $90,000 post just as the town prepares to launch the first of eight phases of the town-wide undergrounding of all overhead power, cable television and phone lines. Phase one will be in the South End and upper North End, between Onondaga Avenue and the Palm Beach Inlet.

The town-wide project is scheduled for completion in 2026.

Stern will work closely with key personnel planning and executing the project, including Bradford, Public Works Director Paul Brazil, Town Engineer Patricia Strayer and Kevin Schanen, vice president at Kimley-Horn & Associates, the engineering consultant.

Stern, who lives in Jupiter, worked as an independent consultant in the Nashville area during 2016, according to his LinkedIn page. Before that, he held several positions with Verizon Enterprise Solutions, including senior client partner, director of client services and solutions engineering manager.

At Verizon and other organizations, Stern managed large-enterprise outsourcing sales engineering and service delivery teams. He said Friday he looks forward to immersing himself within the community, getting to know residents and project partners.

Stern also touched upon his approach to the job. “To manage the initiative, I will leverage my previous professional experience as a service provider, 23 years with Verizon, running sales, engineering and service delivery programs within private enterprise and the public sector,” he said.

Stern holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering technology from Binghamton University and an MBA from Adelphi University in New York.