Shane Riley is a lifelong troubleshooter.

From his experience working on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier, ensuring fighter jets made successful takeoffs to overseeing complex telecommunications networks, Riley prides himself in being able analyze problems and to make split second decisions.

“My job in the Navy was to think quickly and still get the plane off the deck without slowing down and keeping the pilot safe,” said Riley, who has been named General Manager of Frontier Communications’ North Idaho and Montana markets. “Removing roadblocks for businesses is not a life threatening situation, but I like to sit down with a business and have a discovery meeting, to find out what’s holding them back. I want to make their teams fly.”

Riley, who grew up in the Seattle area, served in the Navy four years, including on the U.S.S. Carl Vinson. He was honored with the Navy Achievement Medal for taking on more responsibilities on the flight deck when one of his fellow shipmen fell ill on a six-month tour of duty in the Pacific.

Riley replaces Tom Murn, who transferred with Frontier to Minnesota. He oversees field operations, sales, all aspects of Frontier’s customer experience and reports to Kay Quinn, Frontier’s Area General Manager for Idaho, Montana and Utah.

“We were very excited to have Shane join our team,” said Mike Towne, Frontier Vice President and General Manager. “He is a proven leader, with the ability to engage employees and enhance customer, business and community relationships.”

Riley is no stranger to Kootenai County. He’s lived in Post Falls for 16 years and raised a family with his wife, Lori. They have two daughters, Myranda and Sierra.

“I am deeply rooted in the community,” Riley said. “I love being a part of the great things going on here.”

He is active in the local community and involved with many organizations including serving on the Coeur d’Alene Chamber of Commerce board of directors, and the board for the Coeur d’Alene Opera, as well as the Board of Directors for Susan G. Komen of Eastern Washington.

He has more than 17 years of experience in the telecom industry including sales, customer service and operations. Most recently he was area operations manager for CenturyLink in Spokane.

“It’s an evolving industry,” said Riley. “The partnerships with our customers are what drives our business. I am constantly asking, ‘How do we become a better partner? How do we help your business grow?’ It’s looking at every piece of the puzzle and finding ways to help them succeed.”