Personality+: Missy Sue Mastel

By Cara Sievers

Some people say that telecom is a mans world. They should try cake decorating, says Missy Sue Mastel. Historically, most pastry chefs are men and when my mother was doing it, 30 years ago, there was no role model for her, she explains.

Missy, who by day is president of Mass-Tel Communications, is known as an expert cake decorator by friends and family. Were not talking just about icing and layers were talking about 25 years of practice shaping and molding sugary fondant goodness into objects and scenes that are almost too beautiful to eat!

But make no mistake, my friends cake decorating is serious business. Cakes are different than cooking, says Missy. There is no room for error, and you have to be dead-on in spacing, time and design. Of course, when you hit it, the results can take your breath away.

When not baking, Missy seeks her adrenaline rush by scuba diving, which shes been doing for 13 years, or riding a motorcycle, which she has done for about 25 years. She has her brother to thank for her motorcycle passion, and she even owns a Harley Ironhorse.

As president of her own telecom expense management company, Missy says her main job responsibility is to serve as chief grunt and purveyor of fine knowledge, cost control, and relief for enterprises and carriers alike. Missy credits most of her early training to her time at KPMG, although at the time, she didnt think she was learning anything. She says she found out accounting/billing is not just reactive reporting and crunching numbers, but a multimillion-dollar responsibility and rainmaking system.

Missys first job: Although there was no pay involved, Missy remembers showing up at her fathers bagel bakery in Ithaca, N.Y., at around 2 a.m. every weekend from the time she was 11 to pitch in. There is nothing like the smell of fresh bread hot out of the oven, and I still try to bake with my kids every weekend, just because it is such a warm and inviting experience, Missy says.

Book that changed her life: Telecom Audit: A Complete Cost Reduction Strategy For Your Corporate Telecommunications Bills, authored by Missy and published in January 2003, by McGraw-Hill. I credit my clients and partners, from whom I learn every day, Missy explains.

Words to live by: Great joy is derived when [an object] does efficiently, smoothly, completely, the exact thing it was designed to do. Ray Brunner, CEO of Design Within Reach Little-known fact: Missy has an identical twin. And no, she has never impersonated me at any Channel Partners event, so I will remember everything that has been said [to me], Missy clarifies.

Thoughts on telecom: I think it is fascinating how small the world is becoming. It used to be that flying to Madrid or Morocco was fascinating new colors, new tastes, new textures. Now, you might as well be going to New Jersey. I think telecom has had a lot to do with that fiber everywhere, deregulation, even projects to make places like Kenya and the Philippines world leaders in call centers. Ever get on the phone with customer service for Dell and ask where you are calling?

Do you know someone who has Personality+? Were looking for interesting characters in telecom to take the spotlight! Please send nominations to Cara Sievers at [email protected].