There is an invisible geography that overlays our world. It is a landscape not of mountains and rivers, but of signals and data streams, a complex web of fiber optic cables and cellular signals that forms the connective tissue of modern society. To most of us, this world is an abstraction, a utility that simply works until it does not. But to Randall René, this landscape is as real and navigable as any continent. He has spent his career as a cartographer of this hidden world, not just mapping its technical terrain, but charting its human impact. He understands that a network is not just a collection of assets; it is the conduit through which we connect to our loved ones, our livelihoods, and our opportunities.
As the Founder and Chief Consultant of Waypoint 33, a strategic consulting firm, Randall is now in the business of guiding others through this intricate geography. But his maps do not just show the lay of the land; they reveal a path forward. He has built a career, and now a company, on a fundamental belief that the greatest challenges in technology are rarely about the technology itself. They are about people, about purpose, about seeing the path clearly before you take the first step.
After more than two decades in the telecom industry, from the front lines to the executive suite, he saw a recurring pattern: organizations racing toward a future they could not quite see, armed with powerful tools but lacking a clear map. Waypoint 33 is his answer. It is a place where clarity comes before growth, where connection precedes strategy, and where the ultimate goal is not just to build better networks, but to build a more connected, coherent, and human future.
Charting the First Waypoints
Every journey has a starting point, a place where the purpose of the path first becomes clear. For Randall, that place was the military. It was there that he experienced the profound, almost elemental power of a communication link. A voice from home, a letter, a signal bridging thousands of miles, was not just information; it was a lifeline. “When I served in the military, communication links were how I stayed connected to loved ones and to opportunity,” he recalls. “That experience stayed with me.” Telecom, in that moment, ceased to be an industry and became a vocation. It was about human connection.
This foundational understanding of “why” propelled him through a multifaceted career in the telecom industry. He has occupied nearly every seat at the table, from hands-on technical roles to senior executive leadership. His journey was not a passive ascent but a series of deliberate acts of learning. “Each step in my journey required proactive and purposeful learning,” Randall explains, “and every experience helped me grow into the next role.” While working full-time as a Planning and Design Manager at Comcast, a role demanding deep technical knowledge, he felt a pull to understand the other side of the equation: the human systems that make a business run. He pursued and earned a Bachelor of Science in Management and Organizational Leadership, and later, an MBA in Strategy and Organizational Development.
This was not just about collecting credentials. It was about connecting the dots, about building a bridge between the logic of networks and the motivations of people. The industry’s constant churn and complexity were not a deterrent; for a natural learner, it was an inspiration. When Geographic Information Systems (GIS) entered his world, it added another profound layer to his work. GIS provided the spatial intelligence to transform networks from static lines on a map into dynamic, living systems. It was the ultimate tool for a modern cartographer. The convergence of telecom and GIS became his professional sweet spot, the place where he could help build the very connective fabric that keeps society moving forward.
Finding True North: The Origin of Waypoint 33
After years of leading telecom industry strategy at the geospatial giant Esri, collaborating with global partners, and speaking at major conferences, Randall recognized a subtle but persistent gap in the industry. He saw companies investing heavily in digital transformation, adopting new technologies, and modernizing their infrastructure, yet still feeling stuck. “I realized that many organizations were trying to grow faster than they could see clearly,” he observes. “They had the right technology, but not always the clarity of purpose, alignment, or understanding of how to make people, process, and technology move together in the same direction.”
This insight became the seed of Waypoint 33. The name itself is a map of its mission. A waypoint is a point of reference on a journey, a marker that helps you navigate toward a destination while showing the progress you have made. It is a symbol of intentional, guided movement. The number 33, however, is where the company’s heart is revealed. It is not a technical specification or a business metric. “It’s a personal homage to my best friend of more than thirty five years,” Randall shares. “He and his family live near latitude 33, and since relationships are the foundation of how I work, I wanted that to be reflected in everything we do.”
In that single detail, the entire philosophy of Waypoint 33 is encoded. It is a firm built on the primacy of human connection. Its mission is to help organizations find clarity before growth, to untangle the complexities that hold them back. The firm exists to align four key pillars: people, productivity, profitability, and planet. It is a holistic approach that guides companies through the often overwhelming process of modernization by ensuring every part of the organization is moving with a shared purpose and a clear direction.
The Consortium of Clarity
In a market crowded with consultants, Waypoint 33’s approach is fundamentally different. It is not a traditional consultancy; Randall describes it as a consortium. This is not just a semantic distinction; it is a structural one. “We bring together trusted partners from across the telecom, geospatial, and technology companies like Cellular Expert, Baron Weather, and Magnify Success, to create tailored, collaborative solutions,” he explains. This model replaces competition with collaboration, creating an ecosystem of expertise that can be precisely molded to a client’s unique needs.
The focus is always on the human element. “I believe transformation happens when people understand their tools, believe in their purpose, and feel empowered to make change happen,” Randall says. The work is not about selling a specific piece of software or a pre-packaged service. It is about an almost Socratic process of discovery, of helping people and organizations unlock the potential they already possess.
When a telecom provider is struggling to move to an AI-first GIS approach, or a utility is navigating the labyrinthine process of broadband expansion, Waypoint 33’s first step is always the same: they listen. They seek to understand the friction points, the frustrations, and the untapped opportunities within the teams themselves. Only then do they begin to design strategies that balance immediate, tangible results with long-term sustainability. By combining high-level strategy with the granular insight of geospatial data and a network of trusted collaborators, they help teams modernize without getting lost in the process. The core product is not a report or a recommendation; it is clarity. And as Randall puts it, “When people have clarity, confidence follows.”
The Navigator’s Compass
To lead a company dedicated to clarity requires a leader who is deeply self-aware. Randall’s daily routine begins not with emails, but with meditation and mindfulness, a practice his dog often joins. This act of grounding himself allows him to review, refocus, and set priorities with intention. He tackles the most demanding work in the morning, leaving his afternoons free for the creative and relational aspects of his work: strategy, partner engagement, and customer connection.
He is, by nature, an ENFP personality type: energetic, optimistic, and oriented toward people. His StrengthsFinder results paint a vivid picture of a leader who thrives on Positivity, Woo (winning others over), and Inclusion. His DiSC profile leans heavily toward connection and vision. But true leadership, as he has learned, lies in understanding that your greatest strengths can also be your greatest weaknesses.
Randall recounts a time when his leadership was profoundly tested, facing a team with personalities and communication styles that were the polar opposite of his own. “Those traits clashed with others who were more analytical or cautious,” he admits. The situation demanded not that he be more energetic, but more adaptable. “It takes self awareness…and it requires adapting my message to the audience and persistence to get the message across. I have to slow down, listen more deeply, and make sure to translate energy into clarity.”
The experience taught him a crucial lesson in leadership. “You can’t win everyone over, and not everyone will like you, and that’s okay,” Randall reflects. “The key is to stay consistent, authentic, and fact based. When your intentions are clear and your actions are grounded in truth, people eventually see where your heart is.” It is this blend of head and heart, of data-driven strategy and authentic human empathy, that defines his approach.
The Uncharted Territory Ahead
The impact of Randall’s work is not measured in traditional milestones alone. While he is proud of the initiatives he led at Esri and the trust he has built across the industry, the true markers of success are the relationships and the collaborative spirit he has fostered. For Waypoint 33, the next chapter is about “scale through purpose.” The vision is to continue expanding the consortium model, building a powerful ecosystem of partners all aligned around the principles of people, productivity, profitability, and planet. The goal is to make “clarity of intent and understanding before action” the industry standard for digital transformation.
A significant part of this vision is also about looking to the future, empowering the next generation of leaders in telecom and GIS. “The industry is changing fast,” he says, “and we need leaders who can think with both head and heart.”
This philosophy of service and connection is not something Randall leaves at the office. It is woven into the fabric of his life. He finds balance and rejuvenation in the outdoors, mountain biking, or driving his Jeep on quiet backroads. He has been a Big Brother for more than thirteen years, now serving on the board of the Inland Empire chapter. His past includes fourteen years as a reserve police officer and time on a national incident management team, deploying to natural disasters. “Giving back keeps me grounded,” Randall says, “and reminds me that connection and helping give a hand to someone matters in every part of life.” His creative outlets, like writing short fiction and painting miniatures, provide another form of focused engagement that recharges his energy.
Two simple quotes, their origins unknown to him, have served as his personal and professional compass. The first: “Always do the right thing, for the right reason, every day.” The second: “When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice.”
These are the words of a man who sees his work not as a job, but as a legacy. In an industry defined by the relentless pace of change, Randall René has built his life’s work on the timeless principles of integrity, service, and connection. He is a cartographer for our times, reminding us that no matter how complex the technology becomes, the most important journey is the one we take together, guided by a clear sense of where we are going, and why.
Quotes
“Always do the right thing, for the right reason, every day.”
“When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice.”
Also Read: The 10 Transformational Telecom & GIS Leaders to Watch in 2025
