To achieve international recognition for outside plant telecom designs and unique logistics, Joe has had a life long career built from hands on experience. He began working in pole line construction with his family’s utility construction company and rural independent telephone company (ILEC). Through the eventual sale of the family business and then subsequent mergers, he moved from rural to metropolitan areas. His career evolved with promotions from craft positions through Settlements Analyst for the east coast, in Washington, DC. for the telecom holding company, CONTEL, which eventually became a part of GTE. Literally, by learning the telecom business from the ground up, he has the perspective that few others can claim.

Born in Vermont, Joe relishes personal and business travel worldwide. He especially enjoys the challenges of nature - from Arctic to jungle. This spirit of adventure carries over into business and makes him willing to go the extra mile - literally, even by dugout canoe.

Some of his earlier international travel to remote areas occurred while consulting in African and Caribbean countries for the Harlem Third World Trade Center in New York. His assignments were to help developing nations plan telecommunications systems where there was very little, if any, infrastructure.

In 1983, Joe took the d/b/a he used for his consulting and incorporated it to create a contract solutions and staffing company. The decades of his telecom experience have seen the radically changing technologies, several business cycles and the complete overhaul of the communications industry by deregulation. Through it all, he has been a successful engineer turned entrepreneur, with proven business savvy and maintaining the spark of adventure.

By deliberate business focus, the company has been built on unwavering standards of quality. MOUNTAIN, LTD. became a nationally known leader in the industry enjoying an excellent reputation with clients as well as employees. In 1999, a publicly held company purchased MOUNTAIN, LTD. Joe stayed on as President of MOUNTAIN, LTD. now operating as a subsidiary. Within two years, he nearly doubled the size of MOUNTAIN, LTD. and then assumed the responsibilities of all contracting activities. In 2002, Joe assumed a position on the public company’s Board of Directors and was appointed their Corporate President and COO, overseeing nearly sixty subsidiary companies. In an unexpected move, the public holding company decided to spin-off MOUNTAIN, LTD. in December of 2002, due to the down turn of the telecom industry. At that juncture, Joe resigned all of the positions he held with them and along with his wife, Sandra, negotiated and ultimately acquired back MOUNTAIN, LTD.

Since then, the Hosmers and their top management team have expanded and diversified the corporate service spectrum of MOUNTAIN, LTD. greatly.  Today the firm is active in the healthcare, financial, banking, energy, engineering and construction industries.  As of this time, the corporation is busy in 45 states and several countries.

Joe remains actively involved with local and regional telephone companies and other related organizations. He serves on the Board of Directors of two operating Telephone Companies, a CATV firm, and an ISP.  He is a Director of the Telephone Association of New England as well as serving as a Director for the National Association of Personnel Services. In his ‘free time’, he is highly active in several organizations for conservation and renewable resources on a worldwide basis. He sits as a Director on the Safari Club International Foundation Board, which is involved with worldwide conservation issues.

Adventure travel continues to be an active passion.