Sidney McDonald has been a major force in bringing the people of Alabama and the Southeast the latest technologies in telecommunications.
Born in Springville, Ala., and educated in Arab, McDonald graduated from the Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration at The University of Alabama in 1961.
He assumed the presidency of Brindlee Mountain Telephone Company, a family-owned enterprise, and became a leader in adapting technologies that enabled him to capitalize on opportunities in the communications industry.
The company was the first rural telephone company in the country to offer its customers an alternative to AT&T’s long-distance service. Brindlee Mountain Telephone Company was sold to CEA Capital Associates of New York in July 2000.
McDonald, along with Olin King of Huntsville, co-founder of CSI Systems, Inc., also created Deltacom which offered an alternative to AT&T throughout the Southeast. Deltacom is the largest Alabama-owned telecommunication company and operates in Alabama and eight other states.
The company implemented ground-breaking technologies that allowed Deltacom to enter markets far ahead of its competitors. It was acquired by ITC in the late-1990s and subsequently taken public by the acquirer.
McDonald then turned his attention to Intergraph, a software development and services company whose stock had dropped to less than $5 per share. McDonald joined the board of directors, and along with two other outside board members, forced the resignation of the founder and several other top-level managers. He became chairman of the board and led the search for a new CEO. After several years with McDonald as its chairman and under the new CEO, the company was sold for approximately $40 per share.
McDonald also was co-owner of the Huntsville-based group that purchased Pentastar Corporation from Chrysler in 1995, which designed and built complex testing systems for the Department of Defense. After the purchase and re-negotiation of a union contract, the company became very profitable and was sold 18 months later.
In addition to his business career, McDonald has a distinguished record of civic affiliations.
He was a member of the Alabama Commission on Higher Education when it was first created in 1970 and served on the commission until 1978.
He also served in the Alabama House of Representatives for two full terms starting in 1966. He was then elected to the Alabama Senate in 1974 serving as chairman of the Senate Education Committee. He served as the State Finance Director from 1980-1982.
“Sid’s impact on the state of Alabama goes well beyond the telecommunications industry. He shared his business expertise with the state, devoting his valuable time and energy to serving as State Representative and one term as a State Senator,” said Dr. Robert Witt, president of The University of Alabama.
In 1992, McDonald was named to The University Of Alabama System Board Of Trustees.
“In a time when higher education has become a major generator of economic growth, Sid McDonald’s expertise will be an important resource for the faculty, students, and staff of the University of Alabama System,” Trustee Yetta Samford, Jr. said at the time of McDonald’s election to the board.
McDonald served two terms as president pro tempore of the Board and chaired the Executive Committee, while also sitting on other key committees.
McDonald became a member of the Alabama Space and Rocket Center Commission at the request of Gov. Don Siegelman during a time when the commission had engaged in numerous questionable financial affairs. He helped lead the effort to save the organization and headed the search for a new CEO.
McDonald resides in Union Grove, Ala., is married to the former Jane Plunkett of Cullman. Together they have five children and 12 grandchildren. The whole group enjoys “Big Daddy’s” New York apartment.
