About us

A bit about us

River Technologies has been providing world-class services to businesses in the North West since 2020, when founder and managing director Jay Dobson opened up his home office in Euxton.

The name River Technologies came about from our local River Ribble and how it connects people, communities, and businesses. And that’s precisely what we do by enabling communication with future-proofed technology.

Not only does our team provide you with the most suitable telecoms equipment but also unparalleled customer support. So, whether you’re just starting out or already established, we can get you growing faster than ever before.

River Technologies is a customer-centric, tech-savvy solutions provider for all your telecoms needs. We specialise in cutting through the jargon and putting our clients’ business goals first with cost-effective telecoms options tailored to their ambitions.

Our Values

Stewardship

A guiding principle to all of our actions and interactions as a business. We always endeavour to be stewards of our customers products and services. This informs our tone and our actions in everything we do.

“The careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care”
–a reddit user

Integrity

Because sleeping well at night is a basic requirement for any level of success.

The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles.”
–An online dictionary

Continuous Improvement

We are always learning. It’s part of the job. Staying curious about the world we exist within is truly a requirement when you want the kind of results that most people would only dream of.

Knowing this make us want to be better each day. And so; we learn.

“Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.”
–Benjamin Franklin

Enthusiasm

Enthusiasm is the fuel that powers exceptional performance and infectious positivity. When we approach our work with genuine excitement and passion, it not only enhances our own experience but also inspires those around us. This authentic energy creates a ripple effect, elevating the quality of our work and the satisfaction of our customers.

True enthusiasm isn’t just about being cheerful – it’s about bringing genuine interest and engagement to everything we do, from the smallest tasks to our biggest challenges.

“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.”
–Ralph Waldo Emerson

Meet the team

Jay Dobson

Managing Director

Jay is our Founder and Managing Director. He has been around telecoms his entire life, observing his father’s company – Lake Technologies. He was the only 6-year-old in his class who knew what an ISDN circuit was!

Eventually, he started working for Lake as a trainee engineer. After that, he progressed to Operations Manager, running the day-to-day engineering projects and support teams until Lake Technologies was sold in 2020.

He learned his trade on all types of traditional phone systems from Avaya, Samsung, and NEC. Then, as technology advanced, he transitioned to cloud telephony with the market-leading companies Callswitch and Gamma Horizon.

Along with their own customer installations and maintenance, Lake provided technical expertise and engineering resources for many of the North West’s independent Telecoms and IT companies.

As a result, Jay built an enviable reputation as a telecoms specialist, and his team have a great foundation and expertise to call upon.

With a young family – spare time doesn’t come often – but when it does Jay enjoys playing guitar and watching Formula One.. oh and it case it wasn’t obvious- getting tattooed!

→ Jay also has a blog where he writes about technology and business, which you can find at www.jaydobson.blog

Paul Dolan

Operations Director

Paul joined the business in 2024 after a short hiatus from the industry.

Having originally completed an apprenticeship as a Toolmaker Paul decided he wanted a change and started as a Trainee Telecoms Engineer more than 30 years ago, and eventually found his way to Lake Technologies in 1994. From there he worked his way up through the Engineering and Operations teams, eventually becoming the driving force behind Lake’s in-house billing systems and processes.

Having held various positions at Lake, including Operations Director and Managing Director, around 2013 he eventually settled into the Technical Director role, a post from which he oversaw Jay’s entry into the Telecoms world as a mentor and boss, and oversaw the years of success that proceeded the sale of Lake in 2020.

During his 4 year ‘break’, Paul moved to Devon and spent time pursuing his passion for farming and agriculture. Learning to rear and manage livestock as a Trainee Herdsman on a large modern Dairy Farm. Evidently, the 16 hour days on the farm wasn’t hard enough work, so Paul decided to move back to the North West in 2024 and join River as our Operations Director.

In his spare time Paul likes to brew craft beer – a perk that the rest of the team swear has nothing to do with how much they love having him around!

Phil Kushner

Technical Director

Phil is our operations director and a specialist in solving telecoms problems. With over a decade of experience in technical roles, his aptitude for finding solutions and following engineering processes means he’s our number one troubleshooter.

Additionally, being an avid musician, his creative side encourages thinking outside the box to solve technical issues. His understanding of complex systems and how they work together gives him a unique perspective when troubleshooting. And because he’s always looking for new challenges, he’s constantly finding ways to improve our clients’ processes and procedures.

Alex Dolan

Apprentice Network Engineer

Alex joined us alongside Paul in 2024, fresh out of formal education. A lifelong technology enthusiast with a can-do attitude and thirst for knowledge, Alex chose River as the place to undertake his Level 4 Network Engineering apprenticeship.

Though still an apprentice, Alex is already excelling beyond the basics. Our customers have quickly grown to know and love him, and we’re fortunate to have him as part of Team River.