Page 42 - BusinessWest October 3, 2022

Fiberspring
Continued from page 38
devices and appliances are driven by the inter- net — everything from lighting to security to thermostats — demand for fast, reliable service grows.
“Customers are streaming more; they’re going into Best Buy, they’re buying a TV that is all streaming,” he noted. “And with the inter- net of things, with everything from doorbells
to vacuum cleaners connected to the internet, people are increasingly concerned about band- width and performance.”
As for ordering materials ahead of sched- ule, that has been one of the keys, along with a solid team, effective buildout strategy, and staying under budget and ahead of schedule, Fitzgerald said.
“We proactively ordered our equipment and materials in advance, before we knew COVID was coming,” he explained. “I learned that in Westfield, and it was a great strategy.”
As South Hadley adds more fiberhoods, it’s becoming apparent that SHELD’s fiber-service initiative could expand well beyond the borders of that town.
Indeed, just as Whip City Fiber has moved beyond Westfield and into the surrounding hill- towns, Fiberspring is now expanding into other communities.
Shutesbury, northeast of South Hadley, was the first town to enter into a contract with the company, and Leverett, which borders Shutes- bury, followed soon after. Those two communi- ties, which both had existing networks in place, will bring another 3,000 customers into the fold.
After that ... Fitzgerald said there is potential to expand the footprint in several directions.
“We could go pretty much anywhere in this region,” he told BusinessWest. “The key is the truck rolls — if you have to roll a truck to a cus- tomer, you need to be able to reach that cus- tomer in a reasonable period of time. If a town in New Hampshire or Maine wanted to hire us, we could do it, but we would probably have to put a satellite building there or a small hub or hire technicians that live in that area.
“Just as Westfield is now serving a number
reason we’re doing this is to reduce the cost to the South Hadley customers and at the same time provide a good service to Shutesbury. But ultimately, we need to show cost savings for South Hadley customers, who are our owner, which we will do with these contracts.”
Speed Thrills
Summing up where the telecom business now known as Fiberspring is, and where it could be a few years or a decade down the road, Fitzgerald said everything is happening
“Just as Westfield is now serving a number of hilltowns, we can now do the same. These towns chose us because of our team and our ability to serve them.”
of hilltowns, we can now do the same,” he went on, adding that Fiberspring is now compet-
ing with Westfield and other providers. “These towns chose us because of our team and our ability to serve them.”
Moving forward, Fitzgerald said there will be several factors that will determine if, when, and to what degree Fiberspring expands.
“First and foremost, we don’t want to nega- tively impact the service that we provide to South Hadley — those customers are priority one,” he explained. “Second, we want to make sure we have enough resources to adequately perform any of those contracts. And third, does it make sense for our customers? The whole
faster than he or the SHELD board anticipated. That statement goes for everything from the buildout in South Hadley — again, it’s ahead of
schedule — to the expansion of the business into neighboring communities.
That’s a good problem to have — if it’s even a problem — and a business story that bears watching in the months and years to come.
In other words, this new gig — as in gig — has vast potential to be a huge player in this market. u
George O’Brien can be reached at [email protected]
A Great Place to Do Fulfilling Work!
Enjoy a rewarding career with comprehensive benefits and professional growth opportunities at BHN!
Positions are available for all career levels, including: Registered Nurses | Behavioral Health Clinicians Clinical Supervisors | Direct Care Specialists Non-clinical Operations | Administrative Support
New grads are encouraged to apply! Sign-on bonuses available!
BHN is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice.
Apply today!
bhnWorks.org
413-BHN-WORK
413-246-9675
The Best Residential HVAC Team in the Industry
With years of experience under our belt, your home’s needs are in capable hands. Ours.
• Indoor Air Quality • Heating & Cooling
Systems
• Plumbing Services
westernmassheatingcooling.com • 413-268-7777
42 OCTOBER 3, 2022
TECHNOLOGY
BusinessWest