FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: John Brooks
Telephone: (812) 231-7050
Email: John.brooks@joinkllc.com
Closing the Broadband Divide
Recent Joink acquisitions expand business and residential Internet
options and consolidate area's top Internet expertise and resources
Terre Haute - September 14, 2004 - Joink, the Wabash Valley's largest Internet service provider, has been in an acquisitive mood lately with recent deals to acquire three different area Internet service providers and an area consulting company. The acquisitions include ABCS Online, Bestonline, XSNet and Cisco consulting firm JZ Consulting. With the moves, Joink grows its substantial residential customer base and broadens service offerings for area businesses and residents.
"We've been growing our presence aggressively," says John Brooks, Joink's General Manager. "Our growth gives us the tools and expertise to meet virtually any Internet need from dial-up and DSL to fixed-wireless broadband access. With these acquisitions, we have increased our support staff by nearly 50%, and we've expanded our customer support to seven days a week. Combine that with our dealer network of area computer hardware and repair locations, and we are a truly local option. When customers call Joink, they are talking to someone who knows the area, not someone in Los Angeles or Bombay, India."
The recent Joink acquisitions began with JZ Consulting, an area business consulting and technology services firm whose client list was a veritable "Who's Who of the Wabash Valley." The move brings JZ Consulting President and area technology leader Josh Zuerner onto the Joink team as Vice President of Technology. JZ Consulting was one of only three wireless, security, and voice-specialized Cisco Partners in Indiana and brings a wealth of networking and commercial technology expertise to Joink.
Also strengthening Joink's position in the commercial sector is its acquisition of XSNet, a Terre Haute-based Internet service provider focused on business customers. "In the past, XSNet and Joink have competed aggressively, and each has succeeded in different ways," says Nicholas Mahurin, XSNet CEO. "At XSNet, our focus has always been on building a service platform that was reliable, fast and flexible. As bandwidth demands increase and uses for Internet service expand, we felt we could best accomplish that objective by partnering with the team at Joink."
"XSNet has had an excellent reputation for their high-levels of service and their strong network," says Joink's Brooks. "Our combined operations and back-office consolidation allow us to offer more for less. We will continue to treat this impressive group of customers with the highest-levels of reliability and top-notch service."
"We're creating something special for area businesses," explains Zuerner. "We can now provide a product and solution set that has previously existed only through the use of multiple vendors. We've redesigned the Joink network to put performance, capacity, and flexibility second only to increased reliability. We have the ability to aggressively setup a network that supports branch office computing, voice, and video technologies. Whatever the need, we can provide for it from setup through long-term upkeep and maintenance, and we can do it with local service and support."
ABCS Online and Bestonline, the final two companies in Joink's acquisition flurry, have been long-time Internet players. ABCS has been in the business for nearly 10 years and was the original Internet service provider to area residents. Acquiring these companies adds a large number of residential users to Joink's subscriber base and expands the service offerings available to customers in a several counties including Parke, Vermillion, Vigo, Sullivan, Greene, and Knox in Indiana and Clark in Illinois.
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