Mainebiz

B Y W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 19 JA N UA R Y 8 , 2 0 1 8 S ouza, who has been in the indus- try for more than four decades, sat down with Mainebiz in New Gloucester to talk about Otelco's corporate rebrand- ing and his expectations for 2018. Between questions, he used a fi ber-optic display board to show a typical set-up for Internet and voice communications, and chat about his avocation as a private pilot and the plane he's building in his home basement. Mainebiz: What are the unique chal- lenges of serving rural areas? Rob Souza: e primary issue is densities — the number of homes you pass per mile of fi ber that's built. Whether you're building in a location where you're passing 20 or 30 homes per mile or two or three homes per mile the cost per mile is relatively the same. It makes it a diffi cult business proposition if it's much less dense. MB: How does Maine compare to its New England peers? RS: Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine probably have many similar char- acteristics from the standpoint of popula- tion densities, and certainly when you get into the western part of Massachusetts the same thing would apply. MB: Are there any initiatives that are encouraging? RS: Recently the FCC [the U.S. Federal Communications Commission] came out with the Alternative Connect America Model Fund, which provided us a stable revenue stream for 10 years. e goal of that is to invest in broad- band, to get closer and closer to more rural customers so that they can have speeds equivalent to those that live in Portland or Lewiston or Bangor. MB: What can you say about Otelco's rebranding? RS: Traditionally as a company we had been managed on a regional or divi- sional level. In the past year we decided to change from a regional management to a functional management. And from a messaging side, we believe we really need to be known by the corporate name, which is Otelco. at also builds a strong internal team. MB: Is there one corporate culture or does it vary by state? RS: It varies. e rebrand is unifi ca- tion, and what we're trying to do is have a common culture that places a high value on our customers and places a very high value on our employees as well. Without good employees, customers are not going to be happy. MB: How did you get into this business? RS: I happened to be out of school looking for a summer job, and my dad knew somebody who worked for New England Telephone. I went to work for them full-time in 1973. I started in a craft position working in a manhole, and once I learned enough I went out onto the pole line by myself. I was fortunate enough to work my way through the industry until you fi nd me sitting before you today. MB: Do you think your experience makes you a better manager? RS: It gives me an interesting perspec- tive, and I think that is helpful. When you realize in an ice storm what those guys on the outside are going through because you've been there and done that, I think it does make you a better manager. It keeps you grounded and it's easier to be empathetic with the folks that you're managing and under- standing the challenges they face. MB: What's ahead for Otelco in 2018? RS: e fi rst quarter is going to be very busy for us for a number of reasons as we continue to work on this unifi ca- tion, the whole branding project, all of the pieces coming together. We are also certainly continuing to push fi ber aggressively, so we have a lot ahead of us for 2018 and we're positive. We recognize that there's competition out there, the Time Warner and Spectrum guys have been beating their drums pretty heavily. We have our work cut out for us, but we think the steps that we're taking today put us in a good position to be a viable contender for many years to come. P H O T O / J I M N E U G E R Rob Souza, president and CEO of the telecommunications fi rm Otelco, with a fi ber-optic display board at his offi ce in New Gloucester. Rob Souza is president and CEO of Otelco, a telecommunications firm (Nasdaq: OTEL) previously known as OTT Communications in New England, which has operations in several states. THERE IS THERE IS A DIFFERENCE A DIFFERENCE THERE IS THERE IS Because Construction Management Design/Build General Contracting Engineering Construction Management Design/Build General Contracting Engineering Sheridan Sheridan Construction Construction www.sheridancorp.com www.sheridancorp.com Fairfield Fairfield Portland 207-453-9311 207-453-9311 207-774-6138 Black Dinah Chocolatiers, Westbrook ME B Y R E N E E C O R D E S O N T H E R E C O R D We have a lot ahead of We have a lot ahead of We have a lot ahead of We have a lot ahead of We have a lot ahead of We have a lot ahead of We have a lot ahead of We have a lot ahead of We have a lot ahead of us for 2018 and we're us for 2018 and we're us for 2018 and we're us for 2018 and we're us for 2018 and we're us for 2018 and we're us for 2018 and we're us for 2018 and we're us for 2018 and we're us for 2018 and we're us for 2018 and we're us for 2018 and we're positive. We recognize there's competition out there ...

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