by Gary Evans – Interim CEO
As acting CEO, it’s my pleasure to write this end-of-year note, but before we say goodbye to 2022, I want to take a moment to thank everyone who has contributed—and continues to contribute—to Vision Net’s success.
To our customers, thank you for trusting us with your business. You are why we show up, and it is truly our pleasure to serve you.
To our partners, thank you for collaborating with us. Your expertise enables us to prosper and grow while delivering our clients a comprehensive suite of solutions.
And last but certainly not least, to our employees, who are the lifeblood of Vision Net. There would be no company without you. I am grateful for all you do and the tenacity, grit, and compassion you display daily. Your commitment to our company culture of innovation, teamwork, and open communication is essential to our ongoing success. Undeniably, it “kept us firing on all eight cylinders” when CEO Corey Jensen retired in July.
The Year Ahead
As we look ahead to 2023, our focus is on growth, emphasizing three key areas. First, we are exceptionally well-positioned for multi-state expansion. Vision Net boasts a strong track record of partnering with regional businesses with properties in many states.
In 2019, for example, a client in the financial services industry chose Vision Net to design, build, and manage its private network of over 300 locations in 14 states. Vision Net won this contract through a highly competitive RFP process that considered solutions from numerous network providers, including many nationally recognized brands. Our deep industry experience, combined with a superior customer experience, set Vision Net apart. Our work with this financial institution continues today as we network the client’s most recent acquisition.
Another example of our multi-state, multi-location proficiency is our partnership with a regional retail outfitter. The company is leveraging Vision Net’s expertise to provide SD Wan connectivity across its storefronts in ID, WA, and MT and loss prevention in its two warehouses.
Wholesale Carrier Services (formerly the Transport department) is another growth target. Today’s ever-increasing bandwidth demands bring unprecedented changes to our industry and the many carriers that need reliable, scalable bandwidth. Vision Net’s Wholesale Carrier Services pairs the capacity and capabilities needed to support carriers’ rapid growth with a 5,000-mile, statewide fiber optic network. We complement this with connectivity throughout the United States and Canada, enabling us to deliver flexible scalability to our clients.
Lastly, security presents another tremendous opportunity as it continues to be a critical priority for businesses. We’ve all read or heard stories about aggressive cyber-attacks at larger—usually well-known—enterprises. But small and medium-sized companies are, in many cases, at even greater risk due to having fewer resources and less staffing. Vision Net can bolster a firm’s existing security/IT department with additional support and expertise, or we can provide a complete end-to-end security solution. Leveraging our Vision Secure suite of services, the Vision Net team works with businesses of all sizes to review security vulnerabilities and ensure systems remain bolstered against ransomware and other cyber-attacks.
I began this letter by thanking all who play a role in Vision Net’s success, and I’ll finish by singling out Vision Net’s Board of Directors and our owners. For those who don’t know, Vision Net was started in 1995 and is wholly owned by nine rural telephone companies. The leaders of these firms serve as a north star for our business, steering growth while overseeing corporate activities. I like to say that this community-centric ethic is a big part of “how Vision Net was raised.” It’s why our relationships with the companies we support and the cities and towns that house them are vital to our work. I’m pleased to share that Vision Net’s community investments will continue in 2023 with our sponsorship of Montana Special Olympics, financial support for the always-popular Billings Airshow, and a dedicated river cleanup day with Sun River Watershed Group.
From all of us at Vision Net, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
