In The News

Fast-growing tech firm gets boost from Cincinnati Bell partnership

February 12, 2016  |  ATC, Inc.

Cincinnati Business Courier

ATC Inc., a fast-growing telecom consulting company, is in the midst of another growth spurt with the move into its new office and the launch of a project in partnership with Cincinnati Bell Business.

ATC launched QueenCityFiber.Net last month. The website provides speedy, accurate quotes and specialized counsel for businesses searching for fast, reliable Internet access and fiber services. Cincinnati Bell Business (NYSE: CBB) helped launch the site as a result of a long-term partnership between the two companies.

The site allows businesses nationwide to find quotes and pricing from providers across the country, but the service has a focus on Cincinnati.

While Cincinnati Bell is a partner in the site’s launch, its pricing and packages won’t be overtly advertised above other options.

“It’s a co-marketing partnership,” Cincinnati Bell vice president of commercial sales Greg Wheeler told me. “Effectively we’re helping a small IT consulting company provide a more transparent tool. We believe we’ll benefit because we have more assets in the marketplace than other providers.”

ATC founder David Goodwin said the service is important because small- and medium-sized businesses now have the ability to employ technology that was typically reserved for the nation’s largest firms and fiber is the easiest way to make that happen.

“There’s so many different applications now that are running on the network, and fiber has become the go-to,” he said.

He said ATC’s partnership with Cincinnati Bell provides a local advantage and helps its customers receive faster service if something does go wrong rather than contracting with a national supplier. Since the site launched quietly, he has been focused on growing its recognition locally. And it could become even bigger than that.

“If it gets to be wildly successful, we will branch out to other markets in the country,” he told me.

ATC was launched in 1999 by Goodwin and Darren DeMartino, who now operates an ATC office in Hartford, Conn. The company, which has technical expertise in cloud technologies, voice and data networks, contract negotiations, expense management and business continuity, originally set up shop in the basement of Goodwin’s Mason home.

After an extensive search for office space in Greater Cincinnati, ATC is moving into a new space at 8734 Union Centre Blvd. on Feb. 1.

The new space is 3,625 square feet and will include a lobby, conference room, demonstration technology for clients, offices for the company’s six current employees, huddle spaces and a full kitchen for hosting events.

“It was time for us to make a move as we try to go to the next level,” Goodwin told me. “We’ll be able to grow significantly in the space that we’ve chosen.”

Goodwin expects to hire one to two new employees each year for the next few years as the company’s trajectory continues. It has seen revenue double in the past three years and there’s no sign of slowing down, he said.

He selected the West Chester office because it’s near his home and centrally located for ATC’s employees. It will also provide signage and strong exposure on a major roadway to make the company more recognizable. Its proximity to Interstate 75 was also a perk because ATC will have easy access to downtown Cincinnati. It often takes clients to Cincinnati Bell’s offices for demonstrations and other meetings. While the new space will allow ATC customers to see their technology in action and try it for themselves for the first time, that accessibility to Cincinnati Bell will also be important, Goodwin said.

ATC will host a ribbon cutting for the new space at 9 a.m. March 3 with a grand opening party starting at 4 p.m. May 5.

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/02/01/fast-growing-tech-firm-gets-boost-from-cincinnati.html