Birch merging with Access
Atlanta firm extending reach into midwest
By Bobbi Mlynar
Friday, November 2, 2007
Birch Telecom is expected to merge with Access Integrated Networks of Atlanta, according to a joint announcement made Thursday afternoon.
The companies have signed a definitive agreement for the merger, which will need government approvals for the terms. Approval is anticipated to come in early 2008, the announcement stated. The agreement also requires formal approval from Birch stockholders, a majority of whom already have signed voting agreements in favor of the transaction.
The combined company will be one of the largest local carriers in its multi-state region. The combined company will have more than 300,000 voice and data lines with 100,000 small- and medium-sized business customers, the news release stated. It will employ 400 people and expects an annual revenue of $200 million.
Vincent M. Oddo, president and chief executive officer of Access, said that the merger will help develop existing markets and expand into selected new markets in the southwest.
“Many of these Birch customers are located in our existing southeastern markets, where Access already offers its state-of-the-art IP-based voice and data services,” Oddo said in the release.
The merger will add Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas to the service area.
The Birch company has made significant restructuring moves in the past two years and has become a profitable and debt-free company, according to Stephen Dube, president and CEO of Birch.
After the merger, Oddo will take over leadership of the company, and Dube will return to work as a principal at CXO, a growth and management consulting firm in Dallas.
Access is the service provider of choice in more than 1,000 communities in the southeast for a variety of voice and data services, according to the announcement. It was the first company in its class to open its own private IP network. More information may be had at www.accesscomm.com.
Birch, which targets small- and medium-sized businesses, serves customers in more than 161 metropolitan markets across 17 southwestern and southeastern states with integrated voice and data networks and offers local, long distance and Internet services. More information on the company is available at www.birch.com.