Connectivity is key to attracting business, CEO says By Tony Wheeler Staff Writer BalsamWest FiberNet’s Chief Executive Officer David Hubbs gave a presentation extolling the progress his company has made in bringing technology to the area at the monthly meeting of the Macon County Economic Development Commission at Southwestern Community College in Franklin on Tuesday, June 16. He explained that the company’s philosophy is simple.

Balsam West CEO David Hubbs gave a presentation to the EDC on the potential of the fiber optic network to draw businesses to the area.

“We provide state-of-the-art communications to Western North Carolina which allows our region to compete with any area of the United States. We want to help grow and attract 21st century business to our communities. Communications infrastructure is a critical element in attracting industry and jobs, and BalsamWest is committed to being a part of making Western North Carolina ready for knowledge- based companies,” he said.

A recent marketing study shows that BalsamWest’s network gives the region access to technology that is comparable or better than the top 50 cities in the United States.

BalsamWest FiberNet is a fiber optic-based, wholesale and enterprise telecommunications carrier and is jointly owned by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and Drake Enterprises Ltd. The mission of BalsamWest is to bring 21st century communications to Western North Carolina that previously have not been available in rural areas.

Hubbs told the story of how the company was started with the vision of Phil Drake and the EBCI out of a need for internet services that weren’t available in this area. Hubbs said Drake is a leader in tax preparation software and methods to transmit files electronically and needed a reliable network. And, he said, the Eastern Band couldn’t operate the casino without being connected to the rest of the world.

Drake negotiated with a “backbone” internet provider in Atlanta, one of the big guys, Hubbs explained, and was able to get the internet to Franklin. As the ’90s wore on and the internet grew more important as a way to transfer secure files electronically, the company added an internet connection from Greensboro. They didn’t need more bandwidth, Hubbs said, so sometimes one circuit would go out and they used the other as backup. They learned the hard way that the Atlanta circuit didn’t come straight up to Franklin, as they thought it did. Instead, it wandered around and came into Franklin from Waynesville.

Somewhere around 2002, the cable containing both circuits got cut eight different times in the same year and was once out for eight hours during Drake’s busiest time of the season. “But it didn’t just affect Drake, it affected all of the six westernmost counties,” he said. “No long distance, no credit cards, no internet, no ATM, nothing. Everything west of that break went dark; that break was on Balsam Mountain, so you can get an idea of where we got our name. We were a black hole in telecommunications and we had to solve that problem,” he said.

In order to remain competitive in the industry, Hubbs said, they needed a level of redundancy, two separate sources of connection to solve the problem. “We could either move to somewhere it was available, or build it ourselves,” he said.

So build it they did, and now have a loop network around Western North Carolina which uses SONET technology. If the fiber optic cable is cut, the signal will go around in the other direction.

“Without connectivity, it will be difficult to attract new business. We’re building to spur demand. If we don’t build it, they won’t come. Drake almost left the area because of it. Now, it means Western North Carolina can be a part of connectivity for the entire Eastern Seaboard,” Hubbs said.

EDC members commented on how proud they were that BalsamWest’s FiberNet had allowed a small town like Franklin to be on the cutting edge of technology not usually found in rural areas.

In other business

EDC members had one less thing to worry about at the meeting on Tuesday. Missing from this month’s agenda was a status report on hiring a coordinator for the group. The new coordinator Trevor Dalton was introduced to the board members at the meeting, though most of the people already knew him.

“I came in and hit the ground running,” Dalton said. “It’s been awesome. This is my third week and I’ve already met with over 40 stakeholders, and will continue to work with the community.”

Consultant James McCoy gave a briefing, stating that since March, seven companies have made inquiries about locating in the county. “There are signs of a bit of an economic turnaround nationally, and I’m impressed with the amount of activity that is going on,” he said.

Board member Connie Haire reported on the business expo to be hosted by AdvantageWest on July 14 at Harrah’s in Cherokee and urged the EDC members to attend.