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This is Fred Ball for Zions Bank, speaking on business.
I'm always amazed to hear the success stories behind many of Utah's companies. I find those of the high-tech businesses particularly interesting because of the nature of their products and services. Advance Fiber Optics is one such company. It began in 1993. Randall Anderson and Clay Arnell believed they could build fiber optics systems that would provide the kind of precision and attention to detail they had helped develop while working in the aerospace industry.
They landed their first major contract in October of that year building a network around Salt Lake City for the first competitive local exchange carrier in the area. They implemented fiber handling techniques and quality checks that earned them a reputation for quality and efficiency in the telecommunications industry.
In an effort to expand services to their customers they began to accurately document pertinent information--things that could be used to efficiently manage a telecommunications network. For example, clients were accustomed to receiving data in hard copy format in a series of large binders, which although necessary, were very cumbersome. Randall and Clay quickly recognized a need in the market for an accurate, easy-to-use fiber management system that would provide critical network data at the click of a mouse. Through several years of development and programming, the concept grew into a family of network documentation and management software systems now known worldwide as OSP InSight.
From its beginnings in 1993 of 2 employees, the family van, $112,000 in sales along with about the same amount in costs, Advance Fiber Optics, Inc. now employs 65 people in offices in Salt Lake, Sacramento, San Francisco, Vancouver and Seattle. The company performs field services work in all of the western United States and software services worldwide. It now has a fleet of 26 splicing vehicles and sales that surpass the $8 million mark annually.
For Zions Bank, I'm Fred Ball. I'm speaking on business.
