3 Rivers sells its Bozeman operations to OneEighty Communications

Fairfield-based 3 Rivers Communications http://www.3rivers.net announced Thursday that it has sold its local, competitive operations in Bozeman to OneEighty Communications http://www.oneeighty.com .

By BETH BRITTON
Tribune Business Editor

The sale was effective June 20, General Manager Darren Moser said. 3 Rivers Communications purchased the local Bozeman and Great Falls operations from Western Wireless in January 2002.

Operations Manager Terry Noyd said it made sense to sell the Bozeman operation because it represented a small piece of the company’s competitive business unit and was somewhat isolated from the bulk of 3 Rivers’ operations.

With this purchase, Billings-based OneEighty Communications acquired about 200 business customers — 600 telephone lines in all, Noyd said. 3 Rivers serves more than 22,000 local telephone lines, she added.

The company’s other Montana operations, including wireless phone and direct broadcast satellite products in Bozeman, are not affected by the sale.

Two of the three employees affected by the sale have been hired by OneEighty Communications, and the third has been transferred to 3 Rivers’ Shelby location.

3 Rivers Cos. employs about 215 and is divided into four separate groups — 3 Rivers Telephone Cooperative Inc., 3 Rivers Communications, 3 Rivers Wireless and 3 Rivers DBS (direct broadcast satellite).

The Bozeman acquisition is a springboard for further growth, OneEighty Communications’ Chief Operating Officer Brent Johnson said.

"We’re only 18 months old, and we’re reasonably aggressive," Johnson said.

OneEighty, started in November 2001, employs about 40 and provides roughly 1,500 business customers in Billings with a local dial tone, long distance, dedicated broadband and Internet services.

Additionally, it provides residential customers with local dialup Internet and digital subscriber-line, or DSL, service.

OneEighty also serves Internet and broadband customers in Cody, Wyo.

For information, visit Web sites http://www.3rivers.net and http://www.oneeighty.com.

http://www.greatfallstribune.com/news/stories/20030704/localnews/592000.html