No. 11 - Rochester Top 100

Fibertech Networks, LLC

About Fibertech Networks, LLC: Provider of business communications networks.

Rank on Top 100: 11

Top Executive: John K. Purcell

Employees: 100

Website: www.fibertech.com

We asked John K. Purcell, CEO and president, to talk about his business.

Question: What does your company do?
Purcell: Fibertech owns and operates local communications networks in 21 mid-size cities in the U.S. We have built our own private all fiber network and lease capacity to large business customers and telecom carriers. Our headquarters are in Rochester and our markets stretch from New England to Indianapolis. Fibertech was founded in May of 2000 and is privately held. The major investors in Fibertech are two venture capital firms; Nautic Partners and Banc of America Capital Investors.

Question: Who are your customers?
Purcell: We have customers in the health care sector, both hospitals and large physician groups; financial, including banks, insurance companies and hedge funds; education, including dozens of colleges and universities and almost 100 central school districts; government, at both the local and state level; and technology companies where we provide Internet capacity to businesses who host large scale web sites. In addition, we serve seven of the eight largest national telecom carriers.

Question: How has your company been able to grow to continue to maintain its ranking on the Top 100?
Purcell: We have grown consistently thanks to an outstanding group of employees who have built the most modern network; an enthusiastic and determined young sales team who together have sold more than $400 million in total contracts; and investors who believed in us even when the economy of 2001 and 2002 took such a serious hit. Last year our top line revenue growth for Fibertech was more than 35 percent and we have similar goals for 2007.

Question: How has the Rochester Business Alliance helped your company grow?
Purcell: The Rochester Business Alliance provides small business members with a platform on which we can stand with each other, even while we build our individual business goals. They speak up and stand up for the business community and they are committed to constantly looking for opportunities to improve the business climate.

Question: What would you like to see happen in our region, and in our state, to help businesses thrive?
Purcell: There are few opportunities to attract a "relocating" company to Rochester. What is needed is more awareness and support for those companies who are here and whose expansion creates the private sector jobs that drive every successful economy. We think the current political leaders of Rochester and Monroe County understand this and recognize the need to continue to build upon the improving county/city cooperation that has been so long coming.

Question: What are the biggest opportunities you see ahead, as well as the biggest challenges?
Purcell: Our biggest challenge is to keep up the growth rate. After nearly seven years, growing at 35 to 40 percent is a tough goal but that's exactly what our 2007 plan calls for. The opportunity is there for us because we are diversified across 21 good markets with hundreds of different customers in many sectors of the economy.