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Earthlink CEO Rolla Huff on the company’s transition from consumer services to business services as its core business and its many recent acquisitio...
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Let's get to a name I know a lot of you of heard Earthlink it has been on a shopping spree of buying a slew of companies.
As it transforms itself from sort of an old school Internet service provider service.
To the next generation of IT and cloud services transforming.
Itself Rolla Huff is the chairman and CEO.
He's here in a Fox Business explicit that I loved the story you hear about three years ago.
And back then -- you're putting a whole new priority in the place for Earthlink about 700 people -- huge picture -- what -- shareholder conference right today how many.
That roughly 3000 employees in that company and we had.
Lot of interest in the shareholder community now it's terrific that is amazing and it's what to attribute that as we -- -- -- kind of morphing and transformed.
What is the focus now for.
We're really focused on mid sized enterprises bringing IT infrastructure to -- enterprise class IT infrastructure.
In an affordable way using the virtual platforms are -- as.
So many people like to refer to it's an over -- term okay that it consider me a small business or what's the pitch so the pitch as if you don't wanna buy a server today and you -- -- -- expensive for their very expensive.
And you've got to continue to improve your technology.
You can buy server capacity from -- virtually.
If you wanna if you want us to help you provide first level support to your people we can do that so that you don't have to have that expense.
And you can you can buy it on a recurring basis as opposed to the one big capital.
Expenditure that so many small business just can't do.
So what's fair to say that your transforming more from a basic Internet customer then to two businesses -- absolutely yet know.
A billion of our 1000000003 is focused on business services.
Customers so.
We are business company then you'd be a perfect person to tell us the help the small businesses that -- deal with how are things -- look I think everybody's working hard to try to get by all these uncertain terms I think.
It's tough to look at.
At any business today and look out three or four years and believe that you're.
Revenues going to be growing at double digit percent so you want to make sure that your technology is good and secure.
Without breaking your company without breaking -- 2011.
Alone which -- -- hazing because the absorption effort is pretty dramatic you gotta bring in their employees you've got to switch everybody over how many more of these are you doing.
Well cash I think we're we're very opportunistic we look for opportunities to -- to build our capabilities and our network and.
You know I never try to predict those things we -- We we did two in 2010.
And five and 2011.
And you know it's it's a lot of work but it's worth it so your -- in essence very surgical about it your excellent quality ones that you look for.
When we talk -- analysts they say that you guys may become an acquisition target.
You never know about that I we've got so much to do right now in making our business as good as it can be there's a huge need out there.
For what we're doing and we're just -- -- stay very focused on.
Of course but when the analysts say Windstream is the one that's gonna buy you guys you just stick to your knitting and continue with the business yeah we get very focused on taking care of our customers one of the other things -- analysts and I found this interesting because we're not just about.
The horse -- about the jockey and that's you know.
You have a way of attracting some high quality talent what do you look for when your recruiting because a lot of people are watching right now and they want jobs.
-- we're looking for great business people and you're so right lives we've been so lucky to attract great people they wanna be a part of this transformation.
Everybody's focused on trying to be a part of a business that's gonna last.
And so we've had we've gotten some incredible talent and the company.
Over the last eighteen months -- really fortunate.
You know what's interesting to your stock while just up about under 2% over the past year to pay a dividend yeah absolutely about 2% two and a half percent.
Year or so we feel.
We feel great about that we produce cash we make money.
We've got we don't have a lot of debt were trying to run the business in a way that.
Makes -- somebody that companies can -- at a trying to -- at all the noise from Europe and everywhere else -- it's great to see you guys growing and moving on the move thank you some thanks so much for -- -- always welcome here Fox Business all right appreciate it Rolla Huff is the Earthlink CEO and chairman.
