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Gov. Holcomb Announces Small Business Assistance in Response to COVID-19

By Ryan Lentz | Published March 19, 2020

Hoosier small businesses invited to apply for low-interest loans
from U.S. Small Business Administration

INDIANAPOLIS – Governor Eric J. Holcomb today announced that Indiana small businesses are eligible for financial assistance under a disaster designation by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

 

This declaration is in response to a formal request Gov. Holcomb submitted with the SBA on Tuesday, seeking assistance through the organization’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program for small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak in Indiana.

 

“Small businesses play a critical role in driving Indiana’s economy forward, with more than 512,000 employing 1.2 million Hoosiers across the state,” Gov. Holcomb said. “These disaster loans will provide much needed financial support to small business owners who are weathering the impact of the coronavirus outbreak.”

 

Under the program, small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives and nonprofits across the state are eligible to apply for low-interest loans up to $2 million to help overcome the temporary loss of revenue due to the COVID-19 outbreak. These loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills incurred during this public health emergency. The loan interest rates for small businesses and nonprofits are 3.75% and 2.75%, respectively, with terms up to 30 years.

 

To qualify for disaster loans, applicants must demonstrate credit history, the ability to repay the loan, and proof of physical presence in Indiana and working capital losses. Additionally, the Indiana Small Business Development Center, which has 10 regional offices throughout the state, will provide free business advising and application assistance for small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak.

 

To apply for loans or receive more information about the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, visit SBA.gov/Disaster. Contact 1-800-659-2955 or disastercustomerservice@sba.gov with additional questions. The deadline to apply for the disaster loans is Dec. 18, 2020.

Posted in Community, Coronavirus | 2 Comments

A Message From Our President Regarding COVID-19

By Ryan Lentz | Published March 16, 2020

Dear Smithville Customer,

As we collectively navigate the uncertainties of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and the effects of this on our lives, businesses, and families, we want you to know that you can rely on Smithville’s commitment to service to keep you connected to what matters most. While you focus on addressing the needs of your families, employees, and businesses, our teams will be working hard to ensure that your network, internet, and telephone services remain up and running at the level of service you have come to know and expect from Smithville.

Our commitment to you, and all customers, is one we take very seriously. As a company that supports critical infrastructure, such as 911 service, we have developed a solid plan to prioritize the continued operations of our network, while taking proactive steps to ensure the safety of our employees and customers. Our teams remain confident in our ability to provide safe and reliable service to every customer. We are here to answer questions and provide support should you have any additional needs, or specific concerns, during this time.

We are closely monitoring the coronavirus and are following the current guidance from leading government and health authorities to ensure we are taking the right actions to protect our customers, employees, and the communities that we serve. This includes a commitment from each of our employees to:

  • Wash hands frequently and thoroughly
  • Wear protective gear when in your home or business (gloves, foot coverings, masks if required)
  • Avoid contact with potentially sick people
  • Avoid touching eyes, nose, and mouth
  • Stay home if they are feeling sick
  • Check-in with supervisors each morning to discuss their current state of health

We hope that you, your friends, colleagues, and family are all safe and remain well during this time. As you continue to focus on taking care of your families and businesses, you can rest assured that Smithville has your connectivity needs covered – as we have for nearly 100 years.

Thank you for your business and continued loyalty.

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Smithville Spotlight: Rob R., Product Manager, Media Production

By Ryan Lentz | Published March 16, 2020

“Challenging. Rewarding. Self-expanding.” That’s how Rob R., Product Manager, Media Production, describes his 14 years at Smithville in three words. Throughout his time here he’s helped to grow and expand our media and marketing capabilities using impactful video of local features, sporting events, and community events.

Before we talk about how he came to Smithville we asked some very important questions to get to know Rob better:

 

  • Hometown: Burnham on Crouch, Essex, England
  • Favorite TV Show: Firefly
  • Favorite Movie: Back to the Future
  • Favorite Food: Ham Sandwiches
  • What He Likes to do in Free Time: Video projects, board gaming, scale modeling
  • Dream Vacation Destination: Norway or Iceland, would be cool to see the Fjords and Northern Lights
  • Favorite Quote: “I was not the lion, but it fell to me to give the lion’s roar.” -Winston Churchill

 

Rob started out in the entertainment business interviewing film and music stars in London, England and streaming them online over a 56k dial up connection. He moved to the United States in 2003 and in 2006 he joined Smithville’s Marketing Department. A couple of years later he began producing local features and documentaries and broadcasting live high school sports. Now he heads up Smithville Media and, in addition to producing content for Smithville’s Youtube channel, he’s offering video production services to the local community.

One constant throughout his time at Smithville has been change. It’s been a big jump from videos on dial up connections to today’s super-fast fiber optics. “I’ve seen the company grow and change in many ways. As well as an increase in the number of staff, the technology at Smithville has changed from mainly a copper-based service to high-speed fiber, with many other product lines and services added as well.”

Growth and personal development are important for Rob as he has had a huge impact on over 50 interns who have helped produce, film, and edit local sporting events and features over the years. He’s been able to share his knowledge and has witnessed their own personal growth, with many interns currently working in New York City and Los Angeles. Internships at Smithville allow students to practice and hone their skills while building up a portfolio of work. “It’s kind of like paying it forward. And that kind of giving back is what Smithville is all about.”

Community involvement also means a lot to Rob and he’s represented Smithville well at various events. He has helped to film and produce high school graduations, Bloomington Chamber of Commerce events like Educator of the Year and annual meetings, and local sporting events. He also appreciates the level of customer service we provide and that we’re a family-owned company helping local Hoosiers. “Smithville is very involved in the community and doesn’t treat its customers just like numbers. It’s all about trying to get the best that we can for them.”

Rob recently began offering his extensive experience and expertise to local businesses. Most businesses think video production has to be expensive, but Rob can work with local businesses to find the right package for the right price. Smithville Media can do it all, including commercial, interview, documentary, and training video production, live broadcasts, and editing services. The Media team also has the latest technology available, including multi-cameras for large shoots, green screen capabilities, a full-service studio, and professional recording booth. Take a look at some of Rob’s work at Youtube.com/SmithvilleMedia and reach out by calling 812-935-2284 or email media@smithville.com. He’s happy to discuss your project and find the perfect solution.

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Smithville Spotlight: Aaron B., Corporate Communications Specialist

By Ryan Lentz | Published March 4, 2020

 

Everyone has a story. With nearly 200 employees, there are lots of stories to tell about Smithville. Aaron B., Corporate Communications Specialist, uses his past journalism and communications experience to make sure everyone stays informed and on the same page as we work towards expanding rural broadband in South Central Indiana.

Aaron is usually the one asking questions and interviewing employees. We switched things up and asked Aaron some hard-hitting questions to get to know him better:

 

  • Hometown: Indianapolis, Former Park Tudor Panther
  • Favorite TV Show: Right now, it’s Curb Your Enthusiasm. I identify with Larry’s rage.
  • Favorite Movie: Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood. A real feel-good flick. Also, historically accurate.
  • Favorite Food: Fruit smoothie with peanut butter. I have one every single day.
  • What You Like to Do in Free Time: I stay extremely busy. I do something different almost every night. Some of my favorite things are bird watching, going to movies at the IU Cinema, bar trivia, running (I’m working on becoming more of a triathlete), horse playing with my dogs, going to plays. I do it all.
  • Dream Vacation Destination: I’m starting to look at going somewhere for birding. Someplace isolated and strategically located where I can see a lot of cool species. Attu, mayhap. Can’t be someplace easy, I guess.
  • Favorite Quote: My senior yearbook quote was from the movie Point Breakstarring Keanu Reeves, Patrick Swayze, Anthony Kiedis, and Gary Busey. “Fear causes hesitation, and hesitation causes your worst fears to come true.” I thought that was the coolest.
  • Description of Time at Smithville in Three Words: Challenging, supportive, fast-paced

 

Aaron came to Smithville from the newspaper industry, where he worked as a Sportswriter/Editor. He had a desire to live and work in Bloomington and talked to a Smithville employee about an opportunity available in Technical Support. While he didn’t have the technical experience, he was willing to learn and enjoyed talking to people. He supported Smithville phone, internet, TV, and security customers and utilized his journalism experience by writing standard operating procedures and job aids for the Technical Support team from 2015 until 2019.

Last year a new team was formed at Smithville: Corporate Communications. Employees had expressed that information wasn’t always shared across all departments. To grow and become more efficient, all areas needed to be on the same page and working towards the same goal. There was also some duplicated or unnecessary work, which didn’t help with productivity. Leadership took this employee feedback to heart and worked to create Corporate Communications to share relevant information. Aaron submitted writing samples to and worked with Liz I., Director of Corporate Communications and External Affairs. “Together, with the help of the third member of our team, Jen A., we created a department that more or less functions as a newsroom dealing with all things Smithville. It’s been a lot of fun, and I like that we are tackling what people considered the most prominent problem within the company.” Some of their communication tactics include updating an employee blog with news articles and department features and streamlining many communications into a few, organized emails throughout the week.

Seeing the shift in workplace culture has been the most rewarding experience for Aaron. He is the incoming chair of the Smithville Engaged team, which is focused on engaging employees with each other and the communities Smithville serves. Part of his duties on this team include creating messaging for employee events and initiatives. “This included stuff like creating catchy emails for Smithville’s March Madness bracket pool, Halloween party, and company picnic, among other things. Creative things like this are where my interests lie, so I gravitate to these activities even when it isn’t really my primary job function.”

Personal development is a focus at Smithville, and that’s something that’s important to Aaron. “It has been my experience that management and leadership help to cultivate the skills of their workforce. There are lots of training opportunities with online courses and tuition reimbursement and other ways to develop skills and knowledge through committees and meetings.” To expand on personal development, Smithville has launched a “Develop You” program where employees can take classes to develop skills, such as time management and communication courses.

To Aaron, Smithville is different because everyone is willing to change. That change requires constant communication and keeping employees in the loop, and Aaron and the Corporate Communications team are up to the challenge. “Everything and almost everyone is open to making changes. I think part of that has come from a shift in culture. People trust each other more and recognize that everyone is working toward the same goal.”

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Smithville Spotlight: Jami H., Customer Service Representative

By Ryan Lentz | Published February 12, 2020

“Challenging. Rewarding. Growth.” That’s how Jami H. describes her two years here at Smithville in three words. As a Customer Service Representative, she’s often the first impression customers have, and she takes that seriously. Her dedication and determination for customers make that impression a great one.

We asked some hard-hitting questions before we dove into the work stuff to learn more about Jami:

  • Hometown: Bloomington, IN
  • Favorite TV Show: Survivor
  • Favorite Movie: Tommy Boy
  • Favorite Food: Pizza
  • What She Likes to do in Free Time: Spend time with my family or hang out with friends and laugh!
  • Dream Vacation Destination: Scotland or Ireland
  • Favorite Quote: “It will all come out in the wash.”

 

Jami joined Smithville in February 2018 as a Customer Service Representative I. After an in-depth training program, she began working with residential customers. On a normal day our Customer Service Representatives help set up service for customers, answer billing and service questions, and explain the different service options we provide. In April 2019 Jami was promoted to Customer Service Representative II. This change added business responsibilities, including setting up new service, answering business questions, and handling business ownership changes. No matter the role, Jami enjoys talking to our customers every day. “I enjoy speaking with people and helping them; whether it’s a new customer, billing question or payment, or just educating them on our services. I want to give customers the experience they wish they could receive from other service providers.”

Jami previously worked in the medical and education industries. Moving to the telecommunications industry and Smithville were a positive change for many reasons. “I could not say enough about Smithville’s culture for their employees. Everyone who works for Smithville enjoys their job and takes a lot of pride in being a Smithville employee. No matter what your position is at Smithville, you are valued because each role here is important. We are just one big family!”

Smithville is also an active advocate for their customers and rural broadband, and that’s a big reason Jami loves working here. “Someone outside would be surprised about just how involved Smithville’s owners and leadership team are in the culture of Smithville and the amount of effort they put into working with government officials to fight for the best for their rural customers.” These efforts include working with local, state, and federal elected officials to make sure they understand the importance of rural broadband for the economy and have resulted in funding dedicated for rural fiber projects.

Since joining Smithville there have been many accomplishments Jami’s proud of, but three are top of mind for her. First is her move up to Customer Service Representative II, which allowed her to learn the business side of our services and engage with the business community. Second, she is a “Discover Smithville” host for the Customer Service Department and trains other employees about the department in our job shadowing program. Through this program she can meet with employees from many different areas in the company. Learning about each other’s departments often lead to new ideas and efficiencies. Third, and the most important for her, was her nomination as Customer Experience Champion by her fellow employees at our annual Night of Champions award dinner. Each year employees nominate coworkers for these Champion awards, highlighting the great work they’ve done throughout the year. She described this accomplishment as the most rewarding but humbling.

Every day she remembers that the customer experience is the most important part of her role, and she takes great pride in providing an excellent experience. That’s the biggest difference between us and our competitors. “We may be small in comparison to our competition, but we have more heart and the way we take care of our customers sets us apart.” Look for more Smithville Spotlights in the coming weeks!

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Smithville Spotlight: Rusty S., Training Coordinator

By Ryan Lentz | Published November 21, 2019

A foundation for success is training and development, and Smithville is lucky to have an enthusiastic and dedicated Learning & Development Department. As Training Coordinator, Rusty Shields manages training initiatives and ensures employees have the adequate skills and knowledge to succeed. We followed him for a day to see his focus on growth and development. Before we got started for the day, we got to know Rusty better by asking some hard-hitting questions:

  • Hometown: Osceola, Arkansas
  • Favorite TV Show: Golden Girls
  • Favorite Movie: The Greatest Showman
  • Favorite Food: Steak
  • Best Part of Working at Smithville: Delivering world class products and service to the best customers a company could have!
  • Dream Vacation Destination: Ireland
  • Favorite Quote: “Dream as if you’ll live forever, live as if you’ll die today.” -James Dean

In addition to his role at Smithville Rusty serves as the VP of Communications for the Central Indiana Chapter of the Association for Talent Development. The organization offers development and networking opportunities for workplace learning, training, and talent development professionals in Central Indiana. On this day Rusty was busy helping with ATD-CIC’s annual Learning Summit in Indianapolis, where training professionals from across the state convene to share ideas and resources. Rusty hosted a breakout session called “Training with a Twist – Marketing Your Learning Program’s Value Throughout the Organization.” He offered many different strategies to market training programs to gain employee buy-in and participation. These included content marketing, personalization, engagement, and social media strategies. He also encouraged attendees to consider guerrilla marketing to grab employees’ attention and break through the noise and busyness of day to day work.

The most engaging part of the presentation was when Rusty had everyone work together as a team to develop marketing strategies for a new training initiative. This was a great opportunity to think outside the box on ways to market new training programs to capture employee attention and participation. Some interesting ideas included ice cream socials, lunches with leaders, and using technology like Google Glass to train new hires. At the end of the session all attendees left knowing the importance of marketing their training programs. If you can make it exciting and engaging, rather than just emailing that there’s an online training module to do, the results will be huge!

Rusty practices what he preaches, and uses a lot of videos to market new training initiatives. Smithville recently launched an employee development online training opportunity and Rusty sent out a sneak peek preview using an online video. This helped to create hype and interest, and has led to many employees registering for the personal development opportunities. He’s always monitoring trends to see what’s working in the training industry and adapting for the best results.

After his session was over he attended other sessions on creating intentional experiences and networked with vendors and attendees. This long day that started at 7AM finished up around 6PM and he left energized and ready to apply what he learned. Here’s to a great year of learning and development for the Smithville team!

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Dimension Mill exec talks Smithville internet/brand in Media Department video

By Ryan Lentz | Published November 7, 2019

Smithville Media recently produced a video highlighting the Dimension Mill and Executive Director Pat East.

“The Mill” is 19,000 square feet of coworking and business incubator space, allowing startups and small businesses to start and grow their brands. Located in the Trades District in downtown Bloomington, The Mill is a recently renovated 103-year-old building. Once a factory that housed a furniture manufacturing facility, the location is now a bustling technology-driven shared space of innovation, powered by Smithville internet.

As East explains in the video, Smithville supports The Mill in two extremely invaluable ways: with the best internet available and with brand recognition.

The first, gigabit speed internet on Indiana’s most reliable network, makes a collaborative, remote work environment possible. Since all of the members of The Mill are “knowledge workers” focused on getting their startups off the ground, internet connectivity is critical. With the uninterrupted connectivity Smithville provides, members don’t have to put resources in maintaining and fixing this business necessity.

“It is extremely important that we have the internet available literally 24/7,” East said. “Without having this anchor of really fast, reliable internet, I honestly don’t believe that we would have as many members as we do now.

“When you look at other spaces, they may not be designed as well, and while they may have fast and reliable internet, when you have the fastest and most reliable, it truly makes a difference.”

The second way Smithville has impacted The Mill involves our standing within the community, which East calls a form of “moral support.” According to East, Smithville’s status as a widely-known employer in the area and reputation of extensive community involvement, significantly elevates The Mill’s brand.

“Having Smithville’s moral support is a huge, huge win for us,” East said. “When we are embarking on a project like this it takes so many people and so much effort and energy. Without really great partners like Smithville, we couldn’t get our business up and running.”

With Smithville Media now providing video services to local businesses, having an audience of entrepreneurs looking to get startups off the ground in a facility that promotes our product and partnership is a big win for Smithville.

For details on creating a cost-effective video for your business, email media@smithville.com or call (812) 935-2284. To see more Smithville Media features, visit the company’s YouTube channel.

Click here to learn more about Dimension Mill memberships and programs.

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Smithville recognized as national “Top 100” broadband company for 11th consecutive year

By Ryan Lentz | Published October 18, 2019

Praised for introducing “innovative technologies with game-changing potential”

ELLETTSVILLE, Indiana – Reflecting its proven innovative qualities as a U.S. broadband technology industry leader, Smithville has again been named a national Top 100 broadband company by Broadband Communities magazine. Achieving this national recognition for an unprecedented eleventh consecutive time, Indiana-based Smithville was recognized as a top fiber technology service leader by a panel of experts through a comprehensive, competitive process.  As noted by industry experts, Smithville has firmly established a reputation for providing fiber broadband and fiber-to-the-premise service (FTTP) in Indiana (particularly in traditionally neglected rural areas). The company was named together with major national firms such as AT&T, Comcast, Verizon and others in receiving the 2019 honor.

Smithville is again the only Indiana-based company to be named this year to the Top 100.

“We strive for high standards of customer service and performance at Smithville, so it is humbling and gratifying to be nationally recognized for excellence by our industry peers,” said Darby McCarty, chairman and CEO of Smithville. “This national honor truly reflects the quality and performance of our Smithville professionals, who are among the best in the business.”

“This year’s FTTH Top 100 reflects a healthy and growing fiber-to-the-home industry,” said Masha Zager, editor of Broadband Communities magazine, which sponsors the Top 100 award. “There was no shortage of strong candidates for the Top 100 slots in 2019, and winnowing the list to 100 was more difficult than ever – for Smithville to be on this list reflects the company’s ongoing commitment to high standards of performance and innovation.”

To receive the honor, companies must effectively demonstrate the capacity to “transform local economies or improve communities’ quality of life,” or by “introducing innovative technologies that have game-changing potential,” or provide other outstanding performance factors, according to Zager.  Editorial and technical experts in fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) deployment make the final decisions.

Zager continued: “Smithville stood out as an early adopter and provider of commercial and residential fiber service. Smithville takes risks and aggressively seeks fiber-based innovation and transformation, which is what one would expect from a company that demonstrates national leadership.”

“Based on Smithville’s private investments totaling upward of a quarter of a billion dollars in its fiber network in Indiana, our vision going forward reflects a renewed commitment to advancing fast and reliable high-speed broadband and related product offerings in our service areas,” said Paul Quick, president of Smithville. “We create value by providing legendary service, embracing innovation, and creating partnerships that can transform communities. This is reflected in Smithville’s national recognition as a Top 100 broadband company.”

Founded in 1922, privately owned Smithville was the first in Indiana to offer up full gigabit service for all residential fiber customers and is unique in that Smithville service has no data and speed caps, and every residential customer is served with the best available speed on the local network. In addition to its nationally recognized residential service, the company provides enterprise-level high-speed fiber-based connectivity and network consulting for businesses, university campuses, biotechnology companies, health care providers and government offices. The company is actively engaged in supporting telehealth expansion.

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About Smithville

Nationally recognized for more than a decade as a Top 100 Broadband Company, privately owned Smithville is Indiana’s largest independent telecom company with more than 200 employees. As a fifth-generation, family-owned business, Smithville has been committed to delivering fast and reliable connectivity and legendary service to its customers for nearly a century. The company is well-known as an industry leader and community supporter for rural Indiana.

Since the early 1990s, Smithville has constructed more than 2,800 miles of high-speed, high-capacity fiber across more than 22 Indiana counties, representing private investments totaling upward of a quarter of a billion dollars, including recent completion of a $4.5 million, 100-gigabit fiber ring.

In addition to its residential services, Smithville provides commercial fiber-based connectivity for businesses, university campuses, biotechnology companies, healthcare providers, government offices, residential centers, communities, and other entities, including the WestGate@Crane Technology Park and the Purdue Research Park. The company currently serves about 23,000 businesses and residences in southern and central Indiana. For more information, please visit www.smithville.com.​

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Smithville Media now offering video production service to business customers

By Ryan Lentz | Published October 16, 2019

With over a decade of video production experience, Smithville Media, for the first time, has opened its production services to local businesses for commercials, features, and event coverage.

Since 2008, Smithville Media has created in-house content for Smithville One, the company’s television channel. Programming has included, among other things, local high school sports, Hoosier Foodie programs showcasing Bloomington eateries, short healthy habits series such as “Carin’ for your Health” with local chiropractor Karin Drummond, and documentaries like “Tales from the Greatest Generation” that detail the real-life tales of a World War II veteran (in his own words).

These pieces gained much praise within the community, eventually reaching a point where companies have reached out to the crew to work on commercial projects. To meet this demand, Smithville Media now offers media production services to produce high-quality, personalized content at a competitive price.

“Offering our media services to corporate companies gives the local business community an opportunity to showcase and promote their products and businesses in a very cost-effective manner and in video format allowing them to reach more potential customers in the digital age,” Content Producer Rob Ramsey said.

With those services comes Ramsey’s expertise with more than 20 years experience in the field of video production, including music and film celebrity interviews and features from his time in London, England. Since 2008, Ramsey has managed Smithville’s team of media professionals, creating local interest pieces as well as many other video productions.

“Smithville Media can produce commercials, product promotions, business showcase features or longer company overview pieces,” Ramsey said. “Every project is different, but we can discuss the exact needs and create a solution that works for every customer.”

Offering standard package rates or customized packages tailored to customer needs, bundles include full editing, basic motion graphics, concept video treatment and script, professional voiceover, audio for interviews, and video formatting. These services can be provided on-location or in studio depending on the customer’s needs.

For those that wish to have Smithville Media focus on particular aspects of an existing project such as directing, filming, voiceover and narration, or editing, hourly rates are also available.

For samples of Smithville Media’s work, see their YouTube channel, youtube.com/smithvillemedia.

For estimates on custom video services, email media@smithville.com or call Smithville Media at (812) 935-2284.

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Smithville and IU Athletics: Reflecting on 50 years of sponsorship

By Cullen McCarty | Published October 2, 2019

Fall in Bloomington holds special meaning for IU fans with football games on weekends and basketball season on the horizon. As a strong supporter of IU Athletics, Smithville is proud to be part of cheering on our hometown team.  With teamwork providing the foundation for both our success and that of the IU athletic program, it is no surprise that the partnership has grown stronger over the years.

IU’s bicentennial provides an opportunity to reflect on our shared history.  While IU remains one of the state’s oldest institutions of higher learning, Smithville (founded in 1922) will soon celebrate 100 years and is recognized today as the state’s largest, privately held telecommunications company.

Though the partnership doesn’t go back quite that far, Smithville has supported IU Athletics for more than 50 years. In addition, Smithville owner and CEO, Darby McCarty, has held season tickets for football and men’s basketball for more than 40 years. Avid fans of the home team, the McCarty family has made support for IU Athletics a top priority.

That lasting relationship was strengthened in 2009 when the company signed on as the telecommunications partner of IU Athletics. A first-of-its-kind agreement, this prestigious collaboration has had a profound, positive impact for sports across the board and has led to strong visibility of our brand. This has proved to be a premier way to showcase our business and has helped grow our customer base, while also giving back to the university.

Over the years, Smithville’s contributions have helped fund student athletes’ scholarships and critical facility projects like the communication infrastructure of Cook Hall, the state-of-the-art headquarters for Indiana men’s and women’s basketball. There is nothing more satisfying than knowing Smithville makes an enormous, lasting difference in the lives of students who compete for IU Athletics.

IU’s approach has connected us with fans, students, and alumni in an engaging and meaningful way all while enjoying the sports for which we deeply care. The durable relationship that we have developed with the IU community is one built on mutual appreciation. Whenever we are at events, staff makes sure that our presence is felt. It gives us a sense of great pride when we attend an event and hear the announcer acknowledge that “today’s game is brought to you by Smithville” or to see our name in a game day program or on the scoreboard.

For Smithville, and especially Darby McCarty, the IU Women’s Basketball Team holds a special place in our hearts. When that group of women took home the 2018 Women’s NIT Championship, we couldn’t have been prouder. Hanging that banner with the Smithville logo displayed prominently around Assembly Hall made it even better.

With Hoosier Hysteria on the horizon, we are excited about the potential that this year may bring for IU Athletics. At events like this, or football’s Cream & Crimson Game, which we also sponsor, we are reminded of our own focus on the goals and exciting challenges ahead for Smithville in the next year. In all of these endeavors, teamwork remains a foundation for building success. Together, our teams are making a difference. As a part of the IU family, Smithville is honored to invest in the future of Hoosier athletes and to help shape IU Athletics as both parties emerge as winners.

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