The adage that small business is the “backbone” of the American economy rings especially true throughout Prince George County, Virginia. More than 60 percent of business licenses are extended to home-based businesses. In addition to the strong economic driver of small business, Prince George County is home to a very successful business park hosting a variety of global manufacturing, distribution, and service companies.

Among these companies is Service Center Metals. Unlike other competitors, SCM deals exclusively with service centers, which resell metal extrusion products to manufacturers. SCM opened its plant in Southpoint Business Park in Prince George in 2003. The company has grown to employ 247 people, with annual revenue of more than $225 million. PGEC has been the electric provider to the company since its establishment opened in the county.

In the first quarter of 2020, Prince George Electric Cooperative’s subsidiary, RURALBAND, connected SCM as the first enterprise member to high-speed fiber-optic broadband service. Fiber to the Premises (FTTP) is a form of fiber-optic communication delivery in which an optical fiber is run directly onto customers’ premises. This technology brings remarkable speed and an altogether new broadband experience. RURALBAND has been a rapidly growing subsidiary of PGEC since 2016 delivering fiber-to-the-home internet service to residential communities throughout areas of the PGEC territory.

Casey Logan, PGEC President and CEO, stated, “It’s clear that high-speed internet access isn’t a ‘nice-to-have,’ it’s a ‘must-have’ for our rural businesses. We believe high-speed internet access in our rural communities is a priority. Broadband access for our service territory’s homes and businesses isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity.”

“Providing our members with the best of service is our core philosophy, and we believe in offering the highest quality FTTP for internet and voice services from RURALBAND,” commented Sarat Yellepeddi, vice president of information technology at PGEC. “SCM being our first commercial member deployment has been a great success and a valuable experience for RURALBAND.”

Since rolling out RURALBAND FTTP, PGEC and RURALBAND have experienced nothing but positive feedback.

“This product platform and service capabilities really give us a competitive edge with its state-of-the-art technology. In addition, we’ve received excellent support from the membership including commercial members,” said Casey Logan.

With FTTP, new products and services can be activated remotely, either permanently or on-demand, whichever the customer prefers. FTTP’s performance can be monitored, and before the customer realizes there is a problem, it may be repaired. FTTP is easier to maintain and is less susceptible to harsh weather.

Casey Logan continued, “Access to a redundant, high-speed broadband connection allows businesses to access a world of new customers in the online marketplace, empowers them to recruit and retain talent from across the globe through advanced teleworking capabilities, and as opportunities in the tech industry continue to grow.”

“We look forward to providing solutions for SCM, both from an electric service and broadband enterprise service side. As they continue to grow their operations in our community and in the aluminum industry, we are proud to partner with them as their internet service provider to aid in their growth and foster the growth of our RURALBAND Enterprise services,” stated Mike McMahon, PGEC vice president of engineering.