Our Story: Building a Better Telecom Company

Integra Telecom was founded in 1996 through the acquisition of OGI Telecomm, a shared tenant provider formed in 1984 to provide voice and data services to the Oregon Graduate Institute and businesses in the AmberGlen Business Park, a contiguous office park.

Integra obtains CLEC authority, installs a Class 5 Lucent 5ESS switch, and begins offering competitive services in the greater Portland metropolitan area.
The company capitalizes early on network "unbundling" opportunities and is recognized nationally as the first competitor to purchase unbundled network elements (UNEs) from either US West or GTE in its developing network architecture. In addition, the company becomes the first in Oregon to offer retail DSL (digital subscriber line) service to its customer base.
The company enters the Minnesota market through the acquisition of the local exchange operations of Scott-Rice Telephone Company, based in the southern suburbs of the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. The acquisition gives the company an immediate, established presence in the fast-growing Minneapolis metropolitan area from which to launch competitive voice and DSL services outside its independent local exchange (ILEC) service area.
In late 1998, the company retires its 14-year old name and adopts Integra Telecom® as its corporate brand. The new identity reflects the company's integrated services approach and signals its future expansion into new markets.
Product offerings grow with Integra's acquisition of the assets of Imagina Internet Solutions, Inc., a subsidiary of Imagina, Inc., a Portland-based software firm. Purchase of this Internet service provider adds approximately 2,000 Internet access lines.

Integra increases its service footprint in the Minnesota market through the acquisition of InfoTel Communications, a facilities-based telecommunications provider based in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Operating under a similar business plan of serving a small/medium size business segment with local dial tone, long distance and Internet services, InfoTel effectively doubles Integra's market share in the Minnesota region.

In January, Integra Telecom announces its most aggressive growth campaign, funded by over $210 million in private venture financing. This capital accelerates Integra's launch into expanded geographical regions, providing for additional network builds, operational support systems development, and improves the competitive position of the company through additional marketing and sales resources.
Integra receives regulatory approval to provide local exchange services in an additional six states. In June 2000, Integra announces the opening of local sales and service operations in Seattle, Washington and Salt Lake City, Utah. The company increases its workforce from 250 to nearly 600.
Integra completes the year with five new Class 5 switches, 67 more collocations and 375 additional employees.

Integra raises an additional $41 million in capital in January 2001, bringing its total capitalization to $290 million. The company opens additional sales operations and network facilities to serve Grand Forks and Fargo, North Dakota.

In June, Integra is among the first CLECs (Competitive Local Exchange Carriers) to become free cash flow positive.
To further Integra’s goal of delivering the highest level of customer service in the competitive telecommunications industry, the company launches an enhanced, web-based version of their proprietary customer experience indicator system (CEIS). The system evaluates real-time performance by monitoring 20 key customer experience indicators such as: speed with which a call is answered; service installation time; billing accuracy; customer loyalty and satisfaction; and service reliability.

During an extended period when lenders to the telecommunications industry accept partial repayment through financial restructuring or bankruptcies, Integra closes on a $170 million refinancing deal that establishes it as the first major competitive local exchange carrier since the downturn in the capital markets in 2000 to repay in full all of its original debt funding.

The Portland Business Journal recognizes Integra Telecom as one of Oregon's Most Admired Companies.
Integra closes 2005 with $155 million in revenue and 280,000 lines in service representing a 12 percent increase on both metrics from 2004.

Electric Lightwave becomes a subsidiary of Integra Telecom, creating a combined company of over 1,100 telecommunications professionals serving thousands of businesses in eight states, including, Arizona, California, Idaho, Minnesota, North Dakota, Oregon, Utah and Washington.

July - The Company completes the integration of Electric Lightwave (ELI) just eleven months after acquiring the company’s network assets and customers. Integra Telecom is now operating all back office systems from a single enhanced OSS platform. Additionally, the company has fully integrated the two legacy networks into a single network monitored by a common system.
August - Warburg Pincus, a global private equity firm, invests $245 million to obtain a substantial equity interest in Integra validating the Integra business model and recognizing the future potential that the company has as the largest, most established competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC) in the Western United States.
August - Integra acquires Eschelon Telecom, Inc. for a total purchase price of $710 million.