Eschelon Telecom

About Eschelon Telecom

Eschelon Telecom, Inc. was a provider of integrated voice, data, and internet services, including local and long-distance calling, business telephone systems, DSL, T-1 access, network solutions, and web hosting for small and medium-sized businesses. The company was originally founded as Advanced Telecommunications, Inc. (ATI) in 1996 by Clifford D. Williams, an executive with a background in the cable television and communications industries.

Williams established ATI to acquire and manage telecommunications-related ventures, capitalizing on the expanding market. The company grew through a series of acquisitions, including One Call Telecom, Inc. and Cady Communications in the Minneapolis/St. Paul market. In April 2000, ATI unified its operating units under the name Eschelon Telecom, Inc. to create a single brand identity and reduce confusion in the market. Throughout the early 2000s, Eschelon continued its expansion across the Midwest and Western United States.

On August 31, 2007, Integra Telecom, Inc. completed its acquisition of Eschelon Telecom for approximately $710 million, which included the repayment of about $144 million of Eschelon's debt. Following the merger, Eschelon's common stock ceased trading on the NASDAQ Global Market. The combined entity became one of the nation's largest competitive local exchange carriers (CLECs) at the time. Richard A. Smith, who had been Eschelon's president and CEO, joined Integra's Board of Directors, while Integra's CEO, Dudley Slater, took control of the newly combined organization.