Tuesday afternoon saw the culmination of a venture five years in the works as Sparklight officially introduced itself to the local community.
The high-speed internet and cable provider opened the doors of its local headquarters, 2914 West US Highway 50, to the public for a re-branding celebration and ribbon-cutting. The celebration comes five years after it was announced that the national brand had merged operations with ValuNet Fiber back in 2020.
Sparklight Director of Regional Operations Sam McGill, during an interview with KVOE News, stated Tuesday’s activities served two purposes: celebrating the company’s new identity and paying tribute to the foundation laid by ValuNet founders Steve Sauder, Rick Tidwell, Bob Agler and Stormy Supiran.
In addition to the administrators and executives on hand, community members had the opportunity to meet many of the team members who have been with the company both before and throughout the merger, including lead technician Devlon Moore. Moore tells KVOE News that while the name may have changed, the mission and spirit of the company remain the same.
McGill shared this sentiment while also making a major announcement about the future of services to the community, saying a significant update is coming to the community.
McGill says equipment for the update has already been delivered and they hope to have it completed by the end of the calendar year. City Manager Trey Cocking, who was one of several local representatives in attendance Tuesday, says they are proud to see Sparklight already making such a major investment that will benefit not only Sparklight customers but the entire Emporia community.
Sparklight, a Cable One brand, currently has locations in 24 states, including several offices in Kansas communities such as Arkansas City, Chanute, Iola, Winfield and of course, Emporia, just to name a few. For more information on Sparklight and its services visit Sparklight.com or call the Emporia office 620-208-5000.
