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Staying on top of the telecommunications industry is not easy, but Bernie Stevens has found a way for PowerNet Global Communications to be heard over the phone company giants. By focusing on the company's strengths, he has put PNG Communications among Cincinnati's 100 fastest-growing private companies for three years in a row. The company's growth to 310 employees has enabled it to offer voice, data and Internet solutions to residential and commercial customers nationwide while staying within its means. The privately held company that Stevens founded in 1992 has revenue of more than $100 million, and PNG has opened offices in Jamestown, N.Y., and Chicago. Smart Business spoke with Stevens about how he helped PNG Communications find its niche.
Pick your battles. This is a very tumultuous business. Our key is we're much better as a team than we are as individuals. Its the same old football analogy: We've got offensive players, and we've got defensive players.
We're small, so we have to consider what our advantages are. We have to be quicker and more maneuverable. We have to accumulate our people and resources to do something (collectively) instead of individually.
We've been able to sustain the old business, and we're growing the business where we've seen pockets where we can compete, for instance, business-to-business especially small to medium-sized businesses where the big (telecommunications companies) and cable companies really don't do an effective job. Those are places we can fit in. We look for niches...