by Katie Orlando

The MI-Connection Board of Directors was quiet Thursday night, Sept. 22, as they listened to positive reports from MI-Connection General Manager Alan Hall and Transition Manager David Auger.
MI-Connection services are up for the first quarter of fiscal year 2012, which ends Sept. 30. Hall has projected the final nine days of the quarter after 83 days of very consistent gains so far this quarter. Cable is projected to be 296 percent higher than last quarter. Internet is up 2,248 percent and home phones are 48 percent higher than last quarter, Hall reported.
“I talk to employees, and they’re frazzled because of all the activity,” Hall said.
MI-Connection has hired a new sales trainer for inside representatives, and he says representatives are “up selling” services on 57 to 80 percent of calls.
Three new apartment buildings have signed with MI-Connection and three hotels have either renewed or expanded their contracts since July 1.
MI-Connection is also cracking down on non-paying customers siphoning services.
New MI-Connections vans are roaming the streets checking and re-checking for unauthorized users, and operators are changing the locks of service boxes. Since the current company was not the original owner of the boxes and keys, they do not have all of the original keys accounted for. Swapping in new keys, Hall said, should help reduce unauthorized use.
Auger is leading MI-Connection’s transition from management under Bristol Virginia Utilities to local operation.
The transition will bring more services in-house and more jobs to the Davidson area.
The board reported that MI-Connection and BVU are still working on the transition process. Auger is also working with marketing and retention for MI-Connection. A former Time-Warner employee, Auger said the rate of customers who disconnect every month is lower than others in the industry, especially Time Warner.
Venzon noted how quiet the board was, since positive reports from Hall and Auger gave them little to argue. Pleased with growth, Venzon reminded the board and audience that MI-Connection is moving in a positive direction.
“We have looked at 18 different options,” Venzon said. “Growing the system is the best long-term option (for MI-Connection).”