The Southeastern fiber builder and operator FiberLight is undergoing a leadership transition, as longtime CEO Mike Miller is stepping down. Miller, who helped found the company 16 years ago and turn it into a regional fiber power, will be retiring from FiberLight to pursue other opportunities.
Paul Pierron will take over the CEO role. He had just come in as COO last month a the same time as Betsy Powell hopped on board as VP of Service Delivery. Both are Xspedius alumni, a sister company which FiberLight-owner Thermo Group also owned prior to selling to tw telecom, and clearly well known to Thermo.
FiberLight has been the subject of M&A rumors on and off over the past couple of years, not because they need to but because Thermo Group is ready to move on. Indeed, it looks to me as if Miller’s departure and the arrival of old Xspedius hands is another indication that Thermo may have made up its mind and is cleaning things up to pull the trigger later this year.
The obvious potential buyer out there would be Zayo, which I have heard almost made a deal last year before AboveNet happened. However, I could make a strong case for Lightower/Sidera and its private equity backers expanding south and southwest from their northeastern turf.
FiberLight has been busy building new regional and metro fiber across the state of Texas, giving it a deep asset base in the state. Their project before that had been the Washington DC metro area with new routes around Baltimore and from Ashburn southwest to Culpeper.
Mike Miller was the subject of one of Ramblings’ earliest Industry Spotlights, and I wish him well going forward!
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Categories: Mergers and Acquisitions · Metro fiber
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The consumate professional. Not a bad word said about Mike. Treated all with respect.
A bit suprised, however, with partnering with FBL at times, I know they will not be selling for another two years if any, they have way to much momentum aroudn their Texas and other builds that wont start seeing huge net-new cash/revenue till 2013-14…thermo can’t take away from that potential value in the company, they’ll wait it out …but we never know in this industry
Mike Miller is/was a great leader and a great guy, tough to see him moving on…