November 13, 2012 – Tryon, NC

The $15,000 grant will be used to build infrastructure to connect the hospital hub to Chase Family Care and Insights Psychiatric Resources. This represents phase two in a partnership between Rutherford Regional Health System and PANGAEA Internet to build fiber optic cable to connect the hospital to PANGAEA’s fiber network and to seven RRHS locations throughout the county. Continue reading →

October 17, 2012 – Tryon, NC

A recent expansion of the PANGAEA Internet network means that its speed-of-light service will be available for businesses in the downtown Saluda area in 2013.

“Initially, we are providing service to Polk County government, as well as Saluda Elementary School,” according to PANGAEA Internet Executive Director Ron Walters. “In fact, with this latest expansion, we now provide fiber-optic internet connections to every public and charter school in Polk and Rutherford Counties.”

With the availability of virtually unlimited bandwidth, companies in the downtown Saluda area will have the opportunity to take the internet capabilities of their businesses to a higher level. “While we will not be offering residential service, we will be working to identify and contact potential commercial customers in Saluda in the months ahead,” said Walters. “One of the benefits of our non-profit status is the ability to offer a superior level of service at a very competitive price.”

The PANGAEA Internet network now consists of nearly 200 miles of high speed fiber-optic lines installed throughout Polk and Rutherford Counties. “Our coverage area now spans from Tryon, Saluda, Lake Lure and Columbus in the west, eastward through the Tri-Cities area of Rutherford County, and extends further east to Bostic and Ellenboro, as well as south to Cliffside,” said Walters.

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PANGAEA Internet (pan-GEE-ah) isa non-profit provider of high-speed fiber optic internet service, currently serving nearly 100 customers across Polk and Rutherford Counties, including public school districts, city and county governments, healthcare facilities, and local businesses. Visit us online @ www.pangaea.us, or contact Executive Director Ron Walters at 828-859-3072.

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October 31, 2011 – Tryon, NC
Contacts: PANGAEA Internet: Ron Walters (828-859-3071 or 828-395-1155)

TRYON, NC / October 31, 2011 – PANGAEA Internet (“PANGAEA”) will soon deliver its “Speed of Light” fiber optic internet service to Rutherford Regional Health System (“RRHS”), thanks to a grant from Facebook. RRHS and PANGAEA were awarded $25,000 by George Henry, Facebook Rutherford Data Center Manager, as part of the 2011 Facebook-Rutherford Community Action Grants.

The grant will help improve the quality, efficiency and cost of health care in Rutherford County by providing PANGAEA’s fiber optic connectivity between the RRHS main campus in Rutherfordton and the PANGAEA network. Establishing connectivity will be the first phase of a planned, three-phase project, which will eventually connect the RRHS main campus with seven additional critical RRHS locations throughout Rutherford County.

The grant award enhances an already-strong connection between Facebook and PANGAEA, which is currently installing fiber optic internet service to serve the construction complex located alongside the Facebook Data Center in Forest City. Since 2003, the PANGAEA fiber optic network has expanded to more than 160 fiber route miles serving the major arteries of Polk and Rutherford counties, with approximately 75% of the network located in Rutherford County.

RRHS President and CEO David Bixler and PANGAEA Executive Director Ron Walters received the grant from Henry on Thursday, October 27th, during a presentation at the RRHS main campus. “It’s an exciting day when we can talk about providing and enhancing connectivity to the hospital and the medical community,” Bixler said. “This should further increase the level of service to patients that we serve and physicians who work closely with us. Rutherford Regional Health System looks forward to moving ahead with partners like Facebook and PANGAEA to continually identify ways to increase the quality of life of those who work and live in Rutherford County and the surrounding areas.”

Please visit www.pangaea.us to see the network map, customer testimonials and the PANGAEA contact information or call 828-859-3072.

PANGAEA’S mission is to build an open and cost effective fiber optic network and deliver affordable high-speed Internet connectivity to enhance economic development and improve the quality of life in Polk and Rutherford Counties

PANGAEA Internet is Key Factor in Bringing New Company to Rutherford County

TRYON, NC / October 13, 2011 – The “speed of light” fiber optic internet service offered by PANGAEA Internet has been cited as a key factor in the selection of Rutherford County by Ameridial, Inc. for the location of their new call center.

Ameridial, Inc. plans to staff their new call center with 50 new employees initially, who will handle inbound customer service calls for a major health insurance company. The new call center will be located at 500 West Street in Spindale. It will initially operate 12 hours per day, seven days per week. Over time, Ameridial plans to make it a 24/7/365 operation, eventually generating up to 300 new jobs for Rutherford County.

To provide the highest possible internet service reliability, PANGAEA Internet will design a custom fiber optic network for Ameridial, which will include two diverse fiber paths connecting the facility to the internet backbone. This interconnection will ensure that if one route fails, the other will activate within 30 seconds, providing continuous service for the Ameridial facility.

The economic boost Ameridial will provide is further indication of the energizing effect that high-speed fiber optic internet service offered by PANGAEA Internet is having on the local economy. “PANGAEA Internet was a key factor for us when we were considering Rutherford County for our new call center,” commented Mark Schmidt, President of Ameridial. “In fact, without high speed fiber, we would not be able to connect to our network and our customers with the bandwidth speeds they require. Having PANGAEA support and connectivity was a must for us.”

“This is another example of how important PANGAEA Internet is to economic development,” according to PANGAEA Internet Executive Director Ron Walters. “Ameridial requires highly reliable high-speed internet service to power their operation. Our fiber optic network provides that capability. In addition, our ability to customize a network which meets their needs will enable them to serve their clients effectively and efficiently, and in turn, create new job opportunities for local residents.”

Please visit www.pangaea.us to see the network map, customer testimonials and the PANGAEA contact information or call 828-859-3072.

PANGAEA’S mission is to build an open and cost effective fiber optic network and deliver affordable high-speed Internet connectivity to enhance economic development and improve the quality of life in Polk and Rutherford Counties

August 29, 2011 – Tryon, NC
Contacts: PANGAEA Internet: Ron Walters (828-859-3072 or 828-395-1155)

PANGAEA Internet Stimulating Economic Development in NC Foothills
Contact: Ron Walters – 828-859-3072

TRYON, NC / August 29, 2011 – Businesses, schools, health care facilities, non-profits and local governments throughout Polk and Rutherford Counties are taking advantage of the “speed of light” internet service offered by PANGAEA Internet to power their organizations to new heights.

As a non-profit service provider, PANGAEA Internet can focus on community needs, rather than the desires of shareholders. Economic development continues to be one of the most critical community needs, and by extending high-speed fiber optic internet service into the area, PANGAEA Internet is energizing the local economy.

A prime example of these efforts is the Mill Spring Agricultural Development Center (MSAC). Formerly an abandoned school building, the MSAC was launched in early 2010 as a resource for education, community service, and agricultural & business development. Since then, sixteen businesses have opened offices at the MSAC. “The availability of PANGAEA fiber-optic internet service has been the main reason for quite a few people moving into the center,” according to Lynn Sprague, MSAC Director. “If we had not had this type of bandwidth available, we would probably not have several of our current tenants.”

Among those tenants is Turner HD Media, a multimedia services company. Turner HD Media works with high definition video and graphics, and collaborates with designers and artists all over the world using PANGAEA Internet’s fiber-optic service. “Files which used to take literally hours to transfer can now be done in just a few minutes,” says Lynn Turner. “The ability to access this type of internet speed has had an amazing impact on our business.”

In September, a public access computer center will open at the MSAC, providing free high-speed access during the center’s operating hours. Grant funding obtained by PANGAEA Internet will provide computers and software for the center. “It’s safe to say that the MSAC is making a significant impact in the Mill Spring community and beyond,” says Ron Walters, PANGAEA Internet Executive Director. “We’re pleased to be affiliated with this important economic development engine.”

PANGAEA Internet (pan-GEE-ah) is a non-profit provider of high-speed fiber optic internet service, currently serving more than 70 customers at over 100 locations across Polk and Rutherford Counties, including public school districts, city and county governments, health care facilities, and local businesses. Visit us online at www.pangaea.us, or contact Executive Director Ron Walters at 828-859-3072.

June 17, 2010– Tryon, NC
Contacts: PANGAEA Internet: Ron Walters (828-859-3071 or 828-395-1155)

PANGAEA expands Internet Service to Lake Lure, North Carolina

June 17, 2010 – PANGAEA Internet, a non-profit business headquartered in Tryon, North Carolina, is pleased to announce that it has expanded its fiber optic network to the Lake Lure area. Effective immediately, all commercial customers that are located on Highway 9 or on Highway 9/64/74A between Larkin’s Restaurant and Chimney Rock Park can access PANGAEA’s “Speed of Light” internet service. Future plans include expanding service availability east on Highway 64/74A, Bills Creek Road and Buffalo Creek Road. Note that PANGAEA does not offer residential service.

“Today’s economy and quality of life are greatly impacted by access to high speed internet and we are extremely excited to bring the benefits of PANGAEA’s community owned network to Lake Lure” commented Ron Walters, PANGAEA Executive Director.

Launched in 2003, PANGAEA has experienced dramatic growth due to the generous funding from foundations, state and local governments, and business partners. It is now operating a robust fiber optic network that cost more than $3 million and includes more than 160 miles of fiber in Polk and Rutherford Counties.

PANGAEA customers include: Polk and Rutherford County Governments; Polk and Rutherford County Schools; the Towns of Tryon, Forest City, Lake Lure and Rutherfordton; Polk County Library; Carolina Foothills Chamber of Commerce; Isothermal Community College; Isothermal Planning & Development; St. Luke’s Hospital; as well as many medical offices and commercial businesses.

Please visit www.pangaea.us to see the network map, customer testimonials and the PANGAEA contact information or call 828-859-3072.

PANGAEA’S mission is to build an open and cost effective fiber optic network and deliver affordable high-speed Internet connectivity to enhance economic development and improve the quality of life in Polk and Rutherford Counties

PANGAEA Internet and St. Lukes Hospital Awarded PCCF Grant
June 8, 2009– Tryon, NC
Contacts: PANGAEA Internet: Ron Walters (828-817-0863)

St. Luke’s Hospital: Kathy Woodham (828-894-2408)

PANGAEA Internet, a non-profit business of e-Polk, Inc. headquartered in Tryon NC, and St. Luke’s Hospital, a non-profit hospital located in Columbus NC, have received a grant from the Unrestricted Fund at the Polk County Community Foundation. This $10,000 grant will allow PANGAEA Internet to extend its nearby “speed of light” fiber optic network to St. Luke’s Hospital.

Ron Walters, PANGAEA Internet Executive Director commented, “We are extremely thankful to the Foundation for funding this long awaited project that will deliver to St. Luke’s the same lightning-fast internet connection being used by Polk County Government, Polk County Library, Polk County Schools, Isothermal Community College, the Town of Tryon and many businesses throughout the area.”

Alexander Bell, St. Luke’s Hospital’s Interim Chief Executive Officer, added, “Among the many benefits, this technology will allow professional staff to review mammograms and other digital images from remote workstations, will allow real-time consultations with remote facilities and physicians, and will significantly broaden our capabilities and the resultant service levels to our patients.”

Since 2003, PANGAEA Internet (www.pangaea.us) has achieved dramatic growth – expanding its fiber optic network to 120 miles spanning Polk and Rutherford Counties NC, receiving more than $2.5 million in public funding, and now serving 42 customers at nearly 100 separate locations.

St. Luke’s Hospital provides 24-hour emergency care, general medical-surgical care, intensive care, and inpatient geriatric psychiatric care. A full-service acute care facility, St. Luke’s offers lab and radiology services, wound and hyperbaric care, outpatient surgery including general, orthopaedic and ophthalmic procedures, physical, occupational and speech therapy and in home services. A private, not-for-profit community hospital, St. Luke’s Hospital provides exceptional care, close to home.

February 20, 2009– Tryon, NC
Contacts: Ron Walters (828-817-0863), Stu Davidson (828-817-2919)

PANGAEA Internet, a non-profit business of e-Polk, Inc., has achieved dramatic growth in 2008. As of December 31, 2008, PANGAEA has expanded its fiber optic network to 120 miles, spanning Polk and Rutherford Counties, NC. This growth is the result of more than $2.5 million in funding since 2004 from foundations, local governments, business partners and other non profit companies.

PANGAEA’s customer base has experienced dramatic growth as well and provides service to 40 customers at 80 separate locations throughout the two counties. These customers include:

Polk County Government Town of Tryon

Isothermal Community College Polk County Library

Polk County Schools CooperRiis Isothermal Planning

Pavillon Polk County Chamber of Commerce

Rutherford County Schools Rutherford County Government

In 2008, PANGAEA generated $682K in revenue, an increase of 337% compared to 2007. The company also established a $200K emergency cash reserve to protect its network from any unforeseen damage or loss.

PANGAEA’S mission is to build an open and cost effective fiber optic network and deliver affordable high-speed Internet connectivity to enhance economic development and improve the quality of life in Polk and Rutherford Counties. Please call or visit www.pangaea.us to see how PANGAEA is impacting health care, government agencies, schools and colleges, other non profits, and businesses throughout the region.

October 7, 2008 – Tryon, NC
Contacts: Ron Walters (828-817-0863), Stu Davidson (828-817-2919)

Tryon, NC, October 7, 2008 – PANGAEA, a non-profit business of e-Polk, Inc., has achieved dramatic growth in 2008. That growth is detailed in the new web site, www.pangaea.us.

The web site accomplishes three main goals. First, it clearly describes PANGAEA’s non profit mission: To build an open and cost effective fiber optic network and infrastructure to deliver affordable high-speed Internet connectivity to enhance economic development, improve the quality of life, and create a broad platform of innovation for rural western North Carolina.

Second, it describes the scope of the PANGAEA network and customer base. The fiber optic network is now 120 miles long and extends throughout Polk and Rutherford Counties, North Carolina. Thirty four customers representing more than 75 locations are realizing the positive impact of this community owned network.

Last, the web site describes how PANGAEA service quality is second to none. Customer feedback is sprinkled throughout the site. Comments like:

“Stimulus for the economic growth of the entire region”

“Far superior in speed to DSL and more reliable”

“A huge benefit, our students now can compete”

“The best thing is the cost savings” “No comparison”

“Very satisfied” “Impressive” WOW!

The PANGAEA “Internet at the Speed of Light” network acts as a low cost, high speed, internet umbilical cord supplying vital bandwidth nutrients to the economic health of the region. Please call us or visit www.pangaea.us to see how we are impacting health care, government agencies, schools and colleges, other non profits, and businesses throughout the region.

Click here to view PDF

Click here to view the PDF 

February 27, 2008 – Tryon, NC
PANGAEA, a non-profit business of e-Polk, Inc., has gone from infancy to adulthood in four years. The original seven mile network in Polk County has expanded to one hundred twenty miles serving the major arteries of Polk and Rutherford counties. The growth is thanks to funding from both Counties, as well as e- NC, Advantage West, Z. Smith Reynolds, GoldenLEAF and several business partnerships.

PANGAEA’s fiber optic service is “Internet at the Speed of Light” which is 299,792,458 miles per second. Copper-based connections, such as DSL and cable modems, transmit at much slower speeds due to bandwidth sharing and distance limitations. At the networks one gigabit speed, a 100 meg file is transferred in 1 second. On a DSL line it can take as long as five minutes. PANGAEA is connected to the Internet via a 100 megabit fiber link to Charlotte with a diverse second connection to Spartanburg. The minimum speed offered by PANGAEA is 5 mbps download with 2 mbps upload, with step offerings of 5/5, 10/5, 10/10 and up.

PANGAEA delivers high speed connectivity to about 75 locations, including the schools, government agencies, libraries, medical facilities, non-profits, and larger businesses in both counties. Twenty-seven Polk and Rutherford county schools are now connected to PANGAEA and to their administration buildings via fiber and consequently have better connectivity and more computing power than most businesses in the area.

In December 2007, PANGAEA connected to NCREN, the North Carolina Research and Education Network. Thru PANGAEA and NCREN, students can conduct research using NCWISE, a sophisticated database provided by the State Department of Education. Its online encyclopedias and maps offer sound and video along with text references. Distance learning is also a much more valuable teaching tool with PANGAEA service. In fact, Polk County High School students are able to earn a college associates degree while still attending high school.

The Polk and Rutherford county governments are realizing the benefits as well, beefing up their applications and web presence to better serve the population. One example is that each county is implementing GIS applications which allow access to property tax data and mapping. In addition, the counties have direct fiber connections between county locations which dramatically improves the quality and efficiency of communications.

Ron Walters joined PANGAEA as Executive Director in 2007. He is responsible for the overall management of PANGAEA including: administration, sales, fundraising, budgeting and pricing. Walters focuses on the product/business strategy and has guided the organization to achieve dramatic results. Operations Director Stu Davidson manages network maintenance, monitoring, documentation, installation and support and has been instrumental in its success. The PANGAEA office is located at Tryon Town Hall.

PANGAEA is currently connecting Polk and Rutherford county customers along its fiber optic path. Please visit the website www.pangaea.us or call Ron Walters at 828-817- 0863 to discuss joining the growing number of “speed of light” PANGAEA customers.

To learn more about PANGAEA you can also attend the Broadband Panel Discussion on February 28th at 7 PM at the ICC Spindale Auditorium, sponsored by the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce. See www.rutherfordcoc.org for information.

PANGAEA Mission:
To build an open and cost effective fiber optic network and infrastructure to deliver affordable high-speed Internet connectivity to enhance economic development, improve the quality of life, and create a broad platform of innovation for rural western North Carolina.

November 13, 2006 – the Tryon Daily Bulletin – www.tryondailybulletin.com

e-Polk Inc. will receive a grant of $400,000 from Golden Leaf Foundation to provide broadband services to Rutherford and Polk County schools, it was announced this week by e-Polk president Jeff Byrd of Tryon. e-Polk, a non-profit corporation, operates the 10-mile PANGAEA fiber optic network in Polk County.

The Golden Leaf grant, which Byrd said should be contracted in a few weeks, will be the fourth grant received by e-Polk since its incorporation in 2003, bringing total grant dollars received by e-Polk to $1.2 million. e-Polk is currently administering a $600,000 contract with Northland Communications Corp. to expand its PANGAEA fiber optic network to 44 miles, adding 34 miles to the current footprint. This expansion should be completed by early 2007, Byrd said.

With the Golden Leaf money, e-Polk plans to add an additional estimated 24 miles of fiber in Polk and Rutherford counties, an expansion which will make PANGAEA a 68-mile network by the end of 2007.“The Golden Leaf project will provide fiber optic broadband services to most of the schools in both counties, and will enhance the learning experience for each child,” said e-Polk board member and project administrator Keven McCammon of Rutherfordton. “The original grant request was for $600,000 and we were pleased to receive $400,000, the largest awarded this year by Golden Leaf. High speed connectivity to the far reaching schools will be the difficult part of the project; however, we want every school and every child to have the opportunities that this fiber connectivity will bring.”

The project does not stop at fiber, McCammon said. The Golden Leaf grant funding will also help to establish a professional development program for teachers that could become a model for 21st century classroom instruction techniques. Budget and implementation plans are under way and more details will be available soon.

e-Polk first won a $375,000 grant from the Rural Internet Access Authority (now the E-NC Authority) in 2002 and built seven miles of fiber optic network from Tryon to Polk County High School. In 2005, Polk County government provided $70,000 to extend the network to the new Polk County Middle School campus in Mill Spring. CooperRiis Healing Farm paid to have the network extended another mile to its facilities on Hwy. 108 east of Hwy. 9 at that time. e-Polk currently serves Polk County Schools, Polk and Tryon governments, Isothermal Community College, Polk County Public Library, Polk County Health Department, two Internet Service Providers and a dozen area businesses.

Last year, Advantage West- North Carolina, the Western North Carolina Regional Economic Development Commission, awarded e-Polk $417,000 to extend its network to the new Foothills Connect Business & Technology Center in Rutherfordton. With the assistance of Northland Communications, Rutherford County government, Polk County Schools and Foothills Connect, e-Polk was able to contract for a $600,000 34-mile expansion, running from Lake Lure down Hwy. 9 past Sunny View and Polk Central schools and east on Sandy Plains Road to Hwy. 221 in Rutherford County, following Hwy. 221 to downtown Rutherfordton. The Golden Leaf grant will allow e-Polk to expand the PANGAEA fiber optic network to serve most of Rutherford County’s 20 school facilities.

In addition, e-Polk has a memorandum of understanding with DukeNet Communications, a Duke Energy company, to partner with DukeNet to expand the PANGAEA network to the new North Carolina state data center planned near Ellenboro, in eastern Rutherford County. The Golden LEAF Foundation, a nonprofit corporation, was created in 1999 to receive one-half of the funds coming to North Carolina from the master settlement agreement with cigarette manufacturers. In turn, the foundation is helping North Carolinians make the transition from a tobacco-dependent economy through grants and investments that will positively affect the long-term economic advancement of the state. It gives priority in its grantmaking to tobacco-dependent and economically distressed counties.