Cullen McCarty Named CEO of Smithville Telecom
Fifth generation co-owner and industry leader set to drive next stage of growth at top one hundred broadband company.
ELLETTSVILLE, IND., July 1, 2024— Long-time telecommunications industry leader Cullen McCarty was formally appointed today as CEO of Smithville Telecom, LLC, a sister company to Smithville Communications, Indiana’s largest privately held telecommunications firm. Fourth-generation Smithville owner Darby A. McCarty will continue to serve as board chairman for Smithville Telecom and Smithville Communications. Ms. McCarty will also continue to serve as CEO of Smithville Communications while Mr. McCarty retains his active position as executive vice president of Smithville Communications.
The appointment of Mr. McCarty as Smithville Telecom CEO marks the first phase of a meticulously planned succession, co-architected by both Ms. McCarty and Mr. McCarty in 2021. The two senior executives, a mother-and-son team, prepared and established the plan to ensure a seamless leadership transition, maintain business continuity, and set clear long-range strategic aims for the 102-year-old firm.
[This release also appeared in coverage on Inside Indiana Business.]
“Cullen holds a strong record of developing and executing growth strategies while focusing on superior customer value,” said Ms. McCarty. She continued, “As my business partner and 28-year employee of Smithville, he has co-authored the playbook that directs our investments in highly competitive markets. I am confident that Cullen’s proven leadership and significant fiber and customer-centric experience will guide our go-to-market transformation and fulfill Smithville’s enduring mission to connect communities and enrich lives.”
Smithville Telecom provides strategic commercial and residential services in Indiana outside of the traditional parent company’s service areas. Mr. McCarty will provide company-wide leadership and oversee the short—and long-term commercial and wholesale growth strategy in his newly appointed role. He will continue representing Smithville in federal and regional trade organizations, including delivering Congressional policy guidance affecting rural areas of the United States.
“I can’t imagine a more impactful time to lead Smithville Telecom LLC into the next era of fiber connectivity,” he said. “Under my mother’s leadership, Smithville was the first company in Indiana to light up existing fiber service to symmetrical gigabit level. With Indiana’s focus on enabling enterprises in advanced manufacturing, agriculture bioscience, defense, life sciences, and more, there has never been a better time for Smithville to home in on our commercial and wholesale horizon and help drive the economic engine of our Hoosier state.”
Mr. McCarty concluded: “I look forward to leading Smithville Telecom LLC and continuing our customer-first legacy—The Smithville Way.”
Paul Quick, a seasoned national broadband leader, has been instrumental in the recent growth and success of Smithville Telecom LLC and Smithville Communications. Quick has served as President of both organizations since November 2018 and will continue to oversee all facets of Smithville’s residential and commercial operations.
Mr. McCarty graduated from Indiana University Bloomington. He and his wife, Rachel, reside in Monroe County, Indiana, and are the proud parents of two school-aged children.
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About Smithville
Nationally recognized for more than a decade as a Top 100 Broadband Company, privately owned Smithville is Indiana’s largest independent telecom company with over two hundred employees. As a fifth-generation, family-owned business, Smithville has been committed to delivering fast and reliable connectivity and legendary customer service for over a full century. The company is well-known as an industry leader and community supporter of rural Indiana. Since the early 1990s, Smithville has constructed more than 3,000 miles of high-speed, high-capacity fiber across more than 22 Indiana counties, representing private investments totaling upward of a quarter of a billion dollars.
In addition to its residential services, Smithville provides commercial fiber-based connectivity for businesses, university campuses, biotechnology companies, healthcare providers, government offices, residential centers, communities, and other entities, including the WestGate@Crane Technology Park and the Purdue Research Park. The company serves more than 23,000 businesses and residences in southern and central Indiana. For more information, please visit www.smithville.com.
Media inquiries: Michael Snyder, MEK 317-805-4870