10/11/20141 MART Managers’ Conference G. George Wallin, PhD, MBA Vice President/Chief Operating Officer Sherburne TeleSystems, Inc.

10/11/20142 MART Managers’ Conference Our changing and yes, SHRINKING Telephone Industry Mergers, Sales, and Acquisitions

10/11/20143 Sales, Mergers, and Acquisitions l Lakedale l Hutchinson l Cannon Valley l Hector Communications l And more…

10/11/20144 MART Managers’ Conference So, why are all these sales happening? What does the mid-to-long term look like? What to do before and when “it” happens…

10/11/20145 Why are these Sales/Mergers Happening? - The predicted move to data is here - Data, not telephone is “king” - Data is an “umbrella” offering - Data is more conducive to large entities - Staffing for data is universal

10/11/20146 MART Managers’ Conference So, Will More Mergers Develop?

10/11/20147 Will Mergers, etc. Continue? In My Opinion, Absolutely! That is supported by industry analysts.

10/11/20148 Moving from Telephone to Data - Capital requirements lend themselves to larger, more cash-intensive mergers - Data provisioning requirements lend themselves to centralized support

10/11/20149 MART Managers’ Conference - Simply speaking - Data requires fewer people so consolidation is more attractive. - The available labor force for data is much more robust than for “telephone.”

10/11/ MART Managers’ Conference So, what can WE do about it? - We can’t change the trend but we can influence the outcome - We can position ourselves to meet the new culture head on - “Culture” - the challenge and opportunity

10/11/ Culture Differences Several personal experiences l Private versus public company l Large versus small company l Rural versus urban company l CLEC versus ILEC

10/11/ Culture John Mason writes in “Coping with Mergers” that as managers, we must understand - cultures WILL COLLIDE. This WILL result in lost productivity. Our job is to minimize the loss…

10/11/ Culture Differences Buyers/Sellers Vs. Managers l Those that buy and sell don’t manage l Those that manage seldom buy or sell Once a SELL or BUY takes place “they” often have nothin’… That’s when we (managers) have our opportunity…

10/11/ Culture Differences Buyers/Sellers Vs. Managers l Millions of dollars invested l Millions of dollars to gain Managers – YOU – make that happen! Will you be prepared?

10/11/ Preparation, Preparation, and more Preparation l Before we know of a sale/merger l Before we even THINK of a sale/merger l We need to do the OBVIOUS

10/11/ Contributing l Arlene S. Hirsch writes that most all “lost” jobs affect those who were rated as either duplicative or “poor performers.” l The “best performers” are usually recommended by the seller.

10/11/ Take Care of Yourself l Physically l Mentally l Financially l Emotionally l Professionally

10/11/ Look for Opportunity Hirsch also writes that we must think and “speak to the future” not the past. Patrick Moquin writes that we must be open minded and respect the “best practices” of the merged company.

10/11/ The Alternative Remember, there is ALWAYS An alternative. If the stress is too much, if there are ethical questions, if too much is expected, TAKE THE ALTERNATIVE

10/11/ ALTERNATIVE For those of us that chose to push forward, to try and make it work, to “convince” ourselves until we “believe,” - Prepare before “it” happens - Support during “it” - Be convinced…Believe!

10/11/ Make Things Happen If we can PREPARE – how many? If we can SUPPORT – can you? If we can BELIEVE – will you? If so, we become very focused, like a military regiment…

10/11/ Customer Service Group Conference QUESTIONS? THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! G. George Wallin