GREENFIELD, Ind., July 12, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NineStar Connect, a smart utility based in Hancock County, Ind., announced today that it has reached a milestone of providing high-speed fiber optic broadband service to 100 percent of businesses and homes in McCordsville, Ind.
With a population nearing 7,000 residents, McCordsville is the second-fastest growing community in the state for the second straight year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Incorporated in 1988 in fast-growing Hancock County, McCordsville borders the city of Lawrence in Marion County and the town of Fishers in Hamilton County.
Marcie Klaunig, assistant director at Thomas P. Miller and Associates, which recently completed a study on the impact of development on the Mount Comfort Corridor, says McCordsville is poised for tremendous growth. “Access to fast, reliable internet will make the town all that more attractive to businesses—particularly high-tech industries—while providing a crucial amenity for attracting and retaining a quality workforce.”
Located in McCordsville, Hancock Wellness Center, the only certified medical fitness center in the region, relies on NineStar Connect fiber for business operations, for cable TV and internet at the facility, and to provide an interactive experience to users of the center’s state of the art Technogym cardio equipment.
“Our facility and services are designed specifically to help people reach their personal health and wellness goals,” said Steve Long, president and CEO of Hancock Health. “Connected fitness equipment, apps and other online resources play an important role in this, so our partnership with NineStar Connect is very important to us.”
New residents moving to McCordsville are pleased to have high-speed broadband service at home, an unexpected benefit in the region’s rural atmosphere. Jeff Corns and his work-from-home wife Marcy, an accountant, were eager to become NineStar Connect fiber customers as soon as the service was offered at their six-acre home in McCordsville.
“We have a digital household, so fiber to our home provides us the connectivity and content we need,” said Jeff, who notes that wireless access enables the family to stay connected while sprawled out on the family property. “Increasingly our four daughters rely on high speed access to complete school assignments, and my wife and I still have enough broadband capacity to work from home.”
“Reliable, high speed internet is no longer a nice-to-have for businesses; it’s an absolute necessity,” said Suzanne Short, a member of the McCordsville Redevelopment Committee. “Having the service available in McCordsville gives businesses the confidence they can establish themselves in our community and have the speed and bandwidth they need now and in the future as they grow. The availability of fiber to the home provides opportunities for e-learning and the flexibility to work remotely which helps companies attract and retain top talent.”
NineStar announced this spring that it had expanded its fiber optic service to 10 counties surrounding Indianapolis: Fayette, Hamilton, Hancock, Henry, Johnson, Madison, Marion, Morgan, Rush and Shelby.
Since 2011, NineStar Connect has installed more than 1,500 miles of fiber optic cable and invested $54 million in new infrastructure. The company plans to continue to invest in its fiber optic backbone as local communities demand a local, responsive alternative to national competitors.
More information on NineStar Connect’s residential and business fiber optic service for homes and businesses is available at www.ninestarconnect.com.
About NineStar Connect
NineStar Connect is a smart utility located in Hancock County, Ind. The only rural co-op in the United States to offer fiber optic, electricity, water and sewer services, NineStar Connect’s mission is to deliver the utility infrastructure needed to drive economic development and growth for rural communities. More information is available at www.ninestarconnect.com.