Oct 01, 2021 Portfolio Company News

Grain Management-Backed Great Plains Communications Completes Acquisition of USA Communications

The company’s fourth acquisition in the past five years further illustrates its commitment to aggressive growth to meet bandwidth and technology demands

Blair, Nebraska (October 1, 2021)

Great Plains Communications (GPC), a Midwestern telecommunications provider with a growing, privately-owned 13,500+ mile fiber network touching 13 states, backed by Grain Management, LLC (Grain), announced today that it has completed the acquisition of USA Communications, a growth-oriented provider headquartered in Kearney, Nebraska.

“We are excited to announce the acquisition of this impressive company founded by Chris Hilliard that has been focused on growth and technology advancement in the communities it serves since 1995,” said Todd Foje, CEO of Great Plains Communications. “The USA Communications fiber footprint is a positive addition to our current network and will allow us to reach more business and residential customers in thriving areas of Nebraska and Colorado. In addition, we will work with our partners at Grain Management to identify future areas for targeted GPC expansion that result from these new fiber assets as we continue on our path of growth to bring fiber-driven services to as many areas as possible and to contribute to the nation’s fiber-for-all initiatives.”

USA Communications was founded by Hilliard to meet the growing demand for fiber in central Nebraska and Colorado. The company provides fiber-driven services including managed Ethernet, high-speed internet, streaming video and voice to its residential and business customer base. With the acquisition now closed, GPC will initially focus on enhancing and building out the USA Communications network to bring fiber-driven services to more businesses and homes in Kearney, Grand Island and other Nebraska communities.

Mr. Hilliard, CEO of USA Communications had this to say: “As with any family, there are stages in life where, with great excitement, inner nervousness and perhaps even a little fear we must take a step to continue to grow. It is time for me to hand off the baton to our industry leading teammates at Great Plains Communications. I am excited and confident that they will extend USA’s current market leading role in all its communities. Godspeed!”

“We are delighted to welcome USA Communications to the Great Plains Communications family,” said Chad Crank, Managing Director at Grain. “With this extended fiber footprint, we look forward to driving and accelerating GPC’s growth and innovation in fiber services and quality.”

The companies entered into a definitive agreement in the third quarter of 2021. The acquisition was officially completed on September 30 following the completion of all regulatory approvals. Financial terms of the transaction have not been disclosed. B. Riley Securities served as exclusive financial advisor to USA Communications.

About Great Plains Communications

Great Plains Communications is one of the largest privately-owned telecommunications providers in the Midwest and is headquartered in Blair, Nebraska. It has over a century of experience providing business and residential customers in Southeastern Indiana, Iowa and Nebraska communities with forward-thinking, fiber-based technology services including high-speed internet, Ethernet, video, hosted and traditional voice solutions. The company also takes pride in its progressive approach to accommodating the unique needs of all regional and national telecommunications carriers, LECs, ISPs, wireless carriers and other service providers utilizing superior engineering and custom-build strategies. At the core of its service offering is an extensive, MEF-certified 13,500-mile regional fiber network that reaches 13 states: Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Wyoming. The network offers community access rings, last-mile and middle-mile solutions, all fully supported by the company’s 24x7x365 Network Operations Center. For more information visit www.gpcom.com.

About USA Communications

USA Communications is a growth-oriented company headquartered in Kearney, Nebraska. Over the years, USA Communications has enjoyed a reputation for continued innovation to meet the telecommunication needs of its customers. USA Communications has built a high-quality communications network that delivers services to customers in Nebraska and Colorado. As a full-service provider, USA Communications offers an array of services including high-speed Internet access, phone service using digital VOIP and High Definition programming to meet the demands of our customers. For more information visit www.usacommunications.tv.

About Grain Management

Grain Management, LLC is a leading global investment firm that focuses on broadband infrastructure and technology companies that connect the world to the information economy. Founded in 2007, Grain invests exclusively in the global telecommunications sector, employing a rigorous, data-based process buoyed by deep industry expertise to identify investment opportunities in key areas of telecommunications infrastructure, including fiber networks, wireless spectrum and cell towers. For more information visit www.graingp.com.

Contacts:

Great Plains Communications

Laura Kocher
[email protected]
402-456-6429

USA Communications

Paige Purdy
[email protected]
308-631-7444