Central U.S. operator Bluepeak beefed up its executive team last week, nabbing Lumen Technologies veteran Billy Parker as the new vice president of Bluepeak’s business and connected properties division.
Parker has spent nearly 25 years at Lumen, holding various leadership positions across enterprise and government field sales, segment marketing, business strategy and other areas. He most recently served five years as Lumen’s VP of regional enterprise sales, helping Lumen’s central U.S. clients implement digital transformation solutions.
In addition to his work in telecom, Parker has held several management positions in the travel industry, including American Airlines and online travel agency Sabre Corporation.
With his new role, Parker will continue to be based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a state where Bluepeak continues to make ground in fiber expansion. The operator late last month announced it would make the FCC’s Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) available to its Oklahoma customers.
“We’re thrilled to add Billy to the team,” stated Jeff Seidenfaden, Bluepeak’s chief commercial and customer experience officer. “As we focus on achieving our long-range plan, Bluepeak Business and Bluepeak Connected Properties – apartment complexes, townhomes, and multi-family housing – will continue to be major contributors to our success in 2023 and beyond.”
Bluepeak, which rebranded from Vast Broadband earlier this year, started out as a provider in South Dakota and parts of Western Minnesota. The operator this year expanded to Oklahoma in more than 10 cities, including Lawton, Elk City, Clinton, Atlus, Blackwell and Stillwater. Bluepeak also services North Dakota, Wyoming and is currently plotting expansion in Missouri.
The company is particularly targeting smaller towns in the central part of the country, Seidenfaden told Fierce last year, as incumbent providers are less likely to invest in those markets.
Service-wise, Bluepeak currently offers 1 Gbps speeds in all of its serviceable areas, with 2-gig and 5-gig service tiers only available in fiber markets.