
Posted by: Darren Bonawitz, principal of 1102 GRAND
Thank you to David Day at ithinkbigger.com for featuring Darren Bonawitz’s Guest Column: Google Opens Door for Innovation In KC.
GOOGLE OPENS DOOR FOR INNOVATION IN KC
Fiber network is likely to boost business and job growth in metro area.
By Darren Bonawitz
After Google Fiber announced that it will deploy a one gigabit-per-second fiber network in both Kansas City, Kan., and Kansas City, Mo., I have been asked on several occasions what this will mean to the area’s technology community and the future of Kansas City as a whole.
New Businesses and Jobs
A key area of immediate or near-term impact is likely to be job growth in Kansas City. As others have pointed out, the fiber build itself is not where the jobs are going to be created. Instead, we will likely see an uptick with regard to employment opportunities across three areas: companies relocating to Kansas City, existing companies and new ventures.
Google’s commitment to invest in Kansas City should trigger increased interest among companies from outside the market in their site selection process. This means new job opportunities for the community, including the technology sector. The good news for these companies considering Kansas City is that the market has a strong talent pool to draw from, with not only the desired technical proficiencies, but also a strong Midwestern work ethic.
Existing companies that have already made an investment in Kansas City also are likely to benefit from being able to tap into the Google Fiber high-speed network. As these existing companies continue to grow and expand, new job opportunities will be one of the inherent benefits.
In addition, with Google Fiber literally in some of our backyards and the bandwidth handcuffs largely removed, there should be new ideas spawned by being able to plug into a test network of this scale. Unlocking bandwidth bottlenecks simultaneously knocks down innovation barriers. If the infrastructure is available, history has shown that the applications to leverage the fiber network will follow. For those motivated and drawn to innovation, there is a terrific opportunity.
Beyond Job Creation
I firmly believe Google Fiber will have positive effects on the technology community beyond job creation. Today, Kansas City has an array of active yet loosely affiliated technical user groups, and the Google Fiber project presents a perfect opportunity for collaboration and cross pollination among these membership bases. At the end of the day, people drive business, not technology. Intelligent and forward-thinking people who know how to leverage technology are the catalyst for innovation, and a strong technology community is also imperative for attracting and retaining top technical talent.
The bottom line is that Kansas City has a unique opportunity to leverage these fiber assets and simultaneously establish the region as a top technology hub.
This story is only beginning and the rest is dependent on our ability to innovate while continuing to strengthen the human, corporate, organizational and physical assets already part of our community. In order to be successful, this is going to require a collective effort from the government and private sectors, and from companies and individuals alike. Kansas City had the passion to attract Google here, but now is when the real work begins and the community validates Google’s decision by making the most of the opportunity.
Darren Bonawitz is principal of 1102 GRAND, which provides co-location and interconnection services for a diverse customer base ranging from small businesses to Fortune 100 companies. (816) 471-7872// darrenb@1102grand.com
Posted By: Darren Bonawitz, principal of 1102 GRAND
Thank you to Kansas City Business Journal for interviewing Darren Bonawitz, principal of 1102 GRAND, in recent article: Google Fiber Lured to Kansas City, Mo., with Existing Web connections.
Kansas City’s existing Internet connection hub and exchange activity played a crucial role in landing the Google Inc. deal for both sides of the state line.
On May 17, Google announced that it would extend its ultra-high-speed Internet service from Kansas City, Kan., to Kansas City, Mo.
Posted By: Darren Bonawitz, principal of 1102 GRAND
1102 GRAND would like to congratulate Kansas City, Mo. for being selected “to collaborate with Google on the deployment of Google’s one-gigabit-per-second, ultra-high speed, fiber-to-the-home broadband network.” 1102 GRAND is extremely excited about Google’s extended investment in the Kansas City area.
According to an article from kcmonitor.com, “As the second city to be selected for this initiative, Kansas City, Mo., joins its sister city, Kansas City, Kan., in a regional partnership that will help to ensure our communities’ shared success.
Posted By: Darren Bonawitz
Thank you, Barbara Vergetis Lundin, writer for fierceenergy.com, for interviewing Darren Bonawitz, principal of 1102 GRAND, regarding 1102 GRAND’s press release about their participation in Kansas City Power and Light’s (KCP&L) Custom Rebate Retrofit Program.
KCP&L Custom Rebate Retrofit Program saves hotel 53%
After recently implementing Kansas City Power & Light’s (KCP&L) Custom Rebate Retrofit Program, 1102 GRAND, Kansas City’s Carrier Hotel, is projecting a 53 percent savings in wattage reduction through simple, readily available T8 lighting technology.
“In our experience, it is always easier to cost justify implementing large scale infrastructure replacements with more eco-friendly options when expanding or replacing equipment at the end of its life cycle. Those projects do not happen every month or year even,” said Darren Bonawitz, principal of 1102 GRAND, in an interview. “In between, commercial companies can take advantage of programs to complete smaller projects that still provide incremental energy savings. A series of smaller projects are often easier to implement and the sum of their energy reduction can be just as significant as a single large scale retrofit.”
While programs such as the one 1102 GRAND utilized require utilities to invest time and financial resources, commercial customers are willing to partner in order to make environmentally sound decisions.
“Commercial customers have an interest in making eco-friendly decisions when the cost can be justified,” said Bonawitz. “In addition, if programs are structured in a manner that reduces the time and effort on the customer side, companies are more likely to take advantage of available incentives.”
By: Darren Bonawitz, principal of 1102 GRAND
It has been a couple of weeks since Google’s announcement to build an ultra high speed fiber optic network with speeds of 1 Gigabit/second in Kansas City, Kan. Since then, I have had a few conversations with people who are directly involved with the project and have also fielded dozens of questions from others asking for my take on the announcement.
Overall, there is still a lot of excitement and optimism about the announcement as one would naturally expect, but with an announcement such as this, there are going to be a significant number of questions too. A lot of the questions pertaining to the project itself have already been addressed by representatives from Google and the city, and are easily found with a quick search online (might I suggest Google?). Those questions aren’t what interest me most though.
In my opinion, the best and most exciting question is a simple one – “Now what?” These two simple words offer nearly limitless possibilities. No one has the full answer to the question since it is still up to people such as you and me to determine. Make no mistake, as this project unfolds, people from around the nation and the world are going to be watching Kansas City, and it is up to us to capitalize on a project so monumental. Opportunities like this do not come around often, and we are fortunate enough to have it land in our fine city.
So whether you’re a serial entrepreneur or not, if there was ever a time to innovate and create, it is now. If you have a fully developed business plan or merely an idea on a napkin today, there are an amazing amount of resources available to help you through the lifecycle of concept to company. Just remember that all great companies started with an idea backed by determination and courage. So if you have wanted more or dreamt of launching a technology business, don’t hold back and don’t let anyone stop you including yourself. I sincerely hope you come up with the next Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube, and I hope you dream … and dream big.
Posted By: Darren Bonawitz, principal of 1102 GRAND
1102 GRAND would like to congratulate Kansas City, Kan. on the announcement by Google to develop an ultra high speed fiber networking within the community. There were obviously a lot of cities vying for this opportunity even within our own metropolitan area and everyone should be commended for all of their hard work and dedication to bring this project to the Kansas City area. It will certainly be exciting to watch the project unfold.
Posted By: Darren Bonawitz, principal of 1102 GRAND
In the telecom sector, specifically the wireless industry, AT&T’s plan to buy wireless provider T-Mobile for a reported $39 billion is the biggest piece of news in awhile. While I do not normally comment on deals and transactions, this one has particular interest to me with Sprint being headquartered in Overland Park. For several years, I along with many others, were waiting on an announcement from Sprint and T-Mobile regarding a merger.

The industry has been full of rumors regarding the joining of the third and fourth largest wireless providers to form a unified wireless company that could potentially compete more effectively with the first and second largest wireless providers, Verizon Wireless and AT&T. So the AT&T / T-Mobile announcement came as a surprise to me. Before I go any further, it is important to note that this is just an announcement about a potential transaction, and there are still considerable regulatory hurdles to cross. That process is not quick or guaranteed and could take a year or more to run its course.
As one of the major employers in the Kansas City metropolitan area, news regarding Sprint is of particular interest even when they are not directly involved. It is no secret that Sprint has really struggled over the past several years with customer churn, financial losses, and poor marks for customer service based on third party surveys. With that said, over the past twelve months or so, it appears Sprint has made major strides to improve across various areas to curb the customer churn and improve customer service ratings. This surprise announcement could not have resonated well within the Sprint campus leaving people scratching their heads and wondering what this means for consumers, the industry as a whole, their employer and employees.
They are not alone as people close to the industry are wondering and speculating as well. While Sprint, in my opinion, is certainly not in any eminent danger, they are definitely not in an enviable position either. I will be very curious to see if customer churn starts to increase again. That would definitely not be a good sign and could escalate a potential next move for them before market cap erodes.
First, I expect a revamped marketing campaign and focus on continued improvement with regard to existing customer relations. Once existing customers are addressed, then they can dig in for the fight to attract new customers. I have witnessed multiple large scale fiber network integrations and they are always a tedious process with potential pitfalls. Who knows? Maybe Sprint can successfully position themselves as the friendly “little guy” alternative to the “big boys.” People like choices and America likes the underdog and come back stories. I’ll also be curious to see if they start going after small acquisitions of their own targeting someone like U.S. Cellular or pre-paid providers as some speculate.
While a lot of peoples’ immediate response was that the AT&T/T-Mobile announcement set up a potential Verizon Wireless / Sprint deal, I’m not so sure. Keep in mind that it is more than just dollars and customers that makes a deal a good fit. These are businesses built on extremely expensive network platforms that have to interconnect and interoperate. In fact, that is likely a potential reason the Sprint / T-Mobile deal did not get done. With that in mind, I could just as easily see, what I would call a non-traditional buyer without a legacy wireless network, enter the picture. This will be an interesting story for people in the industry as well as the Kansas City area to watch as it unfolds.