We’re launching a new guest series on the Google Fiber Blog featuring our awesome Google Fiber Business customers and how they make their internet service work for their businesses and their clients. We’re proud to open this series with a post from Kansas City’s Ben Seidel, CEO and Founder of Igniting Business, which has served hundreds of small businesses with web design, marketing, and SEO services since 2012.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 1/3 of businesses even make it to the 10-year mark. As a family-owned company, Igniting Business is defying those odds, reaching the 10-year mark in 2022 with the help of undoubtedly a mission critical resource– reliable and speedy internet.

Prioritizing a Mission Critical Resource

Since we started in 2012, Igniting Business’s goal has been to help small businesses succeed. As a web design and digital marketing company, literally everything we do heavily utilizes the internet! Whether it’s building new websites, launching digital marketing campaigns, providing technical support, or meeting virtually with clients, our business could not survive without reliable and blazing fast internet.

Before we upgraded to Google Fiber, we had two internet packages routing to our office from two different providers. Our reliability on internet was so intense that we could no longer afford to be without internet for minutes, let alone hours or even a day. With our advanced setup, if the primary internet failed for more than 60 seconds, it would kick over to our redundant, albeit slower, back-up internet. As you can imagine, this required a more robust IT setup and was expensive.

Eventually, we intentionally moved to an office where we knew Google Fiber could be installed, and Google Fiber Business’s speed and uptime has dramatically impacted our business. In fact, we no longer need backup internet! With Google Fiber, we have more reliable and faster internet and at a lower price point.

Enabling Growth

As Igniting Business faithfully served our customers, word spread regarding our quality of service and exclusive focus on small businesses. The beauty of our connected world is that we no longer need to be local to do business.

As a result, we started receiving work requests from all over the nation. However, our small business clients could not justify the additional cost of flying us out to their location to do business, nor did phone calls create the personal touch that small business owners need before entrusting us with the growth of their business.

Having high-speed internet for reliable video streaming, screen sharing, remote training, file sharing, and more enabled our business to proudly work with clients coast-to-coast in 24 states.

Making our Business Resilient

When the pandemic hit and forced nationwide closures, we were in the midst of renovating our new office space in a new building. Thankfully, even amidst a pandemic that brought other businesses to a grinding halt, our reliable internet at the new office allowed our team to still work remotely in a streamlined and connected way with slightly cuter bosses at home.

Some of our team members’ home office setups during the pandemic lockdown.

Our connected team was able to continue helping our clients succeed despite unimaginable challenges brought on by the pandemic. We helped them reach numerous odds-defying achievements: including (1) a single location restaurant opening a 2nd location in 2021, and now a third in 2022 and (2) a software client growing from 16 employees (pre-pandemic) to well over 100. Our clients that valiantly chose to see the newfound circumstances during the pandemic as an opportunity included numerous construction, engineering, and facility maintenance clients who are now hitting record numbers, as well as legal, finance, and healthcare clients who are helping their customers navigate likely one of the most tricky and stressful times of their lives.

How Technology Empowers Us to Innovate Into the Future

We understand, as a small business, our impact can be limited. However, with the connectivity and reach that our Google Fiber internet brings us, we continue to look for ways to serve more businesses, even if we cannot help them directly with our services. During the pandemic we spoke at webinars where we shared marketing insights with 70+ business owners simultaneously and looked for other ways to spark new growth ideas for small businesses.



In 2021, we launched our new website with a robust and free Resources section that includes content on various web design, SEO, and marketing tactics, a free monthly newsletter with tips and tricks, and even a list of the recommended tools and software we use at Igniting Business. Even though we can only serve a finite number of clients directly, we provide our free resources to thousands of small business owners and marketers each month!

As we sunset our first decade in business and look to the next, we continue to explore ways to help the small business community thrive, whether it’s locally in Kansas City or 2,000+ miles away, and we know that our Google Fiber internet will help us keep up with whatever that future holds.

Thank you to our clients across the nation for working with us and for trusting our team these past 10 years. Cheers to the next decade!

Posted by Ben Seidel, CEO and Founder, Igniting Business


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author: Ben Seidel

title: CEO and Founder, Igniting Business

category: product_news

Last month, we started offering service to customers in West Des Moines. The response has been great, and we’re looking forward to bringing fast, reliable internet to even more Iowans. In fact, later this year, we’re planning to start construction so we can bring Google Fiber to our neighbors to the east —  Des Moines!



We’re currently in the planning stages, working with the City of Des Moines on next steps to get started with the permitting process. Being next door in West Des Moines gives us a running start in Des Moines, as network construction takes time. Des Moines residents who want more information on what’s happening can sign up for emails here.

Google Fiber believes that everyone deserves quality internet, and we’re expanding our footprint in all our cities, including the newest!

And of course, we’re continuing to roll out service across West Des Moines. As the city completes new sections of the conduit network, we’ll pull our fiber through the conduit and open up sign-ups in new neighborhoods. To get the latest on availability in your area, sign up here.

Posted by Andy Simpson, General Manager, Central Region





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Author: Andy Simpson

Title: General Manager, Central Region

category: city_news

At Google Fiber, we’re always striving to provide our customers with internet service so good that they never need to talk to our service team. But when customers do need us, we want to make it as easy and pleasant as possible. That’s why we’ve recently opened Google Fiber Kiosks in local malls where our customers can find us easily and take care of business quickly.



Now, new and existing customers in San Antonio (North Star Mall), Raleigh (Crabtree Mall), and Kansas City (Oak Park Mall) can sign up for or upgrade service, get help optimizing their home network or troubleshoot most issues with our dedicated service and sales teams — all while getting their other shopping done. The new kiosks are in heavily traveled areas and are designed to make it convenient and quick for customers to check out the latest from Google Fiber.



Posted by Beau Blochlinger, Head of Retail Operations





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Author: Beau Blochlinger
Title: Head of Retail Operations

category: city_news

The time is here! Google Fiber is now available for the first section of the West Des Moines network. Starting today, residents in certain areas of the northeast side of the city can sign up for Google Fiber internet service in their homes and businesses.

Google Fiber is very proud to have been part of this project from the beginning, standing (virtually) with the City of West Des Moines as the mayor announced the city’s commitment to helping residents get quality internet by building a city-wide conduit network. With this conduit network, the city made it easier for internet service providers to deliver services to the citizens of West Des Moines, while reducing the number of construction projects in the city’s right of way. As the anchor tenant on the network, Google Fiber is excited to help the city increase choice and competition in how West Des Moines gets its internet service.

Residential customers in West Des Moines can choose between our super fast 2 Gig service for $100 per month or our flagship 1 Gig service for $70 a month — the same price our very first customers paid in Kansas City almost a decade ago. And local businesses can select either our new Business 2 Gig service for $250 per month or Business 1 Gig for just $100 per month. Our local West Des Moines team is standing by in our newly opened Google Fiber Space in Valley Junction to help customers sign up for service or answer any questions.  




As the city completes more sections of the conduit network, we’ll roll out service to new areas, opening signups in each new area as our fiber optic network is completed. In the meantime, you can get the latest information about what’s happening with Google Fiber in West Des Moines by signing up for email updates on our site and following us on social media (Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook).

Posted by Andy Simpson, General Manager, Central Region

We’re introducing our new West Region General Manager, Ashley Church, who has been with Google Fiber since 2015. For the last four years, Ashley has been working from Salt Lake City. During that time, she served as Google Fiber’s Head of Planning & Analytics and then as Chief of Staff for our Customer Operations team. In her pre-Google Fiber life, she also played a little softball.

If you’ve been following along on this blog, you know that Google Fiber has been moving fast in Utah, with new areas starting construction and opening up for service at a regular cadence. In fact, since we last checked in two months ago, we’ve been approved to start construction in six more communities — White City, Draper, Riverton, Springville, West Bountiful, and West Jordan — and started offering service in Sandy and North Salt Lake. 

And there are more on the horizon, we’re currently in conversations with several other cities in both Salt Lake County and Weber County that don’t currently have a fiber-to-the-home internet provider. We hope to have more expansion news to share shortly.

2021 was a big year for Google Fiber expansion nationally, and especially in Utah, where we added almost 30% more households to our service area and more than doubled our customers over the last year. Google Fiber now has almost 1,000 miles of fiber network across the Wasatch Front, making it possible to connect over 100,000 households in the Salt Lake Valley and Provo to fast, reliable internet. We are expanding just as quickly this year. 



All this growth has meant that our team is growing. We are hiring for both locally-focused sales and operations roles and for central roles that serve the whole organization. The Utah team would love to have you join us in our brand new office near the Granary District. We’re excited to be heading back to the office and look forward to settling into our new neighborhood.



As the new Google Fiber General Manager overseeing Utah and California, I look forward to being a part of everything we have planned in 2022. Stay tuned for more news coming from the West!

Posted by Ashley Church, West Region General Manager.



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author: Ashley Church

title: West Region General Manager

category: city_news

When we launched our 2 Gig product, the number one question we got was, “When will this be available for business customers?” We’re proud to say the wait is over! Customers can sign up today for our new Business 2 Gig product for $250 a month. (Yep, that’s the same price we offered SMB 1000 for previously — same low price, twice the download speed).

Business 2 Gig customers get up to 2000 mbps download and up to 1000 mbps upload, along with Wifi 6 with mesh capability and up to two mesh extenders based on the needs of their business. Our flagship Business 1 Gig remains a great option for business customers as well, now at only $100 a month, providing fast, reliable internet at an even more affordable price.

Additionally, we know that phone service is integral to business operation. That’s why we’re pleased to   offer Google Fiber Business customers the opportunity to sign up for Dialpad’s business phone service at a 25% discount. Dialpad customers benefit from unified business and customer communications, including a cloud business phone system, text and team messaging, video meetings and the world’s most advanced AI contact center — all in one app.

Existing Google Fiber business customers are eligible for the new pricing and products — they just need to log in to their account to upgrade or contact customer service to make the necessary changes. For those who upgrade to Business 2 Gig, our installers will come out to set up the new equipment.

Business 2 Gig is available to any business address in any Google Fiber service area. Sign up today to see where truly fast, affordable internet can take your business!

Posted by Bill Mosher, General Manager, Google Fiber Business









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author: Bill Mosher

title: General Manager, Google Fiber Business

category: product_news

Google Fiber is proud to host guest blogger Stephanie Espy, the author of STEM Gems and the founder of the conference of the same name. As a chemical engineer, Stephanie understands the challenges facing women in science and technology. As a sponsor of this year’s conference, Google Fiber continues to look for new ways to encourage women to pursue careers in STEM.

Think back to your preteen/teen self. What were your career interests, and why? What inspired you? Who inspired you? Was it a teacher or family member? Was it a summer camp experience? Was it something you saw in a movie or tv show or read in a book or magazine?

Women remain underrepresented in STEM fields. Cybersecurity, engineering, computing, data science, and physical sciences are just a few examples of careers where women represent less than a quarter of jobs, in some areas even single digit percentages. If we want to see more girls choosing STEM, it is our responsibility to inspire them early and often.

The STEM Gems movement is centered on girls and was designed based on my life experiences. As a girl who was stimulated by math and science, I wish I had an organization like STEM Gems to inspire my exploration of STEM careers, introduce me to women in STEM role models, and demonstrate how a STEM career can make a difference in the world and help people. 

I started this movement by writing the STEM Gems book, and our programming now includes the STEM Gems Club, Summit, summer camp, and social media campaign. Each component exposes and supports girls with the goal of expanding their STEM fluency and helping them break through stereotypes and build confidence.  

All too often, girls are not exposed to STEM careers or encouraged to develop the skills necessary to pursue STEM careers. STEM Gems places them at the center of what is possible. I know how critical it is to help girls create their unique STEM footprint as I was able to persist throughout middle and high school, study chemical engineering at MIT and UC Berkeley, and become one of the 3% of underrepresented women of color to earn a bachelor’s degree in engineering. The vision for STEM Gems is to strengthen the pipeline and help to provide the support and structure necessary for girls to see themselves as researchers, innovators, creators, and problem solvers. 

The STEM Gems Summit: Women Empowering Girls is one way in which girls are inspired to choose STEM careers. The Summit brings together girls and young women, parents, educators, and mentors and introduces them to professional women in a diversity of STEM careers underrepresented by women. The Summit opens with each speaker doing a short “pitch” of their respective STEM career to attendees. The women then share what inspired them to choose their STEM career, their journey to where they are now, how they make a difference in the world using STEM, and advice for girls to create their unique STEM footprint in the world.

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The 2022 STEM Gems Summit: Women Empowering Girls presented by AWS is co-sponsored by Google Fiber. Our sponsors have enabled us to increase our impact and dream big, reaching girls, parents, and educators across the country in both rural and urban cities. This year’s Summit will be held virtually on Saturday, March 19 at 11am EST / 8am PST. All are encouraged to attend and be inspired by an amazing group of women using STEM to better the world! Register today! (And you can follow STEM Gems on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook.)

Posted by Stephanie Espy, author of STEM Gems, founder of STEM Gems and MathSP



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author: Stephanie Espy

title: Author of STEM Gems, Founder of STEM Gems and MathSP

category: community_impact

categoryimage: true

yturl: https://www.youtube.com/embed/40MCy3mAu78

Last night, the West Des Moines City Council once again confirmed its commitment to bringing fast reliable internet and choice to the residents of their city. The vision of this project — a city-wide network that offers competition and choice in their internet services — is becoming reality. At Google Fiber, we believed in that vision and its promise since our first conversations with the city. We’re excited to be one of the first tenants on this network, and we’re looking forward to providing West Des Moines with more than one way to get online.

Thank you again to the city for their hard work to make this happen. We know it hasn’t been easy. Google Fiber is very close to completing the necessary technical requirements to connect customers to the first section of the network — expect us to open signups for service in sections of the northeast corner of the city in the next few months.  We’re also close to finishing construction on our retail location in Valley Junction and look forward to welcoming West Des Moines to come check us out there soon!

Posted by Mark Strama, General Manager Expansion Markets




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author: Mark Strama

title: General Manager Expansion Markets

category: city_news

categoryimage: true

2021 is coming to a close, and what a year it has been. 

As the pandemic has continued to shape what normal looks like and we all figure out how to work, learn, connect, and be in the world now, quality internet and ensuring access for more people has become a central focus not just for Google Fiber, but for many of our communities across the country. That’s a huge opportunity and responsibility for us and we’re working to make 2022 and beyond even more connected.

Taking it farther faster

In 2021, we built to more households than in any other year. Many of the communities we announced this year around the country already have service, including South Salt Lake, Holladay, Taylorsville, Millcreek and North Salt Lake in Utah; Concord and Matthews in North Carolina; and Leon Valley in Texas. 

While we still have a lot of work to do in many of our communities to bring access to as many people as possible, we continue to make our build processes more efficient and less disruptive. This will be a focus area for our teams across the country leading into 2022, as we expect to expand even more next year.

More internet for everything

In 2021, the rollout of our new 2 Gig service demonstrated just how much demand for internet had increased. It wasn’t just those working at home and gamers opting to up to double their download speeds (although they liked it, too!), we saw households of all varieties taking advantage of the opportunity to get more out of their internet. 

With increased demand across all our products, we worked to ensure our network was there when our customers needed it, increasing capacity across all points of the network right up to improving the in-home Wi-Fi experience. In 2022, we’ll continue to work to make our customers’ fast, reliable internet even better.

Helping communities thrive

While a lot of great things happened in 2021, the pandemic continued to pose challenges for many of our customers and our cities. With the internet’s increasingly central role in our daily lives, we saw many more organizations stepping into digital equity work. To meet that demand, we expanded our partnership with NTEN to support 11 fellows in eight Google Fiber cities. We’ve continued to work with partners across the country to help more people access the internet and develop the skills to take advantage of online opportunities. 

This year, thousands of people participated in Google Fiber-funded programs in our communities through over 170 different local organizations across the country, from trainings to device distributions to STEM events. 

We also provided gigabit internet at no cost to more than 440 organizations this year to allow them to meet the needs of their clients and their work in the community through our Community Connections program, and provided gigabit internet at no cost to over 3,500 households through the Gigabit Community program. 

Growing the Google Fiber team

This year, we’ve grown both our central and our local city teams to help keep up with our expanded efforts across the country. We recently launched a new Google Fiber careers site to help candidates find us, and we’re still hiring! We have hundreds of open roles, so if all this sounds like an interesting, rewarding way to make a difference, then maybe you should join us. One thing is certain, 2022 is not going to be dull around here. 

Posted by the Google Fiber Team

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Author: Google Fiber Team

Title:

category: company_news

Google Fiber got our start in Kansas City over a decade ago. A lot has happened in the area since then — we’ve won a World Series AND a Super Bowl — and KC has evolved as a hub of tech innovation. We’d like to think Google Fiber played a role in that (the tech piece, not taking credit for the city’s sports successes although we’re big fans!). 

Our KC team celebrating the 2020 Super Bowl

As Kansas City has grown, so has Google Fiber’s network. We’ve continued to build out our network across both sides of the state line, serving Brookside, the Northland, Overland Park, Argentine, Lee’s Summit, Olathe, Raymore and many many more neighborhoods and municipalities across the metro area. In fact, just last month, Belton’s City Council approved Google Fiber to start work in their community, and we expect to start offering service there by the second half of next year.

KC is our hometown and we’re always looking for new ways to connect with our community and our customers. In addition to our Westport Road and KC North locations, we recently opened another retail option for customers, a kiosk in Oak Park Mall, which will make it even more convenient for people to check out new products and talk to our service team. The new space opened earlier this month and is open during regular mall hours.

Google Fiber is also continuing to make it easier for more people in Kansas City to access quality internet and put it to use to improve their lives. This year, the Google Fiber sponsored NTEN Digital Inclusion Fellow, Katherine Maloney, Director of Workforce Development at Goodwill of Western Missouri and Eastern Kansas, to support new programming to help their clients take advantage of digital opportunities in our areas and build skills for the current economic environment. Katherine is focusing on expanding digital skills training opportunities to assist people with online navigation of their career goals. Goodwill uses a Mobile Workforce Unit to bring digital skills training to where the people are. Additionally, Goodwill is adopting the NDIA Digital Navigator Model to support local residents with gaining access to devices and broadband internet in their homes.  

No matter how much things change, one thing is certain: Kansas City is the center of all things Google Fiber. We look forward to keeping things up-to-date with our community and continuing to build our next chapter here. (And if you missed it last week, check out our own Carlos Casas in our career site launch video and learn more about our open positions - join our team!)

Posted by Carlos Casas, Head of Sales; Andy Simpson, Head of Technical Operations; and Rachel Merlo, Government & Community Affairs Manager.



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Author: Carlos Casas, Andy Simpson, Rachel Merlo

Title: Head of Sales, Head of Technical Operations, Government & Community Affairs Manager

category: city_news