International Circuit
Ashland-Based Telecommunications Firm Dials Up New Leadership
Datamation Inc., an Ashland-based business specializing in installing telephone systems and other communications networks, is calling up new leadership.
The founding partners have sold the business to three longtime employees – Chris Crown, Mark York and Aaron Casstevens.
“Chris over the last several years has moved into the office to mirror what I did as far as running the shop,” said Doug Sculthorpe, the last of the three founding partners to retire. He said business partner John Casstevens retired about 14 years ago, while partner Bob Carlson retired several years ago.
“They were all relatively young and learned the business as field service technicians, doing whatever was required of them,” Sculthorpe said.
Sculthorpe, Carlson and John Casstevens started the company in 1991. They’d met years earlier while working at the former C&P Telephone company. After watching their employer go through transitions and mergers, they decided to take fate into their own hands and start a business.
“We made a decision early on that if we couldn’t agree on something, if two out of three agreed, that is the way we went,” Carlson said, offering a reason for the duration of the partnership.
Sculthorpe said he and the other founding partners talked in recent years about selling the business – and even had an offer to buy the business last year.
“It was a fair offer, but we just didn’t think it was the best plan for us or the technicians because it wasn’t providing a lot of guarantees going forward,” Sculthorpe said.
“I floated it out there to see if they were interested,” Sculthorpe said about the three longtime employees.
“After explaining the ups and downs of the business and what it is like, they decided it was something they wanted to do. It thrilled us to keep the business going. It will provide for the employees there. It provided for us for 27 years so I don’t see any reason for that to change as long as they keep the same work ethic they have today,” Sculthorpe said.
The company has 15 employees and has done work for clients such as SunTrust Bank and McGuireWoods.
Crown came to the company after working two other jobs. He was a fast food restaurant assistant manager for five years before deciding to do something different.
“So I was going to be a painter. I painted for one day,” he said. He called John Casstevens, who he said is like a father to him, and asked for a job.
“He said they could use a runner,Twenty-five years ago I was just flat out green,” Crown said, recalling being asked on the first day on the job if he could terminate a wire. He had no idea what that meant.
Aaron Casstevens, who is the son of John Casstevens, started with the company right out of high school.
“I’ve been here so long it feels like home,” Aaron Casstevens said. He has known Crown since they played Little League as kids, he said.
“People are just finding out about us doing this. They are really excited for us,” York said.―Richmond Times
You must be logged in to post a comment Login