With the attention hosted VoIP providers are seeing, in the way of increased adoption of hosted solutions, providers of hosted services are increasingly looking to add to their customer base by way of new strategies to drive business growth. There is little doubt that hosted solutions are of interest to many small and mid-sized businesses seeking an enhanced communications solution, but without the financial resources or manpower to invest in an on premises solution.

In an attempt to benefit from the newfound interest in hosted solution, Ring 9, which offers carrier grade Hosted IP PBX and IP Trunking services to SMBs and enterprises over a Tier 1 MPLS network, has expanded its board of directors in hopes of gaining additional guidance and insight as to how to take advantage of the increased interest in IP Communications.

President and CEO Bob McCarthy has undaunted experience in the telecom and software industries, including sales, marketing, operations, technical support, and product management at organizations with more than $200 million in revenues, including AT&T (News - Alert) and CA. He is in charge of all strategic and operational aspects of Ring 9.

McCarthy said, “The Ring 9 management team is looking forward to working with the board as we embark on our vision of becoming one of the nation’s leading business communications providers.”

Ring 9 Chairman John R. Nelson served as president and CEO of Central Services Group for the last 17 years, a company that was profitable each quarter since 1990. Under his guidance, Ring 9 has seeks to address customer needs in an expanding market.

Bruce A. Carbonari was named president and COO of Fortune Brands in January and now oversees the $8 billion consumer products company, which includes known brands like Möen, Titleist, Master Lock, Jim Beam, Sauza, and Courvoisier.  Bruce is also an active member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) — Cleveland Chapter, various industry associations, and serves on the Boards of RPM Inc. and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Director and Advisor William B. Summers Jr. has 35 years of service with McDonald Investments, where he recently retires as chairman, prior to which he served as president and CEO (before its sale to KeyCorp in 1998).  He also was director of the New York Stock Exchange from 1998-2003 and part of its board of executives from 2004-2006, and also was on the board of governors of the National Association of Securities Dealers from 1989-1992 — he was chairman of the board in 1992.  He also was on the board of directors of the NASDAQ Stock Market from 1992-1994, including chairman of the board in 1994.

James C. Boland, vice chairman of the Cleveland Cavaliers, joined the Cavaliers/Gund Arena Company (CGAC) in 1998 as president and CEO, and became vice chairman of CGAC the same year. For 34 years prior to that, he served at Ernst & Young, including being a partner since 1976 and part of the firm’s management committee from 1988 to 1997, and having operating responsibility as vice chairman and regional managing partner of E (News - Alert)&Y’s Central Region from 1988 to 1996.  He serves on the boards of Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, Sherwin-Williams Company, Invacare Corporation, and several other private companies.

John N. Nelson, secretary of Ring 9, has been the vice president of Central Services Group for the past 17 years, and is responsible for Ring9’s outside customer service, installation management, training, and general oversight of the outside functions of the Emergency Management service for EVOIP.

Peter A. Nelson founded and served as president and CEO of more than ten companies in the past 25 years, with established skills in conceptualizing, funding, and operating businesses in the security, real estate, communications and internet industries.  He founded three in the mid 1990’s, Nelson founded three companies in the communications space, including Intelispan, which provided secure B2B Internet solutions utilizing an intelligent network.

Founder of Hankin Law, Sam Hankin is a partner and corporate counsel for Hankin Group, a Pennsylvania development firm that constructs residential and mixed use communities as well as corporate and industrial parks. The company also owns and manages many residential and commercial rental properties.

Gregg L. Foster, president and CEO of Elyria Foundry Co., rounds out the new board of directors for Ring 9.

The new board, which brings undeniable experience in growing service organizations, is set to raise Ring 9’s presence in the hosted VoIP space, offering an extensive set of features to improve its customers’ business processes and overall productivity, while lowering capital expenses, a hallmark of successful hosted offerings.

Ring 9 is among the approximately 140 exhibitors showing off their wares during INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference & EXPO EAST 2007, now underway at the Broward County Convention Center in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

--------

Erik Linask is Associate Editor of INTERNET TELEPHONY. Prior to joining TMC (News - Alert), he was Managing Editor at Global Custodian, an international securities services publication. To see more of his articles, please visit Erik Linask’s columnist page.