The grand opening of the new Wightman Telecom office here sets the stage for the future of communications in Centre Wellington.
The June 13 event drew in crowds from area businesses and community leaders throughout the municipality, as Wightman begins its five-year plan to bring fibre optic cable to Fergus and Elora.
Centre Wellington Mayor Joanne Ross-Zuj was pleased with the turnout to welcome a new industry to the community.
“We know the service that is going to be provided and many people are very interested and excited about the possibilities we now have,” she said.
“We can’t thank you enough for choosing to come to Centre Wellington and we wish you all the best.”
Centre Wellington Chamber of Commerce president Janet Harrop presented Paul Wightman with a plaque welcoming the business to the community.
Wightman’s executive vice president and CFO Rob Figliuzzi said, “Centre Wellington has always been a very important town for Wightman. We have brought fibre optic to several other communities in mid-western Ontario and we are very happy to endeavour in the four to five year project and bring this leading edge technology to the folks in Fergus and Elora.”
Wightman’s marketing manager Hope Robertson said the decision “to make a home in Fergus really made sense.”
“We are entering into what is our biggest fibre optic project and by far the largest investment,” Robertson said.
Therefore it made sense for the company to have a home in Centre Wellington in the former Fergus LCBO building.
“It’s great because it’s right in the middle of Fergus and Elora,” she said.
Wightman currently offers fibre optic services in Listowel, Harriston, Palmerston Mount Forest, Hanover and Walkerton. The work in Centre Wellington is divided into phases.
Robertson explained the Fergus office offers large scale maps outlining which areas will be serviced and when that work is anticipated to take place.
“If you come in, you can pinpoint exactly where your house is,” she said, adding there is also a setup with Google Earth that allows residents to type in their address to determine the same information.
Though the fibre optic cables are for landline communication, Robertson said the service will allow for phone, internet and digital television directly to homes and businesses.
“We have customers already in Fergus and Elora; we’ve been here for some time with our phone and internet service,” she said.
