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Inforestructured By Sean Wolfe Ashland Daily Tidings After wrangling over its debts to the City of Ashland, local Internet service provider InfoStructure has found a way to lift itself out its red ink burden, and come up with a clean slate. It got bought. Three partners, all alumni of Ashland High School, chipped in to buy InfoStructure from Manhattan Beach, Calif.-based Internet Ventures Inc. Scott Hansen, 31, and Jeff Rhoden, 30, are joined by former Ashland High football standout Chad Cota, 31, currently a free agent for the St. Louis Rams. Their company, Prime Time Ventures, LLC took a stake in the firm amounting to $550,000, wiping out InfoStructure's $200,000 debt load. The company had been in arrears with the city for its use of the Ashland Fiber Network, with debts over $50,000. Now in its tenth year of operation, InfoStructure had been previously owned since 1996 by IVI, a firm that held a small network of Internet companies in several Western states. As a result of the buy, InfoStructure now finds itself again in the hands of locals. And there is no plan to remove general manager Ryan Mallory, 32, or any of the local staff. According to Mallory, besides erasing debt, the new management offers greater local control, and could also have some economic impact locally now that profits are not being siphoned into Southern California, as was the case under IVI. "Being owned locally will allow us to focus on services and improvements that are important to our Southern Oregon customers. I am also very happy that local ownership means that profits generated by the business I manage will now stay right here in our community," Mallory said. "There were three other interested parties, but all were outside the area. This was a personal choice and the one I pursued." New management means a few shifts in strategy. According to Hansen, Prime Time Ventures has other acquisitions on the way, with designs on the Medford area, though he declined to state what other companies might be on the buy list. In addition, the company plans to see the InfoStructure brand get broader play. Currently, InfoStructure has two subsidiaries - Medford Internet, and Klamath Falls Internet that serve their respective cities. According to Mallory, Medford Internet customers may soon see the InfoStructure brand featured more prominently. "Klamath Falls is a more conservative market. So we may keep the name Klamath Falls Internet for now. But we'll probably market InfoStructure in place of Medford Internet, as well as add additional services, and market those under the InfoStructure name," Mallory said. Having known each other for years Cota, Hansen, and Rhoden come to the deal as old friends. "Chad, Jeff and I have known each other since pre-school. Jeff and I have been in business together for 8 years, and although this is a great business venture, it is made more exciting with the involvement of another life-long friend," Hansen said. According to Cota, when Hansen approached him with the opportunity to make an investment in InfoStructure, the deal seemed like the right thing at the right time. "I have a lot of trust in Scott. I looked at it. As an Internet stock, it had gotten beat up, so we were able to get in at a good price. I was sitting on some money waiting to invest, and was waiting for the right opportunity - the right thing," Cota said. "To have it all be local is something really positive for people, instead of the ownership that was here before." Local control was also a burning issue for Hansen and Rhoden, who support Mallory's management of the company. "One big reason for buying the company was Ryan. With him, I knew it was in capable hands. "We can't be hands-on in the business, because of our other responsibilities. But having met Ryan a few times, talking to him about the potential of the business - we're very comfortable with his position and ability," Rhoden said. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -