Past Winners

Fiber Network Solutions

Tyler, Texas

Incubator: Tyler Area Business Incubator

Tim Hooker, founder

Revenues: $10.9 million (2012)

Employees: 75

www.fnsolutions.net

Fiber Network Solutions is a growing fiber optic and electrical service company that has successfully completed work on many renewable energy projects, including wind farms and transmission lines. In its first year of operations, Fiber Network started with one company truck, a fiber optic splicer and a tester. Since then, it has acquired more than 53 pieces of machinery and equipment, including fiber fusion splicers, OTDR testers, cable jet blowers, generators, heavy equipment and forklifts. FNS also has 54 vehicles, including trucks, trailers, bucket trucks and company vans. The company graduated from the Tyler Area Business Incubator in January 2012 and bought a new 6,000-square-foot facility. 

Incubator’s role: The Tyler Area Business Incubator helped FNS find the right office space in which to start and continued to work with the company to accommodate its ever-growing need for more space as it expanded. The incubator also facilitated consulting with the Tyler Small Business Development Center to help FNS produce a cash flow analysis and financial pro forma, along with a business plan. In addition, the incubator and the SBDC staff helped FNS founders develop business management and bookkeeping skills. With connections made while in the incubator, FNS found skilled companies that helped with business marketing and brochures, as well as administrative support services. “The business incubator allowed FNS to be able to grow the company to be self-sustainable and able to eventually afford to branch out and purchase its own land and building,” says Tim Hooker, founder.  “Without the help of the business incubator, the company would have never had the resources to grow on its own.”

Contact NBIA

Phone: (740) 593-4331
Fax: (740) 593-1996
340 West State Street, Unit 25
Athens, OH 45701-1565
info@nbia.org