R. Vernon Williams Named CEO of Spirit Telecom/PalmettoNet
July 22, 2007
COLUMBIA, S.C. — R. Vernon Williams has been selected to replace the retiring James M. Johnson as Chief Executive Officer of the Columbia-based Spirit Telecom and PalmettoNet.
As a 35-year veteran in the telecommunications and IT industry, he most recently held the position of General Manager with PalmettoNet. For more than 27 years he was employed by GTE and held varying management positions including: Director of Product Management, Director of Market Research, Director of Consumer Marketing and General Manager of Telecommunications and Systems.
In 1999, Williams established Williams Management Services to provide consulting services to publicly traded and private firms in the communications and information technology businesses. Williams is a native of Rock Hill, South Carolina, and earned his B.S. Degree from the University of South Carolina and his E.M.B.A. from Duke University.
His selection was announced by H. J. Dandridge, III, Chairman of Board of Directors for PalmettoNet, Inc. and Chairman of the Board of Managers of the South Carolina Telecommunications Group Holdings, LLC (also known as Spirit Telecom).
Spirit Telecom and PalmettoNet are owned by the independent telephone companies and cooperatives of South Carolina and provide services in North and South Carolina. PalmettoNet provides fiber optic high-speed communications to telecommunications carriers. Spirit Telecom is a retail and wholesale provider of voice, data and networking services, specializing in Internet solutions.
