On Thursday, July 26, Mayor Chuck Homan, city employees, Chamber of Commerce board members joined GVTC President and CEO Ritchie Sorrells and GVTC representatives at their central office (CO) at 1241 Elm St. for an official ribbon-cutting and welcome to Blanco.

Beginning the next day, Friday, July 27, GVTC started accepting and connecting customers in the city.

The CO, just a small building near the elementary school, is the point at which GVTC’s connection enters Blanco and then connects to the residences and businesses of customers.

Paula White, manager of public relations at GVTC, welcomed the crowd and introduced the CEO.

“I was visiting with the mayor just a few minutes ago,” Sorrells began. “We unexpectedly called upon him in August of last year. We talked about our plans to expand and offer a network that’s truly cutting edge technology—that’s fiberoptics. In fact, Blanco is in real rarefied air because there’s less than 10% of communities [the size of] Blanco in the country that have fiberoptic technology as their core infrastructure. We’re honored and proud to be here, and we’re really looking forward to partnering in the community. If you’re familiar with GVTC, that’s what we do. We offer value that’s unparalleled.”

“This is really, for our little city, the biggest thing since they hung the electricity on the poles,” said Mayor Homan. “This is a massive infrastructure upgrade, and an investment for their company. They came last Friday and asked if I wanted to be hooked up. It’s wonderful.”

Pat Vallone asked Sorrells how long it’ll take before GVTC’s fiberoptics reach to the areas outside the city. The best way to do that, Sorrells responded, is for people to purchase services.

Paula White spoke about the GVTC Foundation, which gives back to the communities they serve. “We’re looking for opportunities to help non-profits in this area.” Non-profits can apply for grants from the foundation, White said.

“On behalf of the chamber, the board of directors, and many of our members,” said Chamber President Marcy Westcott, “we’re thrilled to see you here.”

“The sky is the limit,” Westcott concluded.