"Thank you.  I sincerely appreciate your help in marketing the sale of our Data Center in Central Oregon.  We have closed a transaction to sell control to a group of Oregon Telcos, and turned over operations so I can finally retire.  Here is the press release.  Again, thank you for your help, I wish you a wonderful 2023."

John Warta

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE OREGON COOPERATIVE TELECOMS BUY INTO DATA CENTER

January 5, 2023 –

DirectLink and Scio Mutual Telephone Association partner with Cascade Divide Data Center in Bend, Oregon. Oregon telecommunications cooperatives Canby Telephone Association (dba DirectLink) and Scio Mutual Telephone Association (SMTA) secured a partnership on December 30, 2022 to co-purchase a majority stake in a 12,475 square foot data center facility for Tier III data storage. The ultra-high-density data center facility was built in 2015 and offers data, cloud and colocation centers with managed IT services. It was designed to support 2.5 megawatts of power capacity to host client organizations’ servers and data backups at a reasonable cost.

Cascade Divide was previously owned by John Warta, the company’s President and CEO. The desire to remain in the industry but step back from day-to-day operations was a primary catalyst for the sale. Management of the facility will be conducted by another SMTA and DirectLink joint partnership - Consolidated Business Services, LLC (CBS) out of Mt. Angel, Oregon. “The two companies are very excited to partner with John Warta and deliver the full potential for the data center,” commented Paul Hauer, President of both DirectLink and CBS. “Opportunities like this do not come along often for telecommunications providers, and we intend to make the most of it for the data center partners and cooperative members of DirectLink and Scio Mutual Telephone Association”. “We are very excited about our cooperative partnership with DirectLink. This data center fits very well within our ecosystem of services while aligning with our strategic goals going forward. SMTA has always been in the forefront of innovation, and our Board is very forward thinking toward the future and sustainability of our cooperative. We have trust and faith that Consolidated Business Services will be the right fit to engage and grow the business model,” said SMTA CEO Derrick Mottern.

Cascade Divide’s Bend location provides current and future data clients diverse power and “disaster-free zone” seismic stability. The high desert climate offers a low-humidity environment with highly efficient air cooling combined with low power costs. It is an internet vendor neutral facility with seven different fiber providers, directly on the west coast’s main fiber backbone. The building operates at a Power Usage Effectiveness of around 1.13 and is powered by hydroelectricity. When asked about the new partnership, Warta remarked, “I’m pleased to partner with SMTA, DirectLink and CBS. Their combined background in fiber optics services, telecom industry, and outstanding customer service will be a great asset to current and future Cascade clients.” Contact CBS Marketing Team Marketing@cbsoregon.com About DirectLink Canby Telephone Association dba DirectLink connects over 8,000 members to the world they work, play and live in through high-speed Internet, WiFi, and Voice services. The service area includes nearly 100 square miles in the Canby and Mt. Angel communities in Oregon’s northern Willamette Valley. The company has been nationally recognized many times over as an industry leader and is well-known for being friendly, local and reliable.

DirectLink is a communications cooperative business model that began in 1904 and employs local people. Visit www.DirectLink.coop for more information. About Scio Mutual Telephone Scio Mutual Telephone Cooperative (SMTA) was established in 1904 with a service area of 100 square miles located in the foothills of Oregon’s Cascade Mountains. SMTA provides internet, security and communications services to approximately 1,600 members over a 100 percent underground fiber to the home network. For more information, please contact Derrick Mottern at derrick.mottern@smta.coop, visit www.SMTA.coop, or call the office at 503.394.3366.

About Consolidated Business Services (CBS) Consolidated Business Services, LLC was started in 2012 as a cooperative effort between several telephone companies in northwestern Oregon that wanted to share resources in an effort to better service their members. By sharing personnel expertise, department functions and other resources between partners, the companies have been able to operate more efficiently and improve their bottom line. Learn more at www.cbsoregon.com

About John Warta Mr. Warta, is the owner and was the Founder of multiple Telecom companies including Electric Lightwave, GST Telecom, Bestel in Mexico, Navigata in Canada, and Pacific Lightnet. About Cascade Divide Cascade Divide is a 12,475 square foot data center located in Bend, Oregon. Established in 2015, the facility boasts significant storage capacity, seismic protection, and efficient power for clients. It offers cloud and colocation with managed IT services.

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