Vancouver-based Integra Telecom is splitting into two companies and laying off up to 10 percent of its workforce, according to reports.
The fiber optic network services company on Thursday said Integra would be spun off to handle small business needs and Electric Lightwave would take the bulk of the company’s fiber business moving forward.
The Oregonian is reporting that 10 percent of the original company’s workforce was laid off, based on information from employees. Columbian archives show Integra had 600 employees in Vancouver in 2015, as well as hundreds more around the country.
A company spokesman would not confirm the number of employees laid off, but said: “We will be reducing the workforce by a small percentage over a period of time as we focus on aligning the right resources with customer demand.”
“While this resource alignment will result in a short-term reduction … we believe the long-term outcome will result in the growth of our organization,” Integra spokeswoman Ani Vattano wrote in an email.
Integra was similarly tight-lipped during its last reported round of layoffs in 2015.
Thursday’s announcement said that 17 percent of the company’s employees would staff Integra and the remaining would work for Electric Lightwave.
Both companies, now under ownership of an entity also called Electric Lightwave, would remain headquartered in Vancouver.
Electric Lightwave, founded in 1990, was among Clark County’s technology sector pioneers before it was bought by Integra in 2006. The revived company now expects $429 million in revenues from the 400,000 miles of cable it owns across eight states, according to company information. Fiber optic cables deliver high-speed internet to businesses and other users who need the bandwidth to do more than stream Netflix.
“This is a key step in the company’s vision in becoming the leading fiber-networking provider serving enterprise customers, wholesale carriers, web content providers, government organizations and education institutions,” the company said. “Electric Lightwave and Integra customers will be notified of any changes, and we will continue to answer questions and work with each customer to meet their needs.”
Integra, founded in Portland in 1996 and relocated to Vancouver in 2013, will handle fiber networks in North Dakota, Minnesota and Colorado as well as small business contracts in Electric Lightwave’s Western network. The Oregonian, citing anonymous sources, reported that layoffs could number 100 or more, with bigger cuts possibly coming from its eastern operations.
The companies will operate under separate leadership but share resources like accounting, tech support and human resources.
