Birch Communications has signed an asset purchase agreement to acquire the client base, accounts receivable and physical assets of longtime telecom channel provider Ernest Communications. Following this acquisition, Birch will be providing service to business customers in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Canada and Puerto Rico.
This transaction marks the 19th acquisition for Birch since 2006, and is expected to close in the third quarter of this year. According to Chris Ramsey, Birch senior vice president, chief sales and marketing officer, Birch will be welcoming “many of the Ernest Sales Partners into the Birch family” and is “committed to making this merger a smooth transition for all.”
“I am extremely pleased about joining our Enterprise Sales, Client Implementation, and Account Management teams with the Birch staff,” said Paul Masters, Ernest president. “Our existing clients will undoubtedly benefit from Birch’s network coverage, extensive resources, and next generation technology solutions.”
“The suite of solutions Ernest currently provides to their business clients – voice, data and hosted/managed services – are a perfect complement to the current Birch business product offerings,” said Vincent M. Oddo, Birch president and CEO.
Added Birch Chief Operating Officer, Chris Aversano, “We anticipate that the Ernest clients will experience a seamless transfer to Birch, and benefit from our dedication to providing quality service via our team of support professionals.”
