Integra taps tw telecom veteran Willency as new CEO, replaces Guth

Integra has named telecom industry veteran Marc Willency as its new CEO, taking over the reins from Robert Guth, who was serving as the company's interim leader.

Guth, who took over the CEO role in September 2014 following the departure of Kevin O'Hara and has served on the Integra board of directors since 2009, will remain on the board as vice chairman.

Set to begin on Sept. 8, Willency will also serve on Integra's board of directors.

As CEO of Integra, Willency will be tasked with growing Integra's two business units, Integra Business and Electric Lightwave, while accelerating the company's strategy to build on its expanding set of network assets to deliver a mix of IP-based services to its growing business and wholesale customer base.

Before coming to Integra, Willency served as served as group vice president for customer solutions and enablement at Level 3 Communications, where he oversaw several sales, operations, and customer experience management functions in the North American region.

A 17-year telecom industry veteran, Willency is best known for his tenure at tw telecom which was acquired by Level 3 last year. At tw telecom, Willency served in various senior positions in operations, sales and support, and customer experience.

Willency comes to Integra at a pivotal time in the company's history. Earlier this year, the service provider revamped its overall corporate image by realigning the company into two divisions: Integra Business and the renewed Electric Lightwave brand.

Electric Lightwave, a service provider that Integra purchased in 2006, will focus on providing service to its largest enterprise customers, including government and education organizations, and to its growing base of wholesale service provider customers in the wireless segment. Meanwhile, Integra Business will focus on providing services to its growing mid-market customer base. 

In addition to realigning the brand, the CLEC has been enhancing the reach of its network through a mix of organic builds and acquisitions. Earlier this month, Integra acquired opticAccess, a deal that will deepen its Western fiber reach with a 3,500 route mile network, which reaches from Seattle to San Diego.

For more:
- see the release

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