Sixth BCM One Acquisition Helps Expand International Support

BCM One has bolstered its international services footprint and portfolio through its latest acquisition.

The managed technology solutions provider is buying Wholesale Carrier Services (WCS), which owns and operates an IP-enabled voice and data network that touches more than 500 cities.

BCM One has acquired six companies over the last two-and-a-half years. That includes SIP trunking providers SIPTrunk/SIP.US and nexVortex, and most recently white-label UCaaS provider SkySwitch. Moreover, it’s the fourth company BCM One has bought since the pandemic started.

Similar to the other acquisitions, WCS deepens BCM One’s technology portfolio in the area of next-generation voice and managed network services. BCM will add WCS’ UCaaS, business connectivity and managed services to its portfolio.

BCM One’s Geoff Bloss

The purchase also similarly deepens bolsters BCM’s geographical footprint. WCS holds its headquarters in Coral Springs, Florida. BCM One CEO Geoff Bloss said WCS helps BCM “double down” in the Southeast market and enhance its local presence. New York-based BCM now operates out of seven U.S. locations.

Global Presence

However, the acquisition gives BCM One more than an expanded U.S. presence. The transaction includes WCS Asia, a wholly owned subsidiary in the Philippines. As a result, BCM One now owns a network operations center in Asia Pacific.

“We are now for the first time an international business,” Bloss said. “It gives us the ability to support our channel partners and our clients on a 24/7 basis.”

Although BCM One primarily focuses on the U.S. with the majority of its channel partners working there, Bloss said many customers own offices abroad. Demand for international services and support has risen, even for U.S.-based customers.

“For us and our channel partners to be able to provide services to these multinational, multisite locations, we needed to be able to provide full business day support in local hours in client locations. Doing it solely in the four time zones in the U.S. is a challenge,” he said.

Bloss said WCS’ internal infrastructure resembles that of BCM One; however, he said WCS has significantly invested in automation and tool sets.

“We see an opportunity to leverage the investment that WCS had put in at small scale, on a much larger footprint and scale,” Bloss said.

The latest acquisition also differs in terms of integration. While previously acquired companies kept their branding and names, BCM One will fully integrate its WCS into its brand six to eight months from now.

Background

BCM One initially operated as a boutique services distributor (otherwise known as a master agency), but the company has pivoted in recent years to providing managed services and communications offerings. It now holds relationships with the largest service distributors, including TBI and AppSmart.

WCS, on the other hand, will bolster its channel relationships through the acquisition.

Bloss said BCM One offers a strong acquisition track record, having acquired four companies since the pandemic started. That track record, he said, gives peace of mind to business owners who are considered selling.

WCS’ Chris Barton

Chris Barton has served as WCS’ CEO since its founding in 1996. He praised the acquirer in a statement.

“We’ve seen BCM One achieve tremendous growth over the past couple of years,” Barton said. “We’re excited to join forces and play a role in furthering the company’s solution, channel and geographic expansion.