X4 Heads West

It seems X4 Communications is taking that old adage, Go West, young man, to heart. The master agency is bulking up its presence in California, Colorado, Nevada and Texas, with the help of a new regional agent manager, and thanks largely in part to TelePacific Communications acquisition of Mpower Communications Corp. Those two factors put X4 in a great strategic position, says CEO Steve Braverman.

Todd Thomas is the guy X4 is banking on to attract agents in the West. He started Cbeyond Communications channel program in Denver, signing up 70 agents in a short period of time, Braverman says. Thomas then moved to Chicago to work on Cbeyonds agent network there before coming to work for X4 earlier this year. Thomas again proved himself, signing up dozens of agents. When he told X4 he wanted to return to Denver, executives gave him the thumbsup because they are eager to build operations in the West. X4 wants to draw interconnects, data VARs and in-region Qwest Communications International Inc. salespeople, says Braverman. X4 for years has sold out-of-region services for the Bell company, and Qwest is doing a big push for in-region sales.Weve never sold in-region, or very little, and this actually gives us an entrance into it because, as you know, Denver is a Qwest territory, Braverman explains. Elsewhere, X4 executives are shoring up the companys presence in the Northeast and Southeast as well as in the Midwest.

At the same time, X4 is taking to the TelePacific acquisition of Mpower with enthusiasm and praise. X4 was Mpowers largest agent and has been on the receiving end of quality attention from TelePacific executives during the post-merger transition period. These guys are a class act, raves Braverman. Theyve just been so easy to work with. As evidence, he notes TelePacific has changed evergreen clauses and tightened some areas of the Mpower contract and, overall, done stuff in our favor. Theyre a pleasure to work with.

X4 is part of TelePacifics steering committee, just as it was with Mpower, and receives continual communications from TelePacific about the direction of the combined company. Theyre really taking our ideas to heart, Braverman says.

One of the biggest benefits has turned out to be a substantial rise in commissions from legacy services because of the way TelePacific does business, and also because of their buying power with the RBOCs. Theyre buying access cheaper than Mpower was, so theres a better margin in it for us, says Braverman.