The '97 Merger
By the end of 1996, the former Duke Communications, Inc. had grown to over 1,200 customer accounts. These included three hospitals, several large industrial operations, and dozens of other businesses of every variety.
In response to a need for more capital to fuel the growth, Duke Communications, Inc. decided to merge with Richmond, Virginia based Property Technologies, Ltd., a much larger, national firm. This merger was completed in January of 1997, giving customers access to a regional company covering the entire United States. Along with the merger came philosophical differences in opinion regarding levels of service to give customers. (Not to mention PTL's missed payments and ultimate Bankruptcy.) As a result, the founder and the original management of Duke Communications, Inc. is repossessing its assets and its former customer accounts as fast as possible and has now resumed service on all the accounts located in the Williamsburg, Virginia area. Effective in October of 2000 the name Duke Communications is being used to identify a small, service-oriented business unit of Colonial Telecommunications, Inc. and the Duke name has once again become synonymous with Excellent Customer Service by its constituents. Ownership of these small accounts is now 100% locally held by the original Duke Communications founders.
Call me, Duke Diggs, President & CEO for more information. 757 253-9000