The following transcript has been edited for length and readability. Listen to the entire discussion here on The Broadband Bunch. The Broadband Bunch is sponsored by ETI Software.
Joe Coldebella:
Hello, and welcome to another episode of the Broadband Bunch we are in Fort Lauderdale, Florida at the NTCA SRC event. I’m your host, Joe Coldebella. Joining me is Gary Johnson, the CEO of Paul Bunyon Communications. Gary, welcome to the Broadband Bunch.
Gary Johnson:
Thank you. Thank you for having me.
Joe Coldebella:
I’m excited to just chat with you. I think what you guys are doing is phenomenal. I hear from everyone else that Paul Bunyon is at the tip of the spear. Before you dig into the topic at hand, I would love it if you could just share with the audience just a little bit about yourself.
Gary Johnson:
Sure. Paul Bunyan Communications is a cooperative. I’ve been happily employed there for 35 years. It’s still my first job out of college working for Paul Bunyan. And you can imagine the evolution I’ve witnessed, and I’m very proud of our cooperative. It went from a very, you know, incumbent-oriented landline company to now, I hope to think, a very progressive broadband cooperative. It is in fact Minnesota’s largest. So it’s been exciting to see the evolution of that, and my career there has certainly been rewarding.
Joe Coldebella:
It’s great. And can you tell me about the name? Is it because of the mystical figure?
Gary Johnson:
It totally is. Paul Bunyan, the big lumberjack. He’s a prominent figure in Bemidji, Minnesota. There is a statue of him and Babe, the Blue Ox. It is amazing how often it’s photographed by tourists coming to our area. And so, like many things from the Paul Bunyan sub shop to Paul Bunyan Communications, we’re named after Paul Bunyan. And today, by the way, is his birthday.
Joe Coldebella:
Wow. That’s crazy. We’re here at the SRC live event. One of the topics that someone from your organization tackled was gaming. And I would love it if we could sort of dive into that because I personally think it’s a brilliant marketing strategy. But I’d be curious to know when the idea came up. What was the reaction from everyone? Was it like, “Gaming? Are you crazy?”
Gary Johnson:
Sure. Well, you know, a couple of things led up to it. You could see some of these massive gaming events happening in very urban areas. You know, the LA Coliseum sold out in three minutes. We were looking at that and said, “Why couldn’t we do that?” Obviously not on that scale. But we are just very proud of the technical talent that we have on staff. Day-to-day they’re doing technical support, and they’re doing network design and server maintenance and all the stuff we do. Right?
But I also know they have all these other interests and skills, and so it became an opportunity for us to let them flex and run with and show off the extra skills they have beyond their day job in a very enjoyable way. So we saw the opportunity because we knew we had the talent. We are also very proud of our broadband network, our gigabit network, and all the investments that we’ve made in fiber. So we thought what better way to show that off and the low latency of our network and the capabilities of our network than to that segment of gamers? So it was a little bit of confidence in our team that led us to try this. And it has blown up in a way that we couldn’t have imagined, and there are so many positives that have come out of it.
Joe Coldebella:
You know, it also must be great in terms of work your workforce morale. Let’s face it; a lot of the tech people are gamers. So it’s like, “Now I’ve got my job and part of it is gaming,”
So that’s got to be great for you.
Gary Johnson:
Yeah. One of the areas I think we’ve been so happy with is just the impact it’s had on our great staff and just letting them show off what they can do, and they love it. For morale, like you say, team building. So one of the many boxes that this checks is just that internal positive impact it’s had on our staff. And there are so many examples of where our staff is like, “Oh my gosh, I had no idea you knew how to do that. And look at you go here. Look at how you’re making us look good, and how you’re impacting our region.” And, you know, there are just so many of those stories. Yes. I think it’s had a tremendous impact internally.
Joe Coldebella:
You know, it’s also great in the sense that it gives you an opportunity to showcase your speeds as well. Is 250 your minimum speed and then up to six gigs?
Gary Johnson:
Yeah, that’s right. We actually do up to 10 gigs. But 250 is our kind of baseline symmetrical speed, 250-meg. And then we go up from there.
Joe Coldebella:
So they can choose between a street racer and a Formula One?
Gary Johnson:
That’s right. Yeah, that’s right. This year the entire event at this convention center was packed. It was a 4,000-seat arena. We have multiple games going on in tournaments at one time, and all of this runs off our one-gigabit connection that we bring to every house or business we serve.
Joe Coldebella:
Wow, that’s great. And so the great thing about this as well is, you know, as I was just looking and doing research for the story, is that you’ve sort of created a gamer community inside your community, which just must be so gratifying.
Gary Johnson:
Yeah. It is. And these gamers now have their own group that we’ve helped kind of form with their own excitement and their own peers. That whole ecosystem that we’ve kind of helped develop. And yes, we have the main gaming event that’s annual, but beyond that, we’re keeping that conversation going with virtual events and mini-events and things. So there’s a kind of a year-round conversation going on around Gigazone Gaming, which is also exciting to see. And it culminates in that annual event we have.
Joe Coldebella:
And in terms of just the gamers in general, does it skew younger? And then what kind of feedback are you getting from the gamers? I would love it if you could give a little viewpoint in terms of the feedback from the gamers and then as well as from the folks that maybe not are gaming but are somewhat attached to it.
Gary Johnson:
Yeah, there are so many stories I could share in that regard. First, in terms of who we’re connecting with by having this gaming event, it’s just been phenomenal. It represents the area we serve so well. No matter your background; no matter your age; no matter your economic status; no matter your race. If you look at our event and who’s there, it perfectly reflects who we live with, and the region we serve, unlike any event we’ve ever done before or other events I go to. We have several tribal nations that we serve in our area. They are certainly reflected there. Young people are there for sure, but not just young people. I mean, every age. It’s comical. We have older gamers here too, so it has just crossed all spectrums and lines and categories in terms of who is there.
And then to your point, particularly this year, we kind of expanded it beyond just a gaming event. Although we’re super proud of just the gaming event. We layered on what we call the TechXpo. And it’s just to your point, these gamers have skills they may not even realize. You know, they have skills in server design and software and operating systems and peripherals and all these latency network issues. And they’re very talented whether they even know it or not. Right? And so we exposed like 4,000 gamers and people interested in gaming this year to employment opportunities at startup companies or very seasoned companies that are desperately looking for technical talent in our area. Well, now they have a room full of them. Right? Also universities and higher eds and different training programs that have technical training programs.
So the gamers are saying, “Wow. You mean I could do this as a job? Do you mean I could do that here in my region? I don’t have to travel or leave home to do this? Nope. They’re right out my back door. I could get trained, and I can get employed.”
And these people seem quite anxious to do both of those to me. That’s what we’re exposing them to. But it’s not just the gamers, the parents and grandparents are there, and they’re seeing all this happen. So it shifts the gaming thing they thought their kid was doing to this is like skill development. That’s what they’re doing.
Joe Coldebella:
You know, it’s so funny that you say that, right? Now scholarships are a thing. Isn’t that just amazing?
Gary Johnson:
Yes. E-gaming scholarships did not exist when I would’ve benefited from one of those.
Joe Coldebella:
Absolutely. So the Gigazone Gaming Championships have been going on for six years. In terms of growth, has it been a slow, steady climb? Or has it been sort of a hockey stick? We want to be an overnight sensation or an overnight success, but usually, that takes more than just, you know, one year.
Gary Johnson:
Yeah, for sure. But even in our first year when we really had no idea what we were getting into or what we were creating, there were a thousand people there. So that is not a small first turnout. And it has grown to over 4,000 now. So the growth that we have seen has been significant. And then this year to have 30 exhibitors on top of that in a first-ever TechXpo part, I expect to grow now too. You have to think, exhibitors at a brand-new event don’t know what this is about. They are wondering if they should be investing their time to exhibit and show off their tech and all that. The feedback we got from those folks was also off the charts. So I think we’ll see that part grow exponentially as well now that it’s been out there a little bit.
Joe Coldebella:
And you know what the crazy thing about it is, the hardest thing is to get the audience. So for these folks, it’s like, “Hey, listen, we’ve got an audience lined up and ready to rock and roll.” So that must be a lot easier to sell for you as well.
Gary Johnson:
Yes. For this year, our first ever, that was the head-scratcher. How can we tell them why they should be here as an exhibitor, a company, a technical company? But we could tell them that we had 4,000 gamers last time, so expect to have that again. We also had Steve Wozniak, the co-founder of Apple. So that added, I think, a little substance to our event. But now I think the event will speak for itself and word of mouth will travel. I suspect being challenged by, “Wow, do we have enough space for this many exhibitors?”
I hope that’s the problem I have. You never know.
Joe Coldebella:
That’s great. And then just looking at the events, you do a retro tournament. So it would be great if Dad could beat the kids. Probably not, but it’s great as well — Magic: The Gathering, Mario Kart — So you make sure that the games that you bring in are relevant to the audience, which is great. I see that you added a Madden tournament. Does everybody want the Minnesota Vikings as their team?
Gary Johnson:
I think they’re popular for sure. I have to tell you a funny thing about adding the Madden tournament. That was not our first year, and we’re talking about how to broaden the audience and the appeal of this gaming event. But we had at our core very hardcore gamers that are playing League of Legends and Fortnite and these kinds of games. To tell that group a very techie group that we want the football guys to come play NFL Madden, they’re like, “Oh wait a second. That’s not a game.”
Joe Coldebella:
It’s a turf war.
Gary Johnson:
A little bit. That’s not who we are. But it’s been great. Everything brings in another segment of folks, which is just wonderful to have there. So yes, Madden has been very popular, and I’m sure that within that tournament, the Vikings are, you know, pretty well chosen.
Joe Coldebella:
Sure. You also did a cosplay. What was the inspiration behind that? Is it a way to get everyone involved?
Gary Johnson:
Yeah. You know, I think the whole goal is to have something for everybody, right? So you talked about Magic: The Gathering. We got the card game, you know, that part going on. You have traditional multiplayer games going on. You have these other council games going on. So it’s a little bit for everyone. And the same thing for cosplay. I mean, we saw other very large events that are around the country and how that was really woven in, in kind of a fun, cool way. And so noting a lack of that in our region as well. We introduced that early on. And there’s a core group that really gets after that too.
Joe Coldebella:
I know. It’s amazing. It’s like Halloween on steroids, what some of those folks do.
Gary Johnson:
I’m not familiar with cosplay, right? I’m too old. You talk about retro games. Miss Pacman is kind of where I spend my time. So cosplay’s new to me as well. And I have to say, some of the most hilarious events were like watching the metal detector people try to deal with people coming in with six-foot swords and all this metal garb on. It was like, “Yeah, good luck. This is fun to watch.”
Joe Coldebella:
Crazy. You know, there are a lot of communities, the SRC communities, all these folks that are probably thinking about it. Is there any advice you would give them in terms of whether or not this is something that they should consider?
Gary Johnson:
Yeah, well it has just hit so many boxes for us that I would definitely encourage anyone to consider it. And I know that there are different size companies, and they have different staff sizes and technical talent. We’re blessed that although, you know, we’re not a big company in the grand scheme of things, we’re big enough to have our own staff that can really do this. So we produce every bit of this from the games themselves to, you know, streaming, to Twitch, to all the scoring, and all that.
We do it ourselves, but you wouldn’t have to. You can partner with a university or a high school. I mean, those skills are out there no matter your size. And we’re happy to also help if they have any interest. Our website is gigazonegaming.com. That’s where you’ll see all our stuff about our gaming event. We are happy to help if we can.
Joe Coldebella:
You know, Gary, that’s awesome. I can’t thank you enough for the visit. Thank you so much. I think that this is something that communities should definitely consider. It’s great marketing. It highlights your product in a way that shows how great it is. But it’s not a punch in the face. It’s a tap on the shoulder.
Gary Johnson:
Great way to say it.
Joe Coldebella:
Awesome. Thank you so very, very much for joining us today.
Gary Johnson:
Thanks. It was very nice chatting with you.
Joe Coldebella:
All right, that’s going to wrap up this episode of The Broadband Bunch. Until next time, we’ll see you guys later.
