Grandville firm launches cutting-edge Ethernet service, adds six tech jobs

By: Deborah Johnson Wood

Focused on the demand for increased bandwidth in highly regulated industries such as healthcare, banking and education, Grandville-based Trivalent Group has bumped up its services to become one of Michigan’s first firms to offer gigabit Ethernet — connectivity with 1,000 times the capacity of T-1s.

The steady growth of the company since its inception in 2003 has created 41 jobs in five years — three of those in the last six months, with another three computer engineer positions coming online in the next six months.

“We believe we’re the first in Michigan to offer the gigabit Ethernet,” says CEO and Founder Larry Andrus. “Clients can get more capacity for a similar investment as their old capacity, and they don’t need to add more T1s to get it, we can just increase the capacity on the same line.”

The new technology allows companies to link multiple locations, reducing the equipment costs and allowing for flexible and scalable bandwidth levels.

“When you think about it, there are two things driving our jobs,” Andrus says. “You get data over the network, and then what do you do with it when you get it? You’ve got to store it, manage it and back it up. That’s where we’re uniquely positioned to help our clients.”

Trivalent acquired six floundering technology companies in its first year of operation. Within months, the company had successfully blended the various cultures of the organizations and was financially sound. Trivalent generated over $20 million in revenue in 2007.

Source: Lou Andrus, Triavalent; Kate Washburn, Wondergem Consulting

Deborah Johnson Wood is the development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].

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