Oztech to Expand Base in Northwest Arkansas

Oztech Cyber Villages of America, founded in 1995 by Philip Hefley in Harrison, plans to spend as much as $1.5 million to expand its customer base into Northwest Arkansas and the Arkansas River Valley.

Hefley said Patrick Flenniken is the Internet service provider’s branch manager for Fayetteville. Hefley also said his firm has been approved to become a competing local exchange carrier, or CLEC, in Northwest Arkansas and 14 other states.

He said Oztech, which employs 10 people and serves 1,500 customers nationwide, plans to bundle its Internet, local telephone and long distance services. The firm will also offer training for beginners and assistance for pros.

“Our cyber village advocates like [Flenniken] will look at who their customers are and market services to them that are tailored to their specific needs,” Hefley said. “So many of our customers are older and need help getting started, but we’ll have customers with all kinds of needs. Our goal is to offer the best local service available.”

Hefley said his eventual goal is to operate 6,000 cyber villages that serve 20,000 customers each. He expects to get 10 percent of that business in the next couple of years.

The $1.5 million investment for Northwest Arkansas is based on Hefley expecting to eventually establish 15 cyber villages from Fort Smith to Bella Vista, which cost about $100,000 each to set up.

He said an e-commerce initiative in the works with Front Porch Digital in Boulder, Colo., and the bundled services will give customers the best local access and service for their money. Oztech’s service costs from $16 to $20 per month.

Hefley, who holds a Ph.D. in education administration from the University of Arkansas, spent 20 years working as a commissioner of education at the regional office for the U.S. Dept. of Education in Kansas City, Mo. He began dabbling in computers in 1972, and because of his background in mathematics, Hefley adapted well to programming.

After retiring in Harrison, he started writing business programs for local firms on the side.

Hefley said he already has the 6,000 points of access he needs to serve as hubs for his system. He said with industry estimates predicting another 300 million people will get Internet access in the next 3-5 years, he’s optimistic about Oztech’s future.

“We just want to get our share of that new service,” he said.