 | Wireless Providers Dialed In On Jackson
Despite
Slow Economy, Franchises Are On The Rise. | | Terryl Jackson | July 13, 2009 |  You don’t have to travel far in the Jackson area to find a cellular phone service
provider. Even as the economy continues to struggle, more wireless
communications franchises are popping up in and around Jackson.
“The
investment going into it is relatively inexpensive,” said Jerry Wood, business
consultant with GGW & Associates in Jackson. “However, the chance of failure
is much higher.”
One reason for that is because larger phone companies, such
as AT&T, Verizon and Comcast, still dominate the market, Wood said. Still,
more independent retailers are trying their hands at this growing
market.
“It’s everybody’s dream to go into business (for themselves),” Wood
said. “In today’s economy, you would rather work for yourself than somebody
else.”
Jeff Eccleton started working for Lightyear Wireless about a year
ago. As an independent representative for the Louisville, Ky.-based company,
Eccleton opened his Lightyear Wireless store in Jackson in December.
“I saw
a great opportunity with the company,” he said. “We can grow it as big as we can
possibly grow it.”
Eventually he moved his store from 1400 N. West Ave. to
807 S. Brown St. under the name Revolutionary Wireless.
Now he is building a
new headquarters — a 6,900-square-foot building at 2600 Airport Road that will
be completed by October. Construction began last week. Revolutionary Wireless
still sells Lightyear Wireless products and carries prepaid wireless phones and
plans. The company has 22 independent sales representatives in the area and 55
more nationwide.
“I want to put people to work,” Eccleton said. “I want to
help them build something they can call their own.”
Jackson-based
Comtronics, the 50-year-old company that specializes in electronic security
systems and telecommunications equipment, got into the cellular-phone market 10
years ago.
In May, the company opened its newest retail store at W. Michigan
Avenue and Brown Street. President and CEO John Campau said he has seen many
wireless phone companies come and go.
“There’s a lot of businesses that
think this is easy,” he said. “It’s become a very competitive
business.”
Comtronics, which sells Alltel, Nextel and Sprint products, does
not sell pre-paid phones. “We’ve stayed away from that,” Campau said. “I don’t
believe there’s a strong market for the pre-paid (phones). I think half of them
are going to be gone in the first year.”
Talk A Lot Wireless, which has four
storefronts in the Jackson area and about 50 locations across the state, sells
MetroPCS phone service and products. The business offers phones with no
contracts or credit checks.
Bill Karl, who manages the Talk A Lot Wireless
store at 1232 Francis St., said he does not feel the market is saturated with
wireless communications franchises. “It’s all in preference and what the
customer’s needs are,” he said.
Photo Credit: Jackson Citizen Patriot - File Photo
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