Sarasota News Leader

12/14/2012

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Sarasota News Leader December 14, 2012 Page 67 IN THE BEGINNING ��� The deal entailed his continuing to work for the company for awhile. ���I helped them roll ���To be honest, I came [to Sarasota] because out the cable modem business in 30 cities my parents were here,��� Swier admitted. ���I���d across the nation,��� he said. graduated from [the University of Florida] and planned to spend a couple of months here and Swier is calm and casual in an interview, but move to California. Of course, at UF we had he nonetheless communicates excitement [the] Internet, and my parents wanted Internet about his ideas. He readily concedes he was in the right place at the right time. [access] so they would be able to email me, and so I was setting up a modem bank, and ���We saw the first cable modem plugged in and lit up,��� he pointed out. Sarasota was the first then their friends wanted Internet.��� data market for Comcast���s broadband packThat was in 1995. age. ���I came down here and started my first busi- ���It was a pretty exciting time,��� Swier said. ���Evness, ���Sarasota Online,������ Swier continued. ���It erything was dial-up, and to bring a megabit was the first Internet provider in this area and into the home was not an easy thing. We kind one of the first in Florida. It grew quickly, and of were inventing as we went along; everywithin a year, we were approached by Com- thing was the first time. ��� Nobody had done cast, [which] acquired the company in 1996.��� it before.��� Partygoers enjoy the changing light show as they gather outside the headquarters of The HuB. Photo by Scott Proffitt

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