Communications Simplified.

Trent & Troy McCracken

CEO Troy started the company in 1999 after proving himself a top salesperson in telecommunications companies, where he saw first-hand the frustrations customers experienced dealing with telecommunications carriers. Having a direct line of sight into the customer's perspective, Troy recognized that carriers did not support customers the way they needed or deserved to be supported. His vision for Spectrum was to provide simplified telecommunications consulting and support for customers.

President Trent, an engineer and IT expert, joined his brother in 2000 as a counterpoint to Troy’s sales and customer service focus. As the telecommunications industry has changed and evolved to incorporate new technology and offerings, the two brothers have found their skills and styles are strong complements to each other.

“We’re entering our tenth year of business,” Trent says, “and we’ve grown to approximately 30 people, ranked #5 in 2006’s Fast 55, and were recognized as a Torch award honoree in 2007. We’ve grown consistently, gotten relatively little exposure, and now things are starting to hit. It’s time for us to really get the message out.

”Spectrum has grown both organically and through acquisitions. Trent explains their goal is to be a complete supplier for telecommunications systems and services. “A few years ago, we purchased a company that sold and installed the phone equipment itself, making us one of the most comprehensive telecom solutions in the region,” he says. “We used to provide and manage the transport piece but we can now do it all – from network consulting & design, implementation of the phone system (VoIP), to management and support of the complete network.

”Another thing Spectrum can help clients with is the ability to manage their telecom expenses. TEM, or Telecom Expense Management, is one of the largest growth areas in the industry. Spectrum entered it the way they entered all other aspects of the market: to help their clients reduce frustration and simplify telecom systems. Trent laughs when he describes what happened. “We were talking with a few of our largest clients about the biggest pain points they were experiencing in their telecom environment,” he describes. “They were paying large salaries to their engineering team to optimize the company’s network and other high-level applications, but discovered the engineers were actually spending a great deal of time figuring out why someone’s Blackberry was not getting e-mail. They asked if we could put together a solution to help, and we did.

”The result was Spectrum’s comprehensive, patent-pending TEM software, TrueVue, that breaks down the telecom invoicing process for clients. As Trent says, “Typically, telecom bills are very hard to understand, using many terms those not in the industry just don’t know. Our software breaks it all down and extracts information in a relevant form for customers, so they can understand where their telecom spending is going.

”An entire industry is evolving around this concept, since telecom is one of the largest expenditures in companies and it’s largely ignored. “You get a bill for $23,000, you pay it,” Trent says. “The next month, the bill is $25,000. You think, ‘It’s close, not worth looking at,’ and you pay it. The next month, the bill is $27,000. Now, you’re $4,000 over where you started and you really don’t know where the money’s going.

”This is just one example of how Spectrum has stayed on what clients call the “bleeding edge,” so they can keep their clients on the “leading edge.” This year holds a lot in store for the company and brothers: “We’re continuing to evolve,” says Trent, “and we’re planning to open our first office outside Cincinnati (in Nashville) in a few months. We’re also starting to take a more aggressive approach to the TEM industry.” In fact, Spectrum is starting to play with the “big boys”: they are sponsors of TEM2008, the industry’s largest trade show, along with major players in the market, and were recently mentioned in a national magazine article in conjunction with big, known names.

But despite Spectrum’s rapid growth, Troy and Trent make sure they are enjoying the ride: “When we stop having fun, we’ll move on to something else,” Trent believes. “Right now, we’re enjoying the ride, every step along the way. It’s great owning a company with my brother – we both have a partner who is looking out for the other’s best interest in addition to our own. Our families are intertwined and really support each other. It’s a great situation.

”And if Troy and Trent continue their “view from above,” things will continue to move upward for Spectrum and the brothers McCracken.