PAETEC is looking forward to making sweet music in Baltimore.
A nationwide telephone and Internet provider with offices in the Inner Harbor, PAETEC Communications is the official sponsor of August?s Jazz Festival. Featuring more than 20 concerts, the three-day event is expected to bring a throng of people to the region. With high hopes for a positive economic impact, PAETEC also hopes to increase its name recognition, competing against juggernauts such as Verizon and AT&T.
“A big part of what we do is give back to the people who live in the cities we do business in,” said Arunas Chesonis, founder and chief executive officer of Rochester, N.Y.-based PAETEC. “We want to get our company?s name and message out there and involve the community at the same time.”
Working with PAETEC, the Jazz Festival in Rochester draws more than 120,000 people from 25 states. It?s the goal of both PAETEC and Mark Iacona, co-producer of both the Rochester and Baltimore jazz festivals, to grow the event not only by the number of people, but also the number of days.
To make the festival accessible to more people, only three of the performances will be ticketed. From these shows, 7,500 passes will be distributed for free to 50 local nonprofits. PAETEC encourages the groups to use these tickets as a fundraiser to help them grow. The donation is valued at about $50,000.
“We care about the community and want them to embrace us,” Iacona said. “We care what their needs are, and we are doing our jobs to perpetuate the American art form.”
Last year, PAETEC?s 30-person Baltimore office made nearly $12 million in revenues for the company, which is worth about $1 billion. Serving about 1,000 customers locally, PAETEC reaches 50,000 customers nationwide, including about 2,000 hotels, 400 universities and 300 banks.
“Not everyone is a golfer or into NASCAR, but everyone likes music, and the harbor is a great way to spend an evening,” Chesonis said. “We looked at all PAETEC markets, and for a pilot, Baltimore seemed like a great site.”
Artists such as B.B. King, Earth, Wind and Fire, Al Green and Boney James are scheduled to perform.
If you go
Click here for PAETEC ticket information and a lineup of performers.
