By meshing their different skill sets and backgrounds in an emerging technology field, UberData Networks founders Jeff Van Horne and Jon White seem to be on to something big.
Their Columbus-based company, launched in 2013, designs and installs fiber-optic networks with a focus on corporate offices, hotels, university and K-12 buildings, and manufacturing facilities.
Called "passive optical local area networks" (POL in industry parlance), they are designed to provide faster, more efficient, scalable and adaptable networks than ones with traditional copper cabling and Ethernet switches.
Van Horne has more than 15 years of experience in developing passive optical networks, including with Dallas-based Tellabs. There he played a key role in launching the company’s POL product portfolio.
Much of White’s experience has centered on network engineering and management, starting in the Air Force and then in the civilian world with BlueMile Inc., Cardinal Health and Time Warner Cable.
Their approach is working. UberData is one of the select companies certified by the Marriott International hotel chain to install fiber-to-the-room networks in its properties. That includes the network at Hotel LeVeque in Columbus’ iconic LeVeque Tower. UberData installations have also included the new T. Marzetti Co. headquarters in Westerville, the SK Food Group plant in Groveport and a fiber-optic network pilot at an elementary school in Fostoria, Ohio. Overall the company has clients in about a dozen states.
Van Horne and White recently sat with Columbus Business First for this interview, which has been edited for brevity and clarity.
What was it like to launch the company? Van Horne: It was a big challenge. We started in our basements with two cell phones and two laptops. It’s been a great ride ever since.
White: Our first office was in the Westerville library. You’re only allowed to sit in the conference rooms for so long. We’d get kicked out of one, find a new one and then get kicked out of there, too. But everybody there was cool was us.
What convinced you that starting UberData was the way to go in your careers? Van Horne: I started my first high-tech company in 1996, and Tellabs bought us in 1998 for all these technologies that eventually turned into the fiber-optic technology we’re using now. I was with (Tellabs) for a long time as a design engineer and in marketing and business development.
The (passive fiber-optic) technology was definitely there, and I wanted to get out of working for the equipment manufacturer to actually using the technology to help companies implement it. That’s when I started consulting and met Jon.
White: I started in the military, doing technology and understanding systems networking on a very large scale. I ran everything from operations to logistics. ... In the civilian sector I was a global IT manager at Cardinal Health, and then I changed jobs to Time Warner Cable (as a network engineering optical manager). Then I started to do independent contracting and met Jeff.
That’s when I started seeing the implementation of this (POL) technology. For me, it was an epiphany. I said, ‘Oh my gosh, this is a no-brainer.’ We could save so much cost on equipment and space alone that anybody who was a bean counter could see that the compounding savings was unreal.
There were environmental benefits, too. Fiber optics require less power, real estate and HVAC – less of a carbon footprint if you will.
How would you summarize the services your company offers? Van Horne: Traditionally fiber optics have been used outside (buildings), but we’re using fiber-optic cable inside for computers and wireless devices, security cameras and all the different communication systems. Essentially we design and install a fiber-optic superhighway that everything can run on.
White: One of the biggest advantages is we have a single infrastructure in our buildings. We collapse all the other subsystems and integrate them into a single system. Traditionally you would have a data network, a separate Wi-Fi network and TV network that all run on their own infrastructure.
Was there a moment when you saw that your vision for UberData was going to work? Van Horne: The one we talk about the most was the LeVeque (project). It was not our biggest project, but early on it probably was our most significant. It was our hometown, and that (building) is an icon in this city. We saw the project come up in the news and thought it would be great if we could get in. It was almost like a dream.
It was a long project, but when we got done with it, it was like, ‘Yes, we’ve made it.’ It wasn’t that much more difficult (than earlier projects), but what it represented.
What was your biggest challenge in the LeVeque project? White: We ran into a lot of obstacles with the existing infrastructure. It’s considered an historic building – there are a lot of copper busts and other interesting stuff. There were issues with penetration through walls and running fiber-optic cable while keeping the (building’s) historic integrity.
How do you set yourself apart from your competitors? White: It’s customer service for me. That was one of the biggest things we kept running into (as contractors). I saw ... there weren’t a lot of individuals who had the crossover knowledge we did and understood the full gamut of the technology. They didn’t have an individual who would be able to span the gap – individual contractors would go to up their area of responsibility and stop right there.
The difference is we go the extra mile and kind of volunteer because we know what it takes for things to go right.
Where do you want the company to be in a year or two? Van Horne: We would love to do a lot more work in Ohio and make this our most active state. (In that regard), we have been having a lot of success with Ohio K-12 schools. We’ve been working on that for a few years and introducing the technology to the state of Ohio.
So you’re doing for schools what you do for Marriott and other companies? Van Horne: Yes, the whole school has fiber-optic cable. The state considered it a good proof of concept. We now have several more school projects and see that as an area where we will have a lot of growth for the next few years.
But this technology is applicable in just about any market space.
How do you feel about UberData being at this stage of growth and development? White: I feel grateful and humble. ... I’m more than ecstatic just as long as we continue to grow. I don’t have too many crazy expectations, but I do have dreams and wants. For me, this has been absolutely the right decision. We are building a real technology company that is nationwide.
Jeff Bell is a freelance writer.
UBERDATA NETWORKS
Their Columbus-based company, launched in 2013, designs and installs fiber-optic networks with a focus on corporate offices, hotels, university and K-12 buildings, and manufacturing facilities.
Called "passive optical local area networks" (POL in industry parlance), they are designed to provide faster, more efficient, scalable and adaptable networks than ones with traditional copper cabling and Ethernet switches.
Van Horne has more than 15 years of experience in developing passive optical networks, including with Dallas-based Tellabs. There he played a key role in launching the company’s POL product portfolio.
Much of White’s experience has centered on network engineering and management, starting in the Air Force and then in the civilian world with BlueMile Inc., Cardinal Health and Time Warner Cable.
Their approach is working. UberData is one of the select companies certified by the Marriott International hotel chain to install fiber-to-the-room networks in its properties. That includes the network at Hotel LeVeque in Columbus’ iconic LeVeque Tower. UberData installations have also included the new T. Marzetti Co. headquarters in Westerville, the SK Food Group plant in Groveport and a fiber-optic network pilot at an elementary school in Fostoria, Ohio. Overall the company has clients in about a dozen states.
Van Horne and White recently sat with Columbus Business First for this interview, which has been edited for brevity and clarity.
What was it like to launch the company? Van Horne: It was a big challenge. We started in our basements with two cell phones and two laptops. It’s been a great ride ever since.
White: Our first office was in the Westerville library. You’re only allowed to sit in the conference rooms for so long. We’d get kicked out of one, find a new one and then get kicked out of there, too. But everybody there was cool was us.
What convinced you that starting UberData was the way to go in your careers? Van Horne: I started my first high-tech company in 1996, and Tellabs bought us in 1998 for all these technologies that eventually turned into the fiber-optic technology we’re using now. I was with (Tellabs) for a long time as a design engineer and in marketing and business development.
The (passive fiber-optic) technology was definitely there, and I wanted to get out of working for the equipment manufacturer to actually using the technology to help companies implement it. That’s when I started consulting and met Jon.
White: I started in the military, doing technology and understanding systems networking on a very large scale. I ran everything from operations to logistics. ... In the civilian sector I was a global IT manager at Cardinal Health, and then I changed jobs to Time Warner Cable (as a network engineering optical manager). Then I started to do independent contracting and met Jeff.
That’s when I started seeing the implementation of this (POL) technology. For me, it was an epiphany. I said, ‘Oh my gosh, this is a no-brainer.’ We could save so much cost on equipment and space alone that anybody who was a bean counter could see that the compounding savings was unreal.
There were environmental benefits, too. Fiber optics require less power, real estate and HVAC – less of a carbon footprint if you will.
How would you summarize the services your company offers? Van Horne: Traditionally fiber optics have been used outside (buildings), but we’re using fiber-optic cable inside for computers and wireless devices, security cameras and all the different communication systems. Essentially we design and install a fiber-optic superhighway that everything can run on.
White: One of the biggest advantages is we have a single infrastructure in our buildings. We collapse all the other subsystems and integrate them into a single system. Traditionally you would have a data network, a separate Wi-Fi network and TV network that all run on their own infrastructure.
Was there a moment when you saw that your vision for UberData was going to work? Van Horne: The one we talk about the most was the LeVeque (project). It was not our biggest project, but early on it probably was our most significant. It was our hometown, and that (building) is an icon in this city. We saw the project come up in the news and thought it would be great if we could get in. It was almost like a dream.
It was a long project, but when we got done with it, it was like, ‘Yes, we’ve made it.’ It wasn’t that much more difficult (than earlier projects), but what it represented.
What was your biggest challenge in the LeVeque project? White: We ran into a lot of obstacles with the existing infrastructure. It’s considered an historic building – there are a lot of copper busts and other interesting stuff. There were issues with penetration through walls and running fiber-optic cable while keeping the (building’s) historic integrity.
How do you set yourself apart from your competitors? White: It’s customer service for me. That was one of the biggest things we kept running into (as contractors). I saw ... there weren’t a lot of individuals who had the crossover knowledge we did and understood the full gamut of the technology. They didn’t have an individual who would be able to span the gap – individual contractors would go to up their area of responsibility and stop right there.
The difference is we go the extra mile and kind of volunteer because we know what it takes for things to go right.
Where do you want the company to be in a year or two? Van Horne: We would love to do a lot more work in Ohio and make this our most active state. (In that regard), we have been having a lot of success with Ohio K-12 schools. We’ve been working on that for a few years and introducing the technology to the state of Ohio.
So you’re doing for schools what you do for Marriott and other companies? Van Horne: Yes, the whole school has fiber-optic cable. The state considered it a good proof of concept. We now have several more school projects and see that as an area where we will have a lot of growth for the next few years.
But this technology is applicable in just about any market space.
How do you feel about UberData being at this stage of growth and development? White: I feel grateful and humble. ... I’m more than ecstatic just as long as we continue to grow. I don’t have too many crazy expectations, but I do have dreams and wants. For me, this has been absolutely the right decision. We are building a real technology company that is nationwide.
Jeff Bell is a freelance writer.
UBERDATA NETWORKS
- Business: Designs and installs integrated passive optical local area networks in buildings, hotels, schools and manufacturing facilities.
- Based: Columbus
- Founders: Jeff Van Horne, Jon White
- Employees: 14
- Founded: 2013