The final details around the cost of the transaction or potential impact on future management structure were not disclosed but when first announced, Grain MD Michael mckenzie, stated the firm’s intention to “densify and expand Hunter's footprint and advance its position as a leading regional connectivity provider”. Invested funds are intended to support “the strategic development of Hunter and its high quality, 2,011-mile fibre network” and take the company into its next growth phase.
Hunter Communications founder and CEO Richard Ryan said: “Hunter Communications is ideally positioned to further penetrate a growing fibre market with the backing of our new partners at Grain, who bring decades of communications industry expertise. This partnership is proof of the progress the Hunter team has made, establishing itself as an industry leader, servicing our customers for over 25 years. Our team is looking forward to the further expansion of our network as we continually improve the quality of our customer experience.”
Hunter, a regional bandwidth infrastructure provider in southern Oregon and northern California, provides high bandwidth data and voice services to businesses and homes in both states, and owns and operates one of the largest private fibre optic networks in Oregon, with more than 2,000 route miles.
With a focus on mobile data traffic and broadband infrastructure, Grain Management has completed 80 transactions since it was founded in 2007, managing $2 billion across six investment vehicles.