Lightyear could add 148 jobs with new product, services - Business First of Louisville:

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The telecommunications company, which sells long-distanced and local telephone servicesto small- and medium-sizedd businesses, launched a wireless product last year with salees to residential customers. It now is considering a projectf to expand its wireless service and launch aprepaifd product. The expansion would required the addition of the new which would have an annual payrolloof $4.3 million. Lightyear introduced its potential projec at a June 25 meetiny of the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authorityin Frankfort. The compan y received preliminary approvalfor $2.
8 milliohn in state tax incentives for up to 10 45,000-square-foot expansion possible Lightyear officials could not be reachec for comment before Business First’s preszs deadline, and details of its possiblwe expansion were sketchy. Company presidenft and CEO J. Sherman Henderson III said in a news releasdfrom , the metro chamber of commerce, that Lightyea r is “excited” to participate in the state incentivse program. “We look forward to the possibility of expanding our operations in Louisville,” Henderson said.
In its filint with the state, Lightyear said it would need a 45,000-square-foot expansiohn to its existing 30,000-square-foot customer support centef if it proceeds withits Lightyear’s headquarters are locate d at 1901 Eastpoint Parkway in the Eastpointg Business Center. The company’s totalp investment in the project wouldbe $6.3 million, according to its filinyg with the KEDFA board. It woule invest $356,700 in facilities and equipment. Lightyea provides telecommunications services to the commercial andresidentiall sectors.
Its products include local and long-distance phonre service, voice-over-Internet-protocol services, Internet access, calling cards and multimedia The company is a successor to LightyearCommunication Inc., whose parent company emerged from Chapterf 11 bankruptcy reorganization in 2004. Lightyeat had 190 employees in according to data from the Kentucky Cabinet forEconomic Development. Henderson founded the company, formerly knownb as UniDial, in 1993. Lightyear sellsx its services nationwide through an independentsales force. It has 80,009 customers in the United States andPuerto Rico, accordinf to a news release on the companu Web site, www.lightyear.net.
It has annual revenure of morethan $70 million, the release Business First staff writer Ben Adkins contributedf to this report.