UpLync Communications Named April Small Business of the Month
An entrepreneurial spirit, savvy business sense and grasp of technology spell success for Michael Bristol, founder and chief executive officer of West Lafayette-based UpLync Communications. The VoIP (voice over Internet protocol) system provider that serves businesses and nonprofits now adds "award-winning" to its descriptor as it is named the Greater Lafayette Commerce April Small Business Of the Month.
When it comes to a technology business, an entrepreneur needs to be a step ahead and ready to change.
Just ask Michael "Mike" Bristol, founder and chief executive officer of UpLync Communications (www.uplync.com, 4740 Swisher Road, West Lafayette, 765/421-6072).
A willingness to be flexible and evolve has kept him in business for 20 years-first as a nonprofit that helped land grants for rural Internet access, then as an Internet access provider and later evolving the same company into a VoIP (voice over Internet protocol) system provider.
"Technology kind of chose me," says the Ava, Missouri, native and 2006 business administration and management graduate of Missouri State University. "I was a member of the local chamber in my Missouri community, and there was an opportunity to apply for a grant to bring Internet access to rural parts of Missouri."
He helped with that and was soon learning a lot about the telecommunications industry-and "I learned I'm more of an entrepreneur than a technician"-which led him to launch the precursor to UpLync 20 years ago in Missouri.
Operating Locally Since 2012
He brought the business to West Lafayette four years ago. Today, it employs five-two in sales, three on the technical side-and serves business clients in parts of Indiana, Missouri and Michigan.
This month, UpLync receives the April Small Business of the Month Award, recognizing its success and community involvement.
"UpLync has weathered the hypersonic technology evolution and settled in as a VoIP telecommunications provider focusing on Tier 2 cities and rural areas," Bristol says. "To use a business phone system from UpLync, you simply need a broadband Internet connection and a telephone that supports VoIP."
His business is a facilities-based company, meaning it manages its own infrastructure, the hardware and software.
Clients Like Saving Money, Good Service
High praise comes from several local clients, including two previous Small Business of the Month Award winners.
"The new technology from UpLync offered amazing cost savings," says Kyle Berryman at BBCS Payroll.
Shirley Pence at Stanley Steemer says, "UpLync provided us with a new service to simplify our business needs-automating after-hours call forwarding so we could always provide 24/7 water emergency services."
Community a Great Spot, Bristol Says
For both business and living, Bristol rates Greater Lafayette high.
"It's very vibrant, very successful, and the economy is doing well," he says. "Most business here is transacted person-to-person, so you get to know people more. I really enjoy that this is a close-knit community. It's good for growing a small business when you have that kind of environment."
He's honing those connections even more as a current participant in Leadership Lafayette. In the program, he says, "You see a lot of the community's moving parts and get an understanding of the underpinnings and how things work."
For community involvement, UpLync supports Junior Achievement, nonprofit organizations and local youth sports teams, such as Greater Lafayette Regional Soccer Alliance and the Harrison Youth Football Program.
UpLync staff members frequently attend Greater Lafayette Commerce events.
Bristol lives downtown, where he enjoys quick access to all Lafayette has to offer, especially the cuisine, entertainment and walking trails. The interest he treasures the most is following the activities of the four young ones in his life-a Harrison High School student and baseball player, a Purdue student, a Missouri State student and a member of the U.S. Air Force stationed in Texas.
"In my free time, I like to think about new ventures," he says. "And I like helping other entrepreneurs get started."
