C SPIRE EXECUTIVE NAMED 2014 “MISSISSIPPIAN OF THE YEAR” FOR TECHNOLOGY ADVOCACY AND PROMOTING A POSITIVE, HIGH-TECH IMAGE FOR MAGNOLIA STATE

President and CEO Hu Meena honored by Association of Information Technology Professionals for telecommunication company’s cloud services and Gigabit broadband technology initiatives

Hu Meena, president and CEO of Mississippi-based C Spire, was honored Thursday night by the Jackson chapter of the Association of Information Technology Professionals for his technology leadership and advocacy in the Magnolia state.

Meena received the 2014 “Mississippian of the Year” award during the industry group’s annual meeting for his efforts to promote technology improvements and advancements in the state, including launch of the company’s cloud services and Gigabit Internet technology initiatives. Past winners have included former Governor William Winter and the late Dr. Arthur C. Guyton, dean of the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

”Not only has he been a technology champion for consumers and businesses, but Hu truly cares about the future of Mississippi and wants to change the narrative on how we are regarded by the nation and the world,” said Jamey Young, president of the AITP Jackson chapter. “He’s a true, visionary leader.”

AITP cited Meena’s leadership in building the company’s wireless operations into the sixth largest mobile communications provider in the U.S. and his efforts in launching the nation’s only statewide 1 Gbps (Gigabit per second) Fiber to the Home initiative in Mississippi.

In just over a year, C Spire has turned up commercial broadband service in three Mississippi cities (Quitman, Ridgeland and Starkville), offering 100 times faster Internet access, super HD television and home phone services. The company has qualified two other cities (Clinton and Corinth) and is actively working with leaders in a sixth city (Jackson) to pre-register residents for the next-generation services.

Meena also has been instrumental in building C Spire into a diversified telecommunications and technology services company in recent years, successfully overseeing the launch of several new lines of business, including unified cloud services through a $23 million state-of-the-art commercial data center.

“In the right hands, technology can help boost the state’s economic future, create new jobs and improve the quality of life for everyone,” Young said. “We’re fortunate that we have companies like C Spire with leaders like Hu Meena who want to make a difference now and for future generations.”

In accepting the award, Meena thanked C Spire’s 1,450 employees for their passion, dedication and hard work in helping the company use technology and innovation to move Mississippi forward. “We employ some of the best and brightest people in the world and I’m fortunate to work alongside them every day,” he said.

For more information about AITP, go to www.aitpjackson.org.

For more information about C Spire, go to www.cspire.com.