Case Study: Lightstream
Building Rural Connectivity Through a Trusted Construction Partnership
How ElectriCom helped LightStream expand its fiber network, reduce oversight costs, and connect more rural Indiana customers
Customer Profile
Customer
LightStream
Location
Northwest Indiana
Description
Rural telecommunications cooperative and fiber broadband provider
Relationship
Brent Gillum
Length of relationship
Multi Decade
Services Provided
- Fiber-optic infrastructure construction
- Remote communications facility construction support
- Fiber-to-the-home deployment
- Community and stakeholder coordination
- Ongoing construction and emergency support
At a Glance
- Relationship spanning more than a decade
- Initial fiber connections built to two regional hospitals
- Gigabit fiber service established in Winamac and Monticello
- Fiber-to-the-home deployed throughout LightStream’s cooperative territory
- Engineering oversight savings estimated in the hundreds of thousands of dollars
- Savings reinvested into additional fiber construction and customer connections
The Challenge
Meeting the Future of Connectivity
LightStream has served rural communities in northwest Indiana for more than 70 years. When Brent Gillum joined the organization in 2007, its services were still largely delivered over traditional copper infrastructure.
Around 2010, LightStream received grant funding to connect hospitals in Winamac and Monticello to statewide networks. The project would give the hospitals a faster, more reliable way to exchange critical information, including medical images and other time-sensitive data.
However, LightStream saw an opportunity that extended beyond the two hospital connections. Rather than constructing isolated fiber routes, the organization wanted to establish infrastructure that could support broader fiber deployment throughout both communities.
At the time, high-speed internet was still commonly viewed as a convenience rather than essential infrastructure. LightStream needed to communicate the network’s long-term value to mayors, county officials, utility departments, and other local stakeholders while simultaneously executing a technically demanding construction program.
“Back in 2010, people felt internet services were a luxury and not necessarily a necessity. We were trying to articulate and forecast the future—the speeds, capabilities, technology and reliability, and the value that fiber would bring to each community.”
— Brent Gillum
The Solution
Strategic Infrastructure & Relationship-Driven Development
LightStream partnered with ElectriCom to construct the fiber infrastructure connecting the two hospitals. Because of the distance between LightStream’s existing central offices and the communities being served, the project required remote communications facilities in both towns.
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ElectriCom assisted with the construction of these facilities, which were strategically located so LightStream could extend fiber outward into Winamac and Monticello. That approach transformed the project from two individual connections into the foundation for community-wide networks.
ElectriCom also helped LightStream navigate the relationship-driven nature of rural infrastructure development. ElectriCom representatives participated in meetings with mayors, county commissioners, highway departments, street departments, and water and sewer officials. Local leaders had direct access to the ElectriCom supervisors responsible for the work.
“Instead of building a single fiber to each hospital, we decided to overbuild those towns with much-needed high-speed fiber-optic connectivity.”
— Brent Gillum
“ElectriCom was at every seat, at every one of those meetings and at every table... They deserve as much credit for helping build those relationships as we do.”
— Brent Gillum
Deepening Ties
An Evolving Partnership
The initial hospital project began a relationship that continued as LightStream expanded its network. ElectriCom subsequently helped construct fiber-to-the-home throughout LightStream’s cooperative territory, ensuring its member-owners could access the same modern connectivity being introduced in nearby communities.
Over the years, fiber types, construction equipment, locating requirements, engineering standards, and customer expectations continued to evolve. According to Gillum, ElectriCom’s ability to learn LightStream’s requirements and adapt its construction practices has remained a consistent strength.
“ElectriCom is willing to go down that journey with us and say, ‘Let’s do this together,’” he said. “It truly feels like a trusted partnership.”
— Brent Gillum
That trust is reinforced by transparency and accountability. Gillum acknowledged that unexpected conditions and mistakes are unavoidable in construction. The difference, he said, is how ElectriCom responds.
“They have always been supportive and responsive,” Gillum said. “There is accountability and ownership. If an issue happens, they say, ‘You’re right. We’ll make this right.’ That is a true asset and what brings me back to ElectriCom without really looking anywhere else.”
— Brent Gillum
Efficiency & Impact
Reduced Oversight and Reinvesting in the Network
One of the partnership’s most significant benefits is the level of trust LightStream places in ElectriCom’s field execution.
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Engineering firms often recommend placing a dedicated engineer onsite to monitor construction and confirm compliance with the network owner’s specifications. Because ElectriCom understands LightStream’s standards and has demonstrated that it can meet them consistently, LightStream no longer believes that level of oversight is necessary for ElectriCom’s work.
“I have full faith that ElectriCom doesn’t need that babysitter. It allows me to save hundreds of thousands of dollars in engineering costs.”
— Brent Gillum
Rather than spending those funds on unnecessary supervision, LightStream can invest them directly into network expansion.
“Those savings translate into more fiber in the ground, more connected customers and better service for a very rural part of Indiana.”
— Brent Gillum
The Results
Outcomes Extending Well Beyond the Original Hospital Connections
- Hospitals gained reliable fiber connections to statewide networks.
- Remote facilities created strategic foundations for broader community deployment.
- Winamac and Monticello received gigabit-capable fiber service.
- LightStream’s cooperative territory was upgraded from copper-based DSL to fiber-to-the-home.
- Reduced engineering oversight saved LightStream an estimated hundreds of thousands of dollars.
- Those savings could be reinvested into additional infrastructure and customer connections.
- ElectriCom helped LightStream establish trusted relationships with community officials and local departments.
- LightStream gained a responsive construction partner capable of supporting routine construction, future expansion, and urgent network needs.
The value of LightStream’s early investment became especially clear during the COVID-19 pandemic. Networks constructed years earlier were already supporting the remote work, virtual education, healthcare access, and digital communication that rural customers suddenly depended on.
“Had we waited, we would have been scrambling. By then, it would have been too late.”
— Brent Gillum
The Recommendation
A Partner That Checks Every Box
For Gillum, ElectriCom’s value comes down to three qualities: expertise, accountability, and responsiveness. He knows that when LightStream needs support—from routine construction to a major outage—he can reach ElectriCom personnel throughout the organization and receive a timely response.
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“I need their support and expertise, and I know they are the experts. I also know they are accountable and responsive. Those three things create a perfect pyramid for me. They check every box.”
— Brent Gillum
“Any organization would be very fortunate to have ElectriCom do anything for them.”
— Brent Gillum
Closing
Lasting Community Infrastructure
What began as a project connecting two hospitals has grown into a long-term partnership supporting LightStream’s broader mission: bringing reliable, high-speed connectivity to rural Indiana.
By learning LightStream’s standards, adapting to its needs, communicating openly, and standing behind its work, ElectriCom has helped turn construction spending into lasting community infrastructure—and given LightStream the confidence to keep expanding.
