PRINCE RUPERT – CityWest has presented its sole shareholder, the City of Prince Rupert, with a $700,000 distribution payment, an increase of $100,000 from the previous year.
“Our team has worked hard in these extraordinary times to bring an excellent experience to our customers,” said Stefan Woloszyn, CEO of CityWest. “It is because of their efforts that CityWest continues to do well financially, which has enabled us to provide this distribution payment to our shareholder.”
Like many companies over the past year, CityWest has altered its operations to ensure the safety of its staff and customers during the COVID-19 pandemic. “This has put a lot of stress on everyone, and I’m personally proud about how well our staff and our customers have adapted to these quickly-changing circumstances,” said Woloszyn.
CityWest has also continued to expand in Northern B.C., adding more customers in the Bulkley Valley. It also purchased Evolve Communications, a wireless Internet service provider based in Vanderhoof, which will add new products to the company’s portfolio for rural and underserved areas.
“We are grateful for CityWest staff and leadership for navigating the challenges that have been thrown at all of us in 2020,” said Bob Long, Chair of the Board for CityWest. “They continue to gather strength as a regional communications company, servicing communities as far as the Bulkley Valley and employing over 80 people throughout our region. As a homegrown Prince Rupert company, we think that’s something we can all be proud of.”
Looking forward to 2021, CityWest plans to continue its expansion into the Vanderhoof and Kitwanga markets. And, the company will be developing some great new products to help customers manage their home Internet networks with ease.
Since it spun out into a corporation in 2005, CityWest has provided the City of Prince Rupert with $8.8 million in dividends and distribution payments, as well as over $2.1 million in local taxes and levies.