TechBirmingham thrives through its immensely talented and diverse group of member companies. Meet our Member Companies is an ongoing Q&A series highlighting this group of movers, shakers and makers in B’ham’s tech industry.

Meet Brad Stidham, Account Manager of Southern Light. Brad is Southern Light’s first Birmingham employee, and he is currently working to ensure that each business in the area is connected to the best fiber optic network beneath the Mason-Dixon Line. Read on to learn more about Southern Light and the great things they are doing in Alabama and beyond.

Hi Brad! Let’s get started — Tell us more about Southern Light.

Southern Light designs, builds and operates fiber optic networks. Basically, we establish really high speed, reliable connections between locations. We serve wireless carriers, government entities, and enterprise customers, such as banks, hospitals, and non-profits.

You recently expanded to Birmingham. What is the reason for the expansion?

Our expansion is always demand driven. Thankfully, Birmingham is exploding, which means there is a tremendous amount of demand among all customer segments. We have been blown away by our reception in Birmingham, which has resulted in us allocating additional resources to the area.

What are your thoughts on Birmingham’s tech scene?

We’ve been super impressed with the tech scene in Birmingham. We attended the first annual Sloss Tech event, and the energy was unbelievable. The work being done by Innovation Depot, TechBirmingham and others is creating a vibrant, sustainable tech community. Both public and private efforts have been impressive, and that’s one of the reasons we have wanted to be in this market. Our goal is to be a strong partner in the already vibrant tech community.

What exciting news or service/project announcements does Southern Light have on the horizon?

We recently won the Birmingham City Schools project, which we are really proud of and excited about. Providing Wide Area Network services for the school system will provide excellent connectivity for the students, teachers, and administrators. It also allows us to become a strategic partner in the forward momentum seen across the city.

Thanks so much for sharing, Brad! 

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