In 1977, Jon Westbrook and George East worked out of their homes pouring concrete for driveways and sidewalks around Oldham County, Kentucky. Now, almost 50 years later, East & Westbrook Construction has evolved into an award-winning enterprise spanning three business divisions and four states.
What has been one of the biggest game changers for their business? Increased connectivity, delivered through high-speed broadband access.
When AT&T completed an AT&T Fiber® buildout in Oldham County, it brought high-speed internet to more than 20,000 customer locations. For East & Westbrook Construction, this meant greater efficiency, better communication and more seamless collaboration across their office locations.
Paul Westbrook grew up in the family business. As his own role in the company grew over the years, he saw firsthand how broadband opened the door for new business opportunities. According to Paul, “[broadband] allowed us to grow into other markets. We now have satellite offices in West Virginia, Florida and Tennessee. And none of that would’ve been possible just as far back as 10 years ago.” High-speed internet gave East & Westbrook Construction the tools they need to keep up in their fast-paced industry and communicate with clients nationwide.
AT&T broadband has enabled other businesses like Paul’s to grow and thrive while staying local. Historically, Oldham County was considered a “bedroom community” of mostly farmland; residents would commute to other surrounding areas to work and would come home to sleep. “Now all that work is coming back here,” said Paul. “Giving that connectivity to this community, it’s allowing all of those businesses to stay local because now they’re not having to go to other areas to get that connectivity experience.”
Recent studies suggest the social and economic returns on investments in broadband are significant. Researchers at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond have found increasing access to and usage of broadband infrastructure leads to higher property values, expanded job and population growth, higher rates of new business formation, and lower unemployment rates.
Creating connection is at the heart of everything we do at AT&T, and our work in Oldham County is just one example of how we are investing in the future of America’s connectivity needs.
Broadband is more than just a convenience—it’s the backbone of America’s innovation economy, allowing local communities like Paul’s to be a part of the bigger picture.
1 “Total locations” includes consumer and business locations (i) passed with fiber and (ii) served with fiber through commercial open-access providers.
2 Represents total Capital Investment, on a consolidated basis, including acquisitions of spectrum from 2020-2024. The years ended December 31, 2021 through 2024 present results from continuing operations, and the year ended December 31, 2020 includes comparable adjustments to remove capital expenditures from discontinued operations.
