Tibs wins cabling contract for Ga. sports & entertainment arena

Tibs to install high tech communications for Gwinnett’s new $90 million arena & ballroom

        ATLANTA, July 24, 2002 – Tibs Group™, Inc., a single-source provider of electrical, utility, and technology services and solutions, announced today that the Gwinnett Civic & Cultural Center had awarded the company a major contract to install the cabling and fiber optic infrastructure for the telecommunications and data systems throughout the Center’s new $90 million arena and ballroom addition.

As part of the contract, Tibs will install thousands of feet of voice, data and backbone cabling in the Center’s new 11,000 plus seat arena; voice and data cabling in a 21,000 ft. ballroom; fiber optic cabling and intra-building backbone cabling for a renovated office area; and lightning protection for the main communications room as well as other cabling and electrical projects.

Tibs was selected for this massive project because of their design ability and quality assurance as well as reputation in the industry, according to Susan Bridges of Bridges TeleTec of Georgia, the consulting company coordinating the technology projects for the Civic Center’s new construction.

One reason that Tibs was awarded the contract, according to Bridges, is that “Tibs looked at the Center’s original design for cabling and came back with a more solid solution.” For example, the original design plan called for 12 voice and data closets, she said, but “with Tibs’ expert engineering, we collaborated to reduce that number to four.”

“Helping build one of the largest renovations undertaken in Gwinnett is exciting for Tibs, because we have a long tradition of being part of Gwinnett’s growth,” said Mark Tibbetts, CEO of the 30 year old Suwanee, Ga., company. Most recently, Tibs worked on electrical and technical projects for the newly-constructed Gwinnett Chamber building and the Gwinnett University Center.

Tibs starts work immediately on cabling the new ballroom addition as well as the current building where Tibs technicians will integrate new cabling with the Center’s existing cabling infrastructure, according to Tibs Senior Engineer Andrew Petkas. Tibs’ work on the arena is set to begin at a later date, he added.

Scheduled to open in spring 2003, the newly remodeled Gwinnett Civic & Cultural Center will be home to Gwinnett’s new minor league hockey team which will play in the center’s 310,000 square foot arena designed to hold 11,000 hockey fans or over 13,000 concert goers.  The arena will also house 38 corporate suites, team locker rooms, and media facilities. The Civic Center itself will be enlarged with the addition of more meeting rooms and the 21,000 feet of ballroom space. Once completed, the Civic Center is expected to host more than 800 events each year.

About Tibs Group

Founded in 1971 as an electrical services company, Tibs Group, Inc. (www.tibsgroup.com) expanded its offerings to include power quality, utility services, and technology solutions. One of the Southeast’s premier providers of technology and electrical services to commercial, industrial and utility companies, Tibs includes among its customers ADP, BellSouth, the Bank of America, Centers for Disease Control, Chick-fil-A, Delta Airlines, Emory University, Georgia Tech, and SAFECO Insurance. Tibs, with approximately 100 employees, is located at 3435 Martin Farm Road in Suwanee. For more information, call 678-546-6400.