When reliability meets affordability, small businesses thrive

An unexpected crisis struck Office Ours just three days after opening their Garner location. The co-working provider's internet went down for 36 hours, leaving their new tenants stranded without connectivity.

"Here we are, a day into the outage, and we still can't get anyone from our internet provider to tell us when it'll be fixed," recalls Ryan Rangel, Office Ours founder and president. "We had maybe 10 people who had just moved in and were paying us rent to provide them a good office environment. I called continuously for all 36 hours and for the whole outage no one could tell me when it would come back online."

That moment made it clear: for small business owners, internet connectivity isn't just a service, it's the lifeline that keeps operations running smoothly. That lifeline needed to be stronger than ever to support 150+ businesses – ranging from massage therapists to counselors to IT startups – across four Raleigh-area locations and one in nearby Sanford, North Carolina.

Office Ours tried two different internet service providers before GFiber. Desiring more reliability, Ryan didn't hesitate to make the switch to GFiber once service was available in Raleigh. The switch brought immediate benefits that went far beyond speed to Office Ours’ four Raleigh-area locations. 

GFiber was a game-changer from the very start, at installation. GFiber didn't just provide one connection per building; they installed individual ports for each office suite, creating all-new flexibility for tenants.

This infrastructure upgrade opened new possibilities for Office Ours' diverse tenant base. Previously, they lost a promising tech startup that needed robust upload speeds for nightly server backups, something their previous service couldn't handle with its limited 20 megabit per second upload capacity.

This flexibility has become a powerful sales tool. "When I'm doing tours and I mention GFiber, people light up a little bit more," Office Ours vice president for sales and marketing Amy Brewer notes.

Beyond the technical capabilities, GFiber's monitoring and support system has impressed the Office Ours team.

"GFiber tells you you're down before you even notice it yourself," Ryan says. "Sometimes they'll have it fixed before you even notice it went down."

The reliability difference is stark. While their previous provider required monthly service calls across their five locations, Ryan can't remember the last time a GFiber technician needed to visit.

Office Ours serves approximately 90-plus businesses with physical offices and 150 total customers including virtual office clients. The company's growth ambitions are equally impressive. They're planning to start the process of doubling in size in 2026, with GFiber expected to be their first call for any new Wake County locations.

"The way any business scales is you have to have the same service at every location," Ryan explains. "Having GFiber as our constant across Wake County locations gives us that consistency."

What sets GFiber apart in the business market isn't just the technology, Ryan shares. It's the approach. While other fiber providers require long-term contracts, GFiber offers month-to-month service even for multi-location businesses like Office Ours.

"GFiber is the most reasonably priced, and you're the only one that doesn't make us sign contracts," he emphasizes. "We’re set up at four locations and don’t require more than month-to-month service."

The Bottom Line for Small Business
For small business owners considering their connectivity options, Ryan’s advice is simple: "It's really about reliability. The moment we moved to GFiber, all those intermittent connectivity issues disappeared."

Office Ours' story demonstrates how the right internet infrastructure can impact not just day-to-day operations, it also supports long-term growth potential. By providing reliable, scalable connectivity without restrictive contracts, GFiber enables small businesses to focus on what they do best: serving their customers and growing their operations.

Posted by Michael Cole, GFiber Head of Sales, East Region.