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Long time, no see...

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Hey Mac-Forums Community-

Many of you have asked me where I disappeared off to...well the truth is a lot has happened for me in the past month or so. As many of you know I was a YouthPastor, which was my full time occupation. I had been pondering the thought for a while of going back to school to obtain my Bachelors, and really felt a "release" from the church I was serving at.

So after much prayer/thought...I'm going back to school to obtain my Bachelor's in Information Systems with a minor in Web Management. While going to school online I resigned from my Youth Pastor position and took a job with Alltel as a Wireless Sales Consultant. I have been there for about a month, love the job...and they tell us our jobs are going to be safe even with the merger with Verizon. Which is good...because the money is great...and I'd hate to go job searching again :)

Anyways, just wanted to let you know why I've been sorta absent here lately. Thanks for those who checked in with me.

Take it easy,

youthpastor
 

dtravis7


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Welcome back and thanks for the Heads up. I was wondering where you were also. Hope it all works out for the best for you!
 
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Thanks dtravis7! I think everything is going to go great for me. Like I said, working for Alltel has been really great here lately. And I think the merger is really going to be an asset to those in the sales positions.

I'm just waiting around now waiting for the newly redesigned MBP so I can get my hands on one. Don't have an inside scoop when they will be here do you? :)
 

cwa107


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I'm just waiting around now waiting for the newly redesigned MBP so I can get my hands on one. Don't have an inside scoop when they will be here do you? :)

Welcome back, glad to hear you've gotten things sorted out. Good luck with school.

As far as the MBP goes, my understanding is that the next Intel chipset (Montevina) is delayed and will likely push back any updates to the MBP. I have no reason to believe a redesign is in progress (other than a few vague rumors, but they've been floating around for a very long time now).
 
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Glad to see you back, YP. Missed your posts! :)

I didn't know VZ was merging with Alltel. That's a bit sad to me, because I really like Alltel's business ethic and I hear VZ doesn't treat workers overly well.

I have no idea when a new MBP will come around, as I am currently stuck around 3 years ago when my PB was the latest and greatest :D
 
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Dang you, slow internet. Double post. My ramblings are ^^^ up there!


^_^ (both a smiley and pointing to where my post is)

2000 posts
 
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VERIZON IS MERGING WITH ALLTEL!?

I love how not even a month after we sign an AT&T contract, the dominant and best carrier in my area decides to merge with the only carrier who gets service in the whole upper peninsula of Michigan, where I visit.

That's crazy though!
It's going to be like a SUPERNETWORK!
I wish all the phone companies would just work together to get the best coverage to the people.
I mean, it would be awesome to have like 1 or 2 phone companies, without the whole monopoly part of it.

It's annoying how AT&T gets like zero service at my house, but it has GREAT service everywhere else.

The coverage of Verizon+The customer service and great deals of Alltel+ The hip, edgy phone styles AT&T+ The Direct Connect of Nextel = An AMAZING network!


I figured out the equation to bring peace to the world. :p
What's the odds of that EVER happening lol....


anyway, welcome back! Hope life is well!
 
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For those who did not know about the Alltel/Verizon Wireless meger...here is a copy of the email they sent out to all Alltel employees:

06/05/2008

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., and LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Verizon Wireless has entered into an agreement with Alltel Corporation and Atlantis Holdings LLC, an affiliate of private investment firm TPG Capital and GS Capital Partners, to acquire Alltel Corporation in a cash merger. Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD).

Under the terms of the agreement, Verizon Wireless will acquire the equity of Alltel for approximately $5.9 billion. Based on Alltel’s projected net debt at closing of $22.2 billion, the aggregate value of the transaction is $28.1 billion.

The parties are targeting completion of the merger by the end of the year, subject to obtaining regulatory approvals.

Once this transaction closes, customers of both companies will have access to an expanded range of products and services, including a premier lineup of basic and advanced devices and an expanded IN Network calling community. Alltel customers also will benefit from advanced services including over-the-air downloadable music from a three-million-song library, and a network that is nationwide, for a uniform coast-to-coast experience. They also will be able to take advantage of industry-leading consumer policies, including Test Drive and Worry Free Guarantee®.

“This move will create an enhanced platform of network coverage, spectrum and customer care to better serve the growing needs of both Alltel and Verizon Wireless customers for reliable basic and advanced broadband wireless services,” said Lowell McAdam, Verizon Wireless president and chief executive officer.

Alltel serves more than 13 million customers in markets in 34 states. This includes 57 primarily rural markets that Verizon Wireless does not serve. The transaction puts the Alltel markets and customers on a path to advanced 4th generation services as Verizon Wireless deploys LTE technology throughout its network over the next several years. Alltel’s customers also will reap the benefits of Verizon Wireless’ Open Development initiative, which welcomes third-party devices and services to use the Verizon Wireless network.

Verizon Communications, the owner of the majority stake in Verizon Wireless, expects that the transaction will be immediately accretive, excluding transaction and integration costs. “This is a perfect fit, with Alltel’s high-value post-paid customer base, its solid financials, our common network technology, and significant, readily attainable synergies,” said Ivan Seidenberg, Verizon chief executive officer and chairman of the Verizon board. “Verizon Wireless’ acquisition of Alltel clearly provides opportunities for enhanced value for Verizon shareholders.”

Alltel President and Chief Executive Officer Scott Ford will continue in his current position as head of Alltel until the merger is completed.

“Both Alltel and Verizon Wireless have long track records of delivering a high-quality customer experience in the marketplace,” Ford said. “The combination of our two companies will continue and improve upon that heritage as, together, we can more quickly deliver an expanded range of innovative products and services to our customers.”

Verizon Wireless expects to realize synergies with a net present value, after integration costs, of more than $9 billion driven by reduced capital and operating expense savings. Synergies are expected to generate incremental cost savings of $1 billion in the second year after closing.

Alltel and Verizon Wireless both use a common network technology, which provides advantages of a seamless transition for Alltel customers, ease in integrating the two companies’ networks, and scale efficiencies in operating the larger integrated network.

Morgan Stanley acted as financial advisor to Verizon Wireless on this transaction and is providing bridge financing. Debevoise & Plimpton LLP acted as legal advisor to Verizon Wireless.

Citibank, Goldman Sachs and RBS advised the sellers on the transaction. Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz acted as legal advisor to Alltel, and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP and Ropes & Gray LLP acted as legal advisors to the sellers.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s most reliable wireless voice and data network, serving 67.2 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 69,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). For more information, go to: www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

About Alltel
Alltel delivers voice and advanced data services nationwide to more than 13 million customers. Headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas. Alltel is a Forbes 500 company with annual revenues of nearly $9 billion.

About TPG Capital
TPG Capital is the global buyout group of TPG, a leading private investment firm founded in 1992 with more than $50 billion of assets under management and offices in San Francisco, London, Hong Kong, New York, Minneapolis, Fort Worth, Menlo Park, Washington, D.C., Melbourne, Moscow, Mumbai, Paris, Luxembourg, Beijing, Shanghai, Singapore and Tokyo. TPG Capital has extensive experience with global public and private investments executed through leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations, spinouts, joint ventures and restructurings. TPG Capital’s investments span a variety of industries including media and communications, financial services, travel and entertainment, technology, industrials, retail, consumer and healthcare. Please visit www.tpg.com.

About GS Capital Partners
Since 1986, Goldman Sachs has raised fourteen private equity and mezzanine investment funds aggregating $69 billion of capital and leverage commitments. GS Capital Partners is the private equity vehicle through which The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. conducts its privately negotiated corporate equity investment activities. GS Capital Partners is currently investing its GS Capital Partners VI fund. GS Capital Partners is a global private equity group with a focus on large, sophisticated business opportunities in which value can be created through leveraging the resources of Goldman Sachs.

NOTE: This news release contains statements about expected future events and financial results that are forward-looking and subject to risks and uncertainties. For those statements, we claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The following important factors could affect future results and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements: materially adverse changes in economic and industry conditions and labor matters, including workforce levels and labor negotiations, and any resulting financial and/or operational impact, in the markets served by us or by companies in which we have substantial investments; material changes in available technology, including disruption of our suppliers' provisioning of critical products or services; the impact of natural or man-made disasters or litigation and any resulting financial impact not covered by insurance; technology substitution; an adverse change in the ratings afforded our debt securities by nationally accredited ratings organizations; the final results of federal and state regulatory proceedings concerning our provision of retail and wholesale services and judicial review of those results; the effects of competition in our markets; the timing, scope and financial impacts of our deployment of fiber-to-the-premises broadband technology; the ability of Verizon Wireless to continue to obtain sufficient spectrum resources; changes in our accounting assumptions that regulatory agencies, including the SEC, may require or that result from changes in the accounting rules or their application, which could result in an impact on earnings; and the ability to complete acquisitions and dispositions.

I personally think this is going to benefit both Alltel/Verizon customers a lot. Who knows? Verizon may even get the iPhone since they will pass AT&T in being the #1 cell phone company.
 
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Welcome back - you were missed! Guess this will be quite a career change for you, won't it?
 
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That sounds like good news to me youthpastor. What online university are you getting your degree from?
 

cwa107


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So, how long until Alltel starts going by the Verizon name?

...and starts using their crappy, feature-depriving OS on all of their phones?
 
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Welcome back YP, and good luck in your scholastic endeavors.
 
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Ah, you caught me.
 
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So, how long until Alltel starts going by the Verizon name?

Well the merger is still in a pending status until the FCC approves the merger. If the FCC approves the merger, we probably see more of a change around January 2009...but they haven't really given us any more details than that. Other than our jobs are safe...which is good :)
 
OP
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Welcome back - you were missed! Guess this will be quite a career change for you, won't it?

It's been some what of a change, but then again not really. I'm still dealing with people and the working environment has been really good. To be honest, I'm not one that likes to be contained in an office and do nothing (which our church did not do a lot of) I just felt it was best to pursue a door that opened and further my education at the same time. I'm 100% sure I'll eventually go back to ministry when that appropriate time comes.

But until then I'll continue to enjoy my job at Alltel.....well Verizon in due season....
 

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