((L-R) Co-owners Josh Richesin and Lamont Boileau | Photo courtesy of kenekt’d)
Lamont Boileau, co-owner of kenekt’d Internet Services, comes from a professional background in the telecom industry. Boileau connected with a network architect named Josh Richardson while selling internet services. Noticing a gap in the market and having a potential solution, the duo founded kenekt’d in 2013.
“Our main offering is commercial WiFi deployment, but we offer phone and voice services as well,” Boileau said. “We really shine when a client needs an out-of-the-box solution.”
The gap the duo noticed was the disconnect between ISPs (Internet Service Provider) and the internet needs of the commercial sector, especially within the lodging and hospitality industries. Places like apartments, office buildings, RV parks and more almost always offer a WiFi connection to their guests, but it can be difficult to set up, maintain and optimize systems of this size; many factors come into play, and many IT services fall short of this service.
“The job of the ISP is more or less to just supply the fiber optic for your internet,” Boileau said. “IT workers are great and can solve many common problems, but many of them don’t have the experience of working on large-scale, commercial networks like we do.”
Admittedly, Boileau and Richardson worked on kenekt’d “like a side gig,” according to Boileau, until right around the end of 2019. “We were young at the time and it ended up being more of a side project for the next six or so years,” Boileau said. “In 2019 and early 2020, the stars aligned and Josh and I took on more full time roles.”
While kenekt’d does offer phone and internet services to individual clients and households, their main strength lies in offering unparalleled service to the commercial sector, utilizing partnerships with local ISPs.
“We do great with connecting multiple sites and projects with more than one phone service operator, and we really shine in complex environments where we can pull the team together around a whiteboard and figure out the best solution for that client,” Boileau said. “We partner with ISPs, they bring in the awesome internet, and we take that signal and distribute it throughout, matching our clients’ needs.”
For example, Boileau said that kenekt’d recently acquired a hotel on the east end of Bend as a new client. For this project, Boileau and the team deployed 25 access points to ensure that the internet signal, provided by TDS Telecom, provides a quick and reliable connection no matter what entrance a guest uses, the second they use it. Good service means connecting a guest’s devices to the WiFi the moment they walk into the building, and kenekt’d makes sure that happens.
Boileau mentioned that a niche industry they have found success with is retirement care and assisted-living facilities.
“For a recent client in this niche, we rolled out 105 lines that provide WiFi, along with phone and voice services at separate entrances, several doors throughout the building, the elevators, security features, intercoms and more,” Boileau said. “A lot of facilities like this benefit from both of our services, so we’ve been blessed to pick up a few accounts in Hood River and the Dalles.”
This brings up a key advantage that kenekt’d has as a business: the ability to provide service almost anywhere, “We’re not restricted by any one area,” Boileau said. “We’re based in Central Oregon, but we can really go anywhere.”
Up until recent efforts and a push for increased marketing, kenekt’d has maintained business and success through word of mouth and client referrals.
“So much of what we’ve done has been based off of relationships we’ve made with happy clients and the referrals they provide us,” Boileau said. We’ve been so darn busy with word of mouth business, it’s a blessing.”
It would seem that kenekt’d keeps their clients happy through exemplary service, an attention to detail and the ability to approach any unique project with innovative thinking and problem solving, “We love getting the team together and just brainstorming the best solution to a client’s problem,” Boileau said.
Boileau continued, and explained that his clients typically stay happy because kenekt’d provides a service that is oftentimes overlooked, and can cause some frustration. A major selling point to the services provided by kenekt’d would be their ability to streamline and optimize the entire process of setting up a large-scale WiFi, phone and voice network, allowing for clients to rest easy, knowing that a team with decades of experience in commercial projects is handling everything.
“The larger the operation, the more this is needed,” Boileau said. “Our service makes that process so much easier on the client. We have the team, the tech and the resources to make sure everything is optimal.”
Looking to the future, Boileau, Richardson and their whole team are excited to continue their mission of helping the Central Oregon community stay connected. At the same time, they have their sights set on expansion outside of the region, providing service wherever any client might need it.
It’s been such a cool operation and we love watching it grow,” said Boileau. “It’s so cool to step back and appreciate our hard work, while staying excited for the future.”
