Jeff Wellemeyer
| Jeff Wellemeyer | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jeff Michael Wellemeyer 1972 Louisville, Kentucky |
| 🏡 Residence | Anchorage, Kentucky |
| 💼 Occupation | |
| Known for | Metro high-speed wireless Internet and creation of the cloud based business telephony |
| 🌐 Website | https://jeffwellemeyer.com/ |
| JWellemeyer | |
| jeffwellemeyer/ | |
Jeff Wellemeyer (born September 13, 1972) is an American entrepreneur, software developer and an international property and resort developer. He is best known for creating the cloud based communications technologies for delivering IP PBX services, developing the first high-speed wireless Internet technology and developing the first computer systems to process financial Automated Clearing House transactions on the Internet.[1]
Early years & Personal Life[edit]
Wellemeyer was born in Louisville, Kentucky. He has one brother, former Major League Baseball pitcher Todd Wellemeyer.
Wellemeyer incorporated his first company at age 15. At age 17 as a senior in high school Wellemeyer developed the first solid state voice mail system for the home; releasing it to the public at the 1991 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The system was sold through NuTone intercom dealers nationwide as an enhancer to the diminishing home intercom business. It is unclear what became of this business.[2][3]
In November 2018, the Voice Tribune announced that he had listed his 13,000 square foot home in Anchorage, Kentucky for sale[4]
Casino business[edit]
In 1992 Wellemeyer created a chip counting technology using a laser in the bottom of a multi-denomination casino chip tray. This technology using a set of low powered optical lasers worked similar to a barcode reader allowing the casino to track winning in real-time by knowing the value of the chips at an individual table. Although there were some product trials the technology never gained wide market acceptance.
Later in 2004 Wellemeyer partnered with Casino Moguel Richard Schilling, Jr to start (Schilling/Wellemeyer Gaming) SW Gaming, LLC. dba. Harlows Casino and Resort, a $70 Million casino and resort property located in Greenville, Mississippi.[5]
On September 13, 2010 SW Gaming dba Harlows Casino and Resort was sold to Churchill Downs for $131 Million.[6][7][8][9][10]
Virtual PAY[edit]
In 1994, Wellemeyer developed the first Internet electronic lockbox where consumers could pay their bills electronically over the Internet using an ACH transfer from their checking account.[11] This system provided the first Internet payment capabilities for customers of Mobil Oil, First USA VISA, and Sunoco.
VirtualPAY sold the technology to National Processing Company (NYSE:NAP) in 1994.
ViperLink[edit]
In 1995 Wellemeyer created the first multi-point high-speed Internet access technology deployed in the United States.[12] According to Roberta Wiggins, director of wireless mobile communications at the Yankee Group, "no one in the industry had combined the high bandwidth available through ViperLink with wireless technology".[13][14] ViperLink was credited as the catalyst that created the multipoint wireless delivery technology used in most modern wireless broadband networks and was the first to market with wireless bandwidths that exceeded 256kbit/s, delivering reliable 1Mbit/s and above transport in a reliable cost effective model.[15]
In 1998 ViperLink was sold to Paul Allen backed Darwin Networks for an undisclosed amount.[16]
Smoothstone[edit]
In 2000 Wellemeyer co-founded Teledvance Communications, with Shelly Godfrey and Paul Borgman. Teledvance was the first network delivered, hosted IP PBX service for business in the United States.[17][18]
Teledvance raised a small amount of angel capital and subsequently secured a $7 million investment from MK Capital in 2005[19] prior to changing the company name to Smoothstone IP Communications Corporation.[20]
On April 20, 2011 Smoothstone was sold to the $2.5 Billion, Omaha, Nebraska based West Corporation for $120 Million.[21][22][23][24][25][26]
Hodges Bay[edit]
On November 4, 2015 Wellemeyer announced in a press conference with Antiguan Prime Minister Gaston Brown, and Tourism Minister Charles Fernandez that he had acquired the oceanfront resort Hodges Bay.[27][28][29][30]
References[edit]
- ↑ "Bloomberg Executive Profile". Bloomberg. S&P Global. 2019.
- ↑ Manning, Rick (August 1, 1991). "Voice mail for small businesses: Home TeleVoice is a stand-alone system that turns one phone line into 25 mailboxes - Business On-Line". Home Office Computing Magazine. 8: 71 – via Gale Group.
- ↑ Redding, Rick (March 16, 1991). "Eastern Seniors Ring in the Future of Voice Mail". The Courier Journal. Gannett News Corporation.
- ↑ "Sophisticated Splendor". The Voice-Tribune. 2018-11-28. Retrieved 2019-02-03.
- ↑ Harlows Casino acquired by Churchill Downs
- ↑ "Churchill Downs Incorporated acquires Harlow's Casino Resort - 2010-12-16". Crunchbase. Retrieved 2019-01-28.
- ↑ "Churchill Downs Acquires Harlow's Casino Resort & Hotel". Hotel Business. 2010-09-22. Retrieved 2019-01-28.
- ↑ "Churchill Downs to buy Harlow's Casino Resort & Hotel in $138m deal". Proactiveinvestors NA. 2010-09-13. Retrieved 2019-01-28.
- ↑ Xu, Jodi (September 13, 2010). "Churchill Downs Grows Casino Business". Wall Street Journal.
- ↑ Gelsi, Steve (September 13, 2010). "Churchill Downs Buys Harlows". MarketWatch.
- ↑ VirtualPAY
- ↑ Grumman, Bill (December 8, 1996). "Worlds Fastest High-Speed Wireless Internet". Courier Journal.
- ↑ "High Tech Firm Invents Wireless Internet". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
- ↑ Redding, Rick (December 9, 1996). "High-Tech Firm Invents Wireless Internet". American City Business Journals.
- ↑ Redding, Rick (June 15, 1998). "Reorganized ViperLink Ready to Grow". American City Business Journals.
- ↑ "Witnessing Evolution". Louisville Business First. September 6, 1999.
- ↑ "Smoothstone IP Communications: The Voice of Experience". www.enterprisenetworkingplanet.com. Retrieved 2019-01-28.
- ↑ Wolf, Bill (February 5, 2007). "Convergence Pays Off for Smoothstone IP". The Courier Journal.
- ↑ Business Wire (30 June 2005). "Teledvance Announces Close of 15 Million [Dollars] in Funding Led By MK Capital". Retrieved 19 December 2017.
- ↑ Jeffords, Sarah (November 21, 2005). "IT Firm Teledvnacve takes on new name". American City Business Journals.
- ↑ Ivey, Steve (April 21, 2011). "Omaha Firm Buying Smoothstone for $120 Million". American City Business Journals.
- ↑ Berndston, Chad (April 21, 2011). "Cloud UC Specialist Smoothstone Acquired By West Corp". CRN.
- ↑ Eigelbach, Kevin (June 6, 2011). "West Corp Completes Smoothstone Purchase". Louisville Business First.
- ↑ Simms, David. "West Reaches Deal to Acquire Smoothstone". TMC.
- ↑ Radizeski, Peter (April 20, 2011). "Smoothstone Gets Bought". TMCnet.
- ↑ "Smoothstone-West". Federal Communications Commission.
- ↑ Francis, Laurisa (December 5, 2014). "Hodges Bay Club bought by US Tech Millionaire". Antigua Barbuda News TV10.
- ↑ "Hodges Bay Opening Pushed Back". Antigua Observer.
- ↑ Maston, Cynthia (December 6, 2014). "Resort at Hodges Bay to open July next year". The Antiguan Observer.
- ↑ Splinner, Rebecca (January 2016). "Awakening Antigua's Northern Soul" (PDF). Luxury Lifestyles Magazine. 10 (10): 50.
External links[edit]
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