Indiana Bell
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Telecommunications |
| Founded | 1920 |
| Headquarters | Indianapolis , United States |
Area served | Indiana |
| Parent | AT&T Inc. |
Indiana Bell Telephone Company, Incorporated functions as the Bell Operating Company within Indiana and operates as an indirect subsidiary of AT&T Inc. through AT&T Teleholdings.
History
Established in 1920 as the primary Bell telephone provider in Indiana, Indiana Bell expanded its reach by acquiring the Indiana divisions of Central Union Telephone Company and Indianapolis Telephone Company during the 1920s.
In a notable engineering feat in 1930, the company moved its Indianapolis headquarters building 52 feet south and 100 feet west while keeping it fully operational.
Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, Indiana Bell continued to grow by purchasing smaller telephone firms. After the 1984 breakup of the Bell System, it became a component of Ameritech, which was among the original seven Regional Bell Operating Companies.
The company’s autonomous board of directors was disbanded in 1990.
Presidents
- Edgar S. Bloom, 1920–1921
- Curtis H. Rottger, 1921–1930
- James F. Carroll, 1930–1946
- William A. Hughes, 1946–1948
- Harry S. Hanna, 1948–1960
- Roy C. Echols, 1960–1968
- Thomas S. Nurnberger, 1968–1970
- David K. Easlick, 1970–1971
- James E. Olson, 1972–1974
- John W. Arbuckle, 1974–1976
- Delbert C. "Bud" Staley, 1976–1978
- William L. Weiss, 1978–1981
- Philip A. Campbell, 1981–1982
- William P. Vititoe, 1982–1983
- Ramon L. Humke, 1983–1989
- Richard C. Notebaert, 1989–1992
- Thomas J. Reiman, 1992–1994
- Kent A. Lebherz, 1994–2000
- George S. Fleetwood, 2000–2013
- William L. Soards II, 2013–
Corporate rebranding
Indiana Bell maintained its original name until January 1993 when Ameritech unified its subsidiaries under the Ameritech brand; at that point, Indiana Bell operated as Ameritech Indiana. Following SBC Communications' acquisition of Ameritech in 1999, the company rebranded to SBC Ameritech Indiana in 2001 and then shortened it to SBC Indiana in 2002 to strengthen its national identity. After SBC acquired AT&T Corporation and adopted the AT&T name, Indiana Bell began doing business as AT&T Indiana.