Sprint busy with shake-up

Pauline Bell

Tuesday, July 9, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

Things are shaking at the local telephone company.

The company known as Sprint Central Telephone-Nevada changed its name to Sprint effective Monday.

In another development, Dianne Jett, former president of the company's Nevada operations, is leaving to pursue other opportunities.

In a move designed to streamline company operations, Sprint also announced a realignment of its seven local operating companies, folding them into four operating companies arranged geographically.

The company's Nevada operation previously constituted one of the seven. Under restructuring, Nevada becomes part of Sprint's Western Operations division which also includes Missouri, Minnesota, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Texas, Oregon and Washington. The division is based in Overland Park, Kan., and will be headed by Michael Fuller, president of Western Operations.

"It (the realignment) will help us as a company be more consistent in the things that we do for our consumers," corporate spokesman Steve Dykes said.

"Under our old structure we had seven different operating companies with seven different ways of serving customers. It's not the most efficient and effective way to do things. The streamlining will lead to consistency and an even better level of service."

Lou Emmert, a 25-year Sprint veteran, will be in charge of Sprint's operations in Nevada as vice president and general manager.

Emmert started with the company in Ohio. She transferred to Nevada in 1993 where she has served as vice president of access sales and services and vice president of human resources and corporate communications.

She said consumers will see little difference as a result of the realignment.

"We still have customer service as our No. 1 priority and will continue to provide the excellent service we always have," she said.

Jett said she was offered another position in the company, but chose to pursue other opportunities. She will stay through the end of the month to help with the transition.

She said she has no specific current plans, but is exploring opportunities both in and out of town.

"The reporting realignment ... is the right step for Sprint to take given the competitive environment we are entering. I have thoroughly enjoyed my experiences with Sprint and I am proud to have worked with all my associates in Las Vegas," Jett said.

No significant layoffs in any of the company's operations are expected as a result of the changes, said Wayne Peterson, president and CEO of Sprint's Local Telecommunications Division. "This realignment is designed to bring about standardization in how we serve our customers and improve our overall focus on the changing telecommunications marketplace."

But Dykes did not discount the possibility of future layoffs as the company continues to make its business more efficient and competitive.

The company's name was changed to bring about better brand identification. Nationally, Sprint is known as a long-distance company. But it is also the second-largest independent telecommunications provider.

"As a result of the new federal telecommunications law, many companies will be moving into providing local services for the first time. It's important for customers to know that Sprint and its predecessors have been providing quality local service for over 100 years," Peterson said in a news release.

"In a competitive communications environment, we believe it is important that our customers know that the company that provides their local service is part of the same company that can connect them with the world -- seamlessly over the Sprint networks."

Sprint has 1,863 employees in Southern Nevada where it serves 663,000 access lines. The company's Local Telecommunications Division serves more than 6.8 million customers in 19 states.

The global communications company had $12.8 billion in annual revenues in 1995 and serves more than 15 million residential and business customers.