Communications Technology Professionals (CTP), Colorado’s premier association for communication industry professionals, has named Dan Caruso, CEO and president of Zayo Group as its ninth Communications Executive of the Year. Caruso was chosen from a pool of 12 distinguished nominees. The organization will honor Caruso at its annual awards dinner on March 12, 2009 at The Omni Interlocken Resort.

Caruso was selected as the CTP Communications Executive of the Year because of both his demonstrated leadership of Zayo Group and his long history of vision and success in the national and international telecommunications industry.

Zayo Group is a regional provider of bandwidth, voice and managed services. Its network spans 19,645 miles, serving more than 1,650 on-net locations in 128 markets across 23 states. Since the company was formed in December 2006, Zayo has completed 11 acquisitions—closing on six deals in 2007 and five during 2008. Over the past year, the company added over 600 new wireless towers and buildings to its network, more than tripled the number of markets it serves and added 119 employees.

“Dan has brought vision and innovation to the telecommunications industry and to the people of Colorado. His leadership and contributions have spanned over 20 years and he’s been a key executive at local companies that include Level 3 Communications, ICG Communications, Envysion, NGT, and Zayo Group. We’re delighted to have him as our 2008 Communications Executive of the Year,” said Travis Mitchell, president of Communications Technology Professionals. “Under his leadership, Zayo Group has raised over $300M in equity and debt financing – a major accomplishment in any economic environment. He’s a strong corporate citizen and his involvement in the CU Entrepreneurial Program and Colorado Uplift is exemplary.”

“I am honored to be recognized by CTP,” Caruso said. “I am appreciative of the hard work by everyone at Zayo and Envysion—this award represents their accomplishments more than mine. It’s rewarding for me to watch others accomplish their professional goals, in part, through opportunities I have helped create.”

Prior to Zayo, Dan was President and CEO of ICG Communications, a major provider of telecommunications and Internet service. Dan and his team propelled ICG to become a profitable and positive cash flow company while realizing double-digit revenue growth. Level 3 Communications purchased ICG in 2006, marking the culmination of one of the more successful telecom investment stories in the post-bubble era. Dan was also a founding executive member and officer of Level 3, where he was Group Vice President of Lines of Business and Marketing and Group Vice President of Network Services. Previously, Dan was a senior vice president at WorldCom and MFS Communications. He began his career at Ameritech.

Dan is active in telecom and related industries, serving as chairman of Envysion (www.envysion.com), a venture backed company providing Managed Video as a Service (“MVaaS”), sits on the boards of GTS Telecom (www.gtsce.com) and New Global Telecom (www.ngt.com). Dan is also active in local philanthropy and since 2003 has been on the board of Colorado Uplift, a charity focused on supporting Denver inner-city youth. He is also involved with the CU Entrepreneurial Program. Dan holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. Dan invites you to read his blog, BearonBusiness.com, where he shares his insights on the telecommunications industry.

About Communications Technology Professionals

Communications Technology Professionals (CTP) is a non-profit, communications technology organization that focuses on promoting growth, innovation and leadership of communications companies and individuals in Colorado. The organization accomplishes its mission through knowledge sharing, networking and collaboration amongst members of the communications ecosystem.

Many companies, organizations and individuals enable communications. CTP believe that the overall value delivered to the ultimate users of communications technology increases as the various entities interact and work together. This then translates into successful individuals, companies and industry. That’s why CTP has attracted members, participants, sponsors and supporters from various sectors of the communications ecosystem.

The annual CTP Communications Executive of the Year (CEY) award is given to the executive that demonstrates exceptional corporate leadership, is actively involved in community affairs, and has a significant presence in Colorado. Past award honorees include Greg Maffei, president and CEO of Liberty Media Corporation; Scott Binder, senior vice president of Comcast Colorado; Oren Shaffer, former vice chairman and CFO of Qwest; Larissa Herda, chairman, president and CEO of Time Warner Telecom; Richard C. Notebaert, former chairman and CEO of Qwest Communications International; Randall Curran, former CEO of ICG Communications; George Heinrichs, president , CEO and co-founder of Intrado; and Art Zeile, former CEO of Inflow. The selection committee for the award consists of CTP’s executive board.

About Zayo Group:

Based in Louisville, Colo., Zayo Group (www.zayo.com) is a regional provider of telecom services – including bandwidth, voice and managed services – to carrier, enterprise, SME and government customers. Zayo Group provides its service over a fiber network that spans 128 markets in 23 states. Zayo Group consists of three complimentary business units, Zayo Bandwidth, Zayo Managed Services and Onvoy Voice Services.

Zayo Group has strong financial backing from five experienced telecom and Internet investors: Columbia Capital, M/C Venture Partners, Oak Investment Partners, Battery Ventures, and Centennial Ventures. Zayo’s significant financial backing provides the flexibility to extend and enhance its services and fiber network to support the ever-increasing bandwidth appetite of its customers.

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