By TODD BLACKINTON
todd@du2.byu.edu
Big Planet, a high-tech division of NuSkin, Inc., plans to use the NuSkin network marketing plan to distribute its materials from its new support center in Provo.
Big Planet celebrated the grand opening of their network operations center. The facility is designed to provide customer support from the phone center and run their whole operation from East Bay. The facility also provides some jobs where Corell left off, said Richard King, president of Big Planet.
Big Planet is a new venture for NuSkin which mainly sells skin care and health products. NuSkin wanted to get involved in the communications business to complement their current operation, King said. The company renovated an existing warehouse to house Big Planet's new operation.
Big Planet provides Internet service, pagers, cellular phones, phone cards and other communications products throughout the nation.
The new company does not seem to worry local Internet providers. The president of EagleNet, Inc., a local Internet service provider, said he does not think this national company will hurt its business. Big Planet will not 'affect us on Internet service at all. If it does it will be very little,' said Josh Foss, president of EagleNet Inc.
If customers like what their service provider gives, they stick with it. If they do not like the service, they jump ship, Foss said.
King said the company has hired some former Novell and Corell employees as well some part-time people.
'We have 220 employees,' said King with plans to hire more people for technical support and engineering.
Big Planet provides a good opportunity for BYU students who want to work part-time if they have experience in the computer industry, King said. These jobs add to high numbers of employees Utah County already has in the high tech industry.
The Provo-Orem Chamber of Commerce reports that more than 120,000 people in Utah County work in the high tech industry. This makes about 8 percent of the total work force. Total revenue for Utah County in 1997 from the high-tech industry was about $2.3 billion.
Big Planet has had a problem connecting their customers to the Internet but King said those problems have been worked out. Any new high tech company has problems getting started, King said. Big Planet's success rate of customers getting online for the last few months has been 90 to 95 percent, King said.
The company has the capability to prevent problems with the power outage and in case of a crash. They have a diesel generator that can keep things going while power is restored, King said.
Because the new center in East Bay is a support center, Big Planet does not handle sales from this building. The company uses the NuSkin network marketing plan to sell and distribute its materials. Independent sales representatives are located throughout the country to answer questions and sell products.
Big Planet uses its parent company for distribution and sales. Since NuSkin is represented in 26 countries around the world, Big Planet hopes to use that network to make its distribution world wide.