Charles ‘Pat’ Shuster has agreed to become chairman and chief executive officer of SMARTVoice Telecommunications, an Internet Protocol telephony firm based in Atlanta.
SMARTVoice is a subsidiary of Orbit Brands, which recently acquired the firm. Shuster founded SMARTVoice last year.
Shuster is a former Commander in the US Navy, serving in submarines. He has also worked for various telecommunications firms.
“Our decision to join the Orbit Brands Corporation team was to allow us access to the capital necessary to expand our presence and provide the quality service that our customers are demanding,” Shuster said in a statement.
The company offers rate plans from $14.95 for residential customers to $34.95 for small businesses. The plans include features such as caller ID.
SMARTVoice launched services as part of Orbit Brands on June 23.
On July 1, SMARTVoice announced a partnership with Customer 1st Communications to offer VoIP services to Customer 1st clients. The firm has offices in Georgia, Florida, Texas, Louisiana, Tennessee and South Carolina, as well as in the United Arab Emirates
Shuster earned an electrical engineering degree at the University of Maryland and a Masters in nuclear engineering from Cornell.
Last week, Orbit Brands announced that it was fighting involuntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings.
Orbit Brands: www.orbitbrandscorp.com
