Case Study: Glisson Camp & Retreat Center Improves Operations and Guest Experience with NGN Connect Services

A ministry of the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church, Glisson offers summer camp and year-round retreat experiences in the forests surrounding Cane Creek Falls in Dahlonega, Georgia. Since 1925, the grounds have been used by the church in a variety of ways and over the years have evolved into the summer camp and retreat facility that Glisson is today. The ministry’s leadership treasures the property’s long history but needed to integrate modern broadband infrastructure into the facilities to provide guests and support staff with the connectivity that they need and expect.

“We had gotten to the point where our internet speeds were significantly slowing down our daily administrative activities. Our dial-up connection simply wasn’t robust enough to support our day-to-day operations and was commented on often by our guests,” says Bradley McEntyre, Director & Manager of Glisson Camp & Retreat Center. “We were looking to bring our technology not only up to current standards – but wanted a solution that would serve our property for years to come.”

Solution:

Camp Glisson sought out a local broadband partner with the ability to offer reliable, high-speed internet solutions that met both the current and future needs of Glisson’s guests and support team.

“We approached NGN Connect because we trusted their expertise, proven ability to deliver and – ultimately – the quality of their network,” says McEntyre.  “We felt valued as a customer and appreciated how their team built a partnership from start to finish.”

NGN Connect’s team met with the Glisson operations staff to evaluate the property and truly understand each facet of the retreat center’s unique needs.  Afterwards, the team established a budget that Glisson leadership was comfortable with and created a timeline for delivery. The end result was a modern fiber and wireless internal network.

Results:

Since implementation, NGN Connect’s infrastructure and services have had a significant impact on Glisson’s day-to-day operations and overall business model.

Tasks that had previously taken hours, such as uploading photos daily for campers’ parents and downloading forms sent in by camp registrants, now take minutes with NGN Connect’s high-speed internet. The Glisson team has been able to expand the retreat side of their business now that they can offer the quality internet service that their retreat guests want and expect. In addition, Glisson has been able to work with NGN Connect’s voice partner, ETC, to update their former phone system to one that is more reliable and efficient.

“Our operations have truly transformed with NGN Connect’s services. We are now able to be significantly more efficient in the office – and we are able to use that saved time to focus even more on our campers and guests,” says McEntyre.