The following appeared in the January 3, 2013 edition of the Hazleton Standard Speaker. Written by Denise Allabaugh.
E-commerce website design company Solid Cactus will move out of its location in the Shavertown section of Kingston Township and into Network Solutions’ facility in Drums in March, according to Solid Cactus co-founder Scott Sanfilippo.
Solid Cactus and Network Solutions are both owned by Web.com. The two companies are consolidating offices because there is more room in Network Solutions’ building at 10 Azalea Road, Sanfilippo said.
About 110 employees work for Solid Cactus. About 200 work for Network Solutions, said Susan Edelman, spokeswoman for Web.com.
Solid Cactus moved to the site of the former Westmoreland School at 106 S. Lehigh St. in Shavertown four years ago after closing its Wilkes-Barre office. The lease is up in Shavertown and will not be renewed, Sanfilippo said. He said no jobs will be lost nor will any names change.
Internet services provider Web.com, a publicly traded company based in Jacksonville, Fla., acquired Solid Cactus in 2009 and Network Solutions in 2011. Web.com bought a number of smaller companies as well, Edelman said. Solid Cactus and Network Solutions operate their own brands and that will continue after the move, she said.
According to the companies’ websites, Web.com helps small businesses succeed online and has more than 3 million customers. Network Solutions helps businesses grow online with domain name registration. Solid Cactus has designed or redesigned more than 3,500 e-commerce sites.
Kingston Township Manager Kathleen Sebastian said she is disappointed that Solid Cactus will leave, saying the township will lose tax revenue and the vacancy will leave an empty building.
“It’s clearly an opportunity to have more of our folks under one roof,” Edelman said. “We’re excited to have everyone in one place.”