Get Ready Now!

Beginning next May, 2021, a new area code, 582, will be issued in the geographic area that is now covered by the 814 area code in Western Pennsylvania. This “area code overlay” is being implemented because carriers are running out of 814 numbers. Moving forward, 814 and 582 area codes will both reside in this Western PA area.

Here is what you need to know:

1. If you already have an 814 number, it will NOT change.
2. Everyone in this area will have to start dialing their area code, whether it is 814 or 582.
3. Starting October 3, 2020, if you have an 814 area code, you should start dialing it. At this point, the call will still go through if you do not dial the area code, but it’s good to get into the habit.
4. Starting April 3, 2021, everyone in the 814 geographic area will be required to dial the full 10-digit number. Example: 814-123-4567. If you do not dial the area code the call will not go through.
5. Beginning May 1, 2021, new customers/numbers in the 814 geographic area may be issued a 582 area code. All 582 and 814 phone number will require the area code to connect.
6. Beginning on October 3, 2020, you should change your business’s dial procedures and reprogram all affected phones and devices to dial the full 10-digit numbers. 10-digit numbers will go through then. You should NOT wait until April 3, 2021 to do so.
7. Customers who currently have 814 area code numbers, and need to add additional new phone numbers after this change, could have both 814 and 582 numbers, depending on availability.
8. This will not affect the existing rates of calls within the 814 and 582 area codes.
9. SPECIAL NOTE FOR CELL PHONE USERS Remind your mobile/cell phone end users to update any contacts/speed dials to reflect this change if they currently have only 7 digits stored for a contact.
10. In addition to your phone and other devices, remember to reprogram to 10-digit dialing for other equipment, such as life safety systems and medical devices, fire and burglar alarm and security systems, gates, PBX, fax machines, Internet dialing, speed dials, call forwarding settings, voicemail and other items. Also make sure that all your printed and digital communications, including pet tags and personal IDs, have the full 10-digit numbers listed, including the area code.

Check back for future updates.

Thursday night, October 1, 2020, Walt Grudi received Lancaster Chamber’s Small Businessperson of the Year Award. The virtual event, in place of Lancaster Chamber’s Annual Dinner, included other awards, an address by Matt Nagy, Chicago Bears head coach, Philadelphia Eagles former assistant coach and Manheim Central High School graduate, and much more. View the event on YouTube. If you want to just view Walt’s award, it starts at about the 1:29:35 mark. Congratulations, Walt, and the other winners!

Lancaster Chamber Award Winners with Chamber President and Chair

Grudi Associates is very proud to announce that Walt Grudi, Co-Founder & CEO, has been named Lancaster Chamber’s Small Businessperson of the Year. From its humble beginnings in 1992 as a cellular phone and long-distance business, Walt and his team of dedicated professionals have established Grudi Associates as a premier provider of Telecom & IT services in Central PA and beyond. “I am deeply honored to be named Lancaster Chamber’s Small Businessperson of the Year. I am accepting this award in the name of the entire Grudi Associates Team,” says Walt. Grudi Associates urges everyone to tune into Lancaster Chamber’s Annual Dinner: Virtual Experience on October 1, from 6:00 – 7:00 pm, where the award will be presented, along with much more great content.

Check out the new 1-minute video about Grudi Advantage, the Telecom & IT partnership between Lancaster Chamber and Grudi Associates. It’s a high-value program, benefitting Lancaster Chamber and its members with substantial cost savings, cash-back dividends and more. Watch the video.

If you’re like many people, working from home has become your new normal – at least for now, if not longer. PCMag published an article, 20 Tips for Working from Home, which you may find helpful.

Grudi Associates can help your business implement the right remote working solution for its needs. Learn more.

Please keep your people and your business healthy.

Grudi Associates’ Managed Solutions is a comprehensive toolbox of services that will help you reduce your telecom expenses, enhance your capabilities and improve your productivity. It is a powerful set of outsourced and consulting services, from invoice management to the acquisition, provisioning and support of Telecom & IT services. Read more!

Find out about Mobility Managed Solutions.

Find out about Voice, Data & Cloud Managed Solutions.

We’re here for you during the COVID-19 outbreak with work-from-home tools and other services you need to keep your business running.

As we all are contending with the challenging and unprecedented COVID-19 outbreak, it is important to know who and what you can count on. I want to reassure you that Grudi Associates is permitted to continue operations under the Governor’s latest order closing all non-life-sustaining businesses. First, we are able to continue operating because we provide vital support to life-sustaining businesses. Second, our team has moved to a work-from-home model utilizing the technology that can enable you to do the same. 

Please know that we are fully able and capable of providing the services you need to continue doing business, in your facilities, if allowed, and working from home. 

Among the tools and services we can provide are:

• Conferencing Tools – video, audio and web conferencing applications for remote meetings and business activities.
• Presentation Tools – for larger, more complex needs.
• Cloud-Based (VoIP) Phone Systems – Voice over IP phone systems residing in the Cloud are accessible from anywhere on any phone or enabled device with an Internet connection.
• Cloud-Based File Systems – virtual desktop or desktop as a service (DaaS), with files and applications securely in the Cloud, enable at-home employees to continue work.
• Bandwidth – adequate Internet bandwidth enables efficient, uninterrupted work.
• Mobility – for work-from-home employees.

To read more about our work-from-home support, please click here.

Everyone at Grudi Associates is committed to helping you and all our clients and partners function as well as possible during this time. Please call us at 717-838-5022 or email at BeWell@grudiassociates.com if you have questions or if we can help. We hope that you, your coworkers, your friends and family stay well.

The New Samsung Galaxy Note 10, Galaxy Note 10+ and Galaxy Note 10+ 5G are now available for pre-order. Please contact us at 717-838-5022, and select “option 1” for details.

Verizon 5G ultra broadband service has rolled out in 4 more cities: Atlanta, Detroit, Indianapolis and Washington, DC. They join Chicago, Denver, Minneapolis, Providence and St. Paul, which previously launched. Verizon’s true 5G offer major speed increases and other benefits. Read more about 5G.

The Ideal Solution for Wireless Last-Mile & Point-to-Point Connections

Fixed wireless connections can provide faster, more reliable, enterprise-grade connections that can improve your business performance and virtually eliminate downtime. Internet and point-to-point connections are made through line-of-sight microwave broadcasts between an antenna on your facility and the carrier tower. There are no fiber, copper or coax connections in the last mile that can be broken. That means more dependable primary, backup or supplementary connections and business continuity. Read more.