MOULTRIE — Green means go for Windstream Communications, the new company that was formed through the spin-off of Alltel’s landline service and a merger with Valor Communications.

In July, residents of Moultrie and customers of Alltel will start to see a gradual change in color to their landline service bills and the telephone service trucks on the streets. Employees of Alltel will transition into the new company laterally and only the company logo and the color of employees’ shirts (green) will change. Services, which include basic telephone service, digital phone service, broadband service and satellite television, will stay the same with the possible addition of new products to accompany existing services.

“We end up being a communications and entertainment company. We will look at things (products) that make sense that go along with communications and entertainment,” said Keith Paglusch, chief operating officer for Windstream Communications.

“We will be very much ingrained in the community. Advertising dollars will go to sponsor local events,” said Paglusch.

This new company, based out of Little Rock, Ark., will be completely separate from Alltel with its own CEOs and New York Stock Exchange designation and should be up and running in July. Paglusch said customers were being notified by mail of the transition and their telephone bills will have the new company logo along with the Alltel logo for a couple of months after the transistion to lessen confusion.

There will be roughly 840 employees in 16 states who will transition from Alltel employees to Windstream Communication employees. The new company will serve primarily rural communities, which include approximately 3.5 million customers in its service area. Many of the communities are similar to Moultrie.

Moultrie has 101 employees who will make the transition to the new company. Paglusch said customers can rest assured that they will be seeing the same faces that they have seen in the past. He also said that because the employees stayed the same, a great heritage was brought into the new company plus new innovations will be added. Paglusch said employees seemed really enthusiastic and energized about the change when he met with them at a luncheon held at the Sunset Country Club.

“Many wore green,” he said.

He also reiterated once again the idea that Windstream Communications would be a “hometown” company with “hometown” employees that would provide quality services.

Billy Taylor, vice president and general manager for the South Georgia and Florida areas, who has been with Alltel for 42 years, will remain in Moultrie. Paglusch said the fact that Taylor is based in Moultrie shows how important the Moultrie hub is to the new company.

Alltel continues to be a wireless service provider with approximately 11 million customers in 34 states; however, from now on, it will only supply wireless service.