Champion ONE, Approved Networks merge for expanded capabilities

June 18, 2020

Champion ONE says it has completed a merger with Approved Networks and its U.S. Critical test services provider affiliate. All three brands will remain active in the market, say executives of the companies.

Stephen Hardy

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Optical component and open switch provider Champion ONE says it has completed a merger with Approved Networks and its U.S. Critical test services provider affiliate. All three brands will remain active in the market, say executives of the companies, who add that the combination will create one of the market’s largest independent optics companies. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Champion ONE Executive Chairman Pete Kirchof will head the combined companies, with Approved’s co-founder and CEO, Kurt Dunteman, staying aboard as chief revenue officer. Kirchof told Lightwave that Champion ONE has been “in an inquisitive mindset” for some time, looking to fill gaps in its product and service lines. The addition of Approved strengthens Champion ONE’s hand beyond its traditional telco customer space, adding resources in the enterprise/data center and education customer segments. He pointed to Approved’s TAA-compliant custom cabling and connection points as salient additions to the overall product portfolio, alongside the interoperability testing and coding resources U.S. Critical provides. Both Champion ONE and Approved have an extensive list of third-party optical transceivers that Dunteman says likely will be rationalized at some point.

Dunteman said that he saw the merger as a good fit for his group due to the complementary customer bases of the two companies, the similar ways in which they approached customer service, and the overall cultural compatibility. The combination also establishes redundant lab operations on the East Coast and West Coast of the U.S. Approved was founded in 2010 and has its headquarters in Orange County, CA. It also operates an office in Leesburg, VA. Champion ONE is headquartered in Cleveland, with offices in Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Omaha, and Silicon Valley.

Kirchof indicated his “inquisitive mindset” remains in place, so further expansion through acquisition remains possible.

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About the Author

Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director and Associate Publisher, Lightwave

Stephen Hardy is editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, part of the Lighting & Technology Group at Endeavor Business Media. Stephen is responsible for establishing and executing editorial strategy across the both brands’ websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products. He has covered the fiber-optics space for more than 20 years, and communications and technology for more than 35 years. During his tenure, Lightwave has received awards from Folio: and the American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE) for editorial excellence. Prior to joining Lightwave in 1997, Stephen worked for Telecommunications magazine and the Journal of Electronic Defense.

Stephen has moderated panels at numerous events, including the Optica Executive Forum, ECOC, and SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. He also is program director for the Lightwave Innovation Reviews and the Diamond Technology Reviews.

He has written numerous articles in all aspects of optical communications and fiber-optic networks, including fiber to the home (FTTH), PON, optical components, DWDM, fiber cables, packet optical transport, optical transceivers, lasers, fiber optic testing, and more.

You can connect with Stephen on LinkedIn as well as Twitter.