General Info

ITS Telecommunications Systems, Inc. (ITS ), began as a small rural telephone company in the early 1930's. It was originally owned and operated by Indiantown Development Company which, in turn, was owned by the Seaboard Airline Railroad. The first telephone in the Indiantown, Florida area was located in the railroad station where Indiantown Development Company also had a generating plant that supplied electricity to the town's 300-400 residents and businesses. After World War II, demand for phone services in the western Martin County Florida area grew and the company installed its first two-line switchboard in a section of the now historic Seminole Inn in order to keep up with the demand. In the early 1950's, Yvonne R. Famel, a wealthy West Palm Beach widow, purchased Indiantown Development Corporation from stockholders who had bought it from Seaboard Airline Railroad. She also purchased a small water system and considerable acreage surrounding Indiantown. Around 1952, Mrs. Famel formed Indiantown Company, Inc which included the telephone company, the water company, and plans to install a modern sewage system and treatment plant. In 1956, the telephone portion of Indiantown Company, Inc was changed to Indiantown Telephone System, Inc, (ITS ), and a new company president was hired. With its new management under President Robert M. Post, Sr., ITS made its first steps toward catching up with progress. Immediately, Post moved the central office from the Seminole Inn into a larger space, and installed a 100-line automatic switchboard. The company began laying cable throughout the town's platted areas, opening up phone service to homes or businesses that wanted service but could not get it previously. Then in 1961, ITS really went to work to modernize their facilities and services. That year, the company moved into a brand new building on Indiantown's main street, Warfield Boulevard. New equipment and improvements included: a switchboard for 200 phone lines, facilities for automatic direct dialing, replacement of the open-wire toll (long-distance ) connection, and installation of buried cable directly to West Palm Beach, vastly improving toll (long distance ) service. During this same time, an operation agreement with Inter-County Telephone Company was terminated and ITS assumed control of all operations, including billing and maintenance. During the next decade, the opening of major industrial and agricultural plants in the Indiantown area directly fueled the growth of Indiantown Telephone System, Inc Companies like Minute Maid Corporation, Florida Steel Corporation, Indiantown Printing Company, and Caulkins Groves were opened and employed hundreds of people needing phone service. New equipment, better service, and a larger staff marked the 1970's. ITS had by now accumulated 1, 400 subscribers and 2, 500 telephones in its 306 square mile territory. More underground cable was installed in new areas, and even submarine cable was laid under the St. Lucie Canal to better serve the southern and eastern parts of the service area. By 1984, 596 additional new phone lines were accessed when the lndianwood Golf and Country Club was opened. The 80's also put Indiantown Telephone Systems, Inc into the computer/digital age. They upgraded to a state-of-the-art multi-million dollar 2, 300-line digital telephone system and also formed a partnership with Telephone Data Systems, Inc who had been commissioned by the FCC to build and operate a cellular telephone system in Martin and St. Lucie counties. In 1998, the parent company, Indiantown Company, Inc went through a complete corporate restructure, and formed the current parent company, Postco, Inc At the same time, the increased need for communications services prompted a name change for ITS from Indiantown Telephone Systems, Inc to what it is known as today: ITS Telecommunications Systems, Inc. or its DBA, ITS Telecom. Postco, Inc continues to operate the water, refuse and sanitation services com