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Date: 1/12/2026
Duration: 19:46
Guest: Amanda Ivey
Website: https://www.optimum.com/
Listen on Spotify:
Summary:
Special Guest: Amanda Ivey, Brand Ambassador and Account Executive with Optimum Ed sits down with Amanda Ivey from Optimum for a conversation that’s equal parts helpful, local, and surprisingly fun for a topic like internet and phone service. Amanda explains her role as Optimum’s brand ambassador and account executive, basically the hometown person you can actually reach when you need help with internet, TV, mobile, or home phone. With nearly a decade in telecom, she’s not just handing out brochures, she can troubleshoot, guide customers through options, and even meet people where they’re at, including helping seniors who don’t want to fight through a call center.
Amanda shares what Optimum looks like in the community: tents at local festivals, chamber ribbon cuttings, giveaways at events like the Apple Festival and Garden Jubilee, and lots of face time with residents. She talks about the fan-favorite swag (chargers win, every time) and how those conversations open the door to explaining Optimum’s service options, including flexible internet speeds, streaming-friendly plans, and mobile pricing that can seriously cut down a typical phone bill.
Ed and Amanda also touch on how Optimum responded after the hurricane. Amanda describes boots-on-the-ground support, charging stations, and Wi-Fi setups for the public when people were without power and service, plus the larger rebuilding work still happening in areas where lines and equipment were heavily damaged.
The episode wraps with a few local favorites and fun rapid-fire topics: Amanda’s go-to restaurants include Dandelions (she says the shrimp and grits are the best anywhere), Mezzaluna, and Shine. For things to do, she points visitors to the Ecusta Trail and DuPont for hiking and waterfalls. And when roundabouts come up, she’s cautiously in favor, as long as everyone else remembers it’s not a four-way stop.
Before signing off, Amanda shares the big takeaway: if you’re in the area and want Optimum service or support, you can skip the call center and reach her directly by call or text at 828-606-7598.
Watch on YouTube:
Transcript:
Hey, thanks for joining us today. I'm super excited. Our special guest is Amanda Ivy and she's with Optimum. Optimum is known in the area, big community sponsor for Henderson County and other areas, but they are internet, TV, mobile phone. They kind of hit the gamut, but Amanda, I don't want to give it all away, but so tell us some more about Optimum. Your account, what would you call it? Your brand ambassador? I'm a brand ambassador and account executive. That sounds awesome. Yeah, well I can be your personal guide through Optimum if that's what you wanted to be. I'm here for the community to help everybody have a hometown person that they can connect to and can help you with any issues or give you new service or whatever your needs are then I can help you through that. And I do have nine and a half years of telecom experience so that helps me be able to troubleshoot if that's what's needed. Well, I'll interject real fast and say I've gotten to know Amanda the past few months through a business group and just hearing some of her stories and I've had some clients talk to her. She's extremely helpful and it's a little different or newer to have a local person actually speak to when it comes to help with TV or internet or phone service. So that's really good that they're doing that. So sorry to interrupt. Go ahead. Well, that's okay. Call center can be difficult to navigate. and especially for the senior citizens, which Hendersonville has a large senior citizen population. So that's what I can do. I can be their personal, you know, their person in Hendersonville that can help them with their optimum service so they don't get frustrated. That's a great idea. And they also see you around town. You mentioned we all are out and about doing what kind of stuff? We do events and festivals and take a big part in the chamber. We love Bob at the chamber. and we do ribbon cuttings and I'm an ambassador with the chamber also. So I do a lot of stuff with them. And then we do Apple Festival, Garden Jubilee, all the big festivals here in Hendersonville. And we also cover the other counties and do festivals there. Nice. So you're all over the place. Yeah. So when you're doing a festival, what typically happens? You have a tent set up, I guess. We set up a tent. ⁓ It's according to what the situation is. Usually I have the tent with the canopy with their logo on it and we'll have a table and I have all kinds of like swag items that I give away. What are the favorite swag items? Probably the cell phone chargers. yeah. Yeah they like those that like a charging cord. Yeah. Yeah they really like those. Those go. Do they say optimum on or anything? They do. ⁓ All my swag stuff has optimum. What's the second favorite swag? This is giving me some ideas. Probably the koozie. drink koozie. Keep a drink cold. Right. Yeah. Third favorite. Probably the thing that you put on the back of your phone to hold your credit cards or your business cards or something. People like those. Huh. I've never used one so I wouldn't know. I do have a little magnet thing. Yeah, they're handy. It is handy. Helps you not drop it. Right. And we tell everybody about our services while we're handing out all the swag items. If they get a swag item, they're going to hear my Spill too. So what's the spill you give like is it typically better to bundle stuff I guess? It can be can be cheaper that way if you're internet streaming kind of person we have you know internet for any user if you have somebody that doesn't use internet a whole lot we have a hundred meg service or if you have somebody that's a big gamer and needs lots of internet we have the gig and we have really competitive pricing. We can typically beat others our competitors pricing as far as internet and mobile especially. Mobile we can cut ⁓ a Verizon or AT &T bill in half. Wow. And there's a local store for that? The retail store ⁓ is on 451 Main Street. It's North Main here in Hendersonville. And the ladies in there are awesome and they can help anybody that goes in there with any of their needs. And if somebody were to call you, you help with cell phones too or just internet? No, I help with all of it. can... We can do everything over the phone or I can come to their house and walk them through it, whichever they're more comfortable with. Wow. Again, that's super helpful to have someone like you. How do people, I have asked you, how do people reach you? Well, I hand out business cards everywhere I'm at, all the events that I'm at and talk to people. I hand out business cards and with apartment complexes and things that we're established with, I give them like little goodie bags that have my cards in it. and ⁓ they tell new residents coming in about me and give my information to them and they reach me that way. I'm also listed with the chamber as the Hendersonville optimum contact so that I get calls that way too. So you give out your number? Absolutely yeah. Will you tell us your number? Okay go ahead. It's 828-606-7598 and that's my personal number that's not a call center. So people could text you too? Yes. Wow. Do you prefer a text over a call? It doesn't matter. way. Wow. That's impressive, Amanda, that you're willing to do that. Yeah, it could be dangerous sometimes, but that's okay. can. So packages, what do you find now? This is a good question. Then it just came to mind. I think it's a good question. Do people tend to like just streaming or are they still order TV services? Some of the old school people are still wanting their TV. They're you locked into the cable. But more and more people are going to streaming because it's just cheaper. And with the streaming services that we have available that you can subscribe to, you you can get just about anything you want to streaming and you can get internet as cheap as $25 a month. Wow. Yeah. So. And that's the what speed? That's the 200 meg service is $25 per month. We might have to call Amanda and it goes up to a gig anywhere. Just depends where you live. Now anybody anywhere in our service area can have a gig if that's what they need. And we have in-betweens, you know, we have the 300 and 500 meg. So we have anything that's going to fit whatever your household needs are. So this is something I didn't think about till just now. So how was it for Optimum after the hurricane? It was tough, just like anybody else, but we were, you know, boots on the ground from day one. I was in retail at the time. And we actually went down and we had charging stations set up and Wi-Fi available for people think I remember seeing that downtown in various places. because a lot of people didn't have any services. didn't have any water. They didn't have electricity. So they would bring their electronic devices down to our table. We had one at the mall and one at the old South Grove office. And we stayed down there and tried to ease people through it. Was there lot of damage to cable lines? we had total cable plants destroyed. Mountain Home, we had to replace everything out there. still working on, you know, they would do a quick fix to get people back online and still we're going back and making sure everybody's back to the quality that they deserve. ⁓ This may be too technical, but I'm just curious, do cable lines need a power station? Like, is power affected? Yes, electricity is what drives our signal. So we have to have electricity to be able to bring the signal into your home. ⁓ Where is the electricity relationship to what's the distance? Like how far can it go? Or when does it need power? Well, it need power from, come from the head end. The head end puts the signal out there. Here in Hendersonville, the head end would be at the the South Grove address. ⁓ And then it's shooting out to houses, businesses, whatever, just from there. Yep. Gotcha. Yep. Well, there's more behind that. Right. And that's probably getting more technical than I can handle there. But there's much, much more to it. But the head end is where it's going to start originate from here. That's very interesting. And every, everywhere we're at, whether it be Nebo Marion area or Franklin at the other end or Ash County, everybody has their own head end. So that's where their services is coming from. That's very interesting. Never knew that. So TV, internet, cell phone, is there anything else? Home phone. We offer home phone too, which is voice over internet. So it takes internet for the phone to work, but it's like a home phone, like the old school home phone. If people choose to do that, we do offer that also. And do find that's popular or probably not as popular? Not as so much. With cell phones, people prefer a cell phone. That way, why have two bills on a phone when you don't have two kind of things, what most people's mindset is. And you get a bigger discount. really, with a cell phone, you take it with you. with people today, everybody's got a cell phone in their hand. So we're really big on our mobile. can sell you any kind of phone that you want basically. And we have really good comparative plans. Like I said, I can really save people money on their mobile. Okay. You you talk about cell phones and being mobile and, you know, I look at my kids at times think, why are you looking at your phone? I realize I'm doing the same thing. We're so connected to our phones. To even be without my phone for an hour or two is just hard. And maybe I have an issue, but it's just hard to be connected to see. if somebody's called or emailed related to business and stuff. Well, everything's through our cell phones. It's like a little computer that's going with us. your cell phone does everything now. ⁓ And before Optimum, it was Morris and you were with them then? I would assume it's become better since Optimum has... Morris had started upgrading their lines. ⁓ I don't remember what year it was, but then when Optimum purchased Morris, then they continued to upgrade and we're expanding actually our lines into the Arden and Fletcher area on out into Asheville. So we are expanding and pushing further out and we're looking for more expansions, know, as years go. But Optimum is like the fourth or fifth largest cable company in the United States. Yeah, we're right up there with the big guys. We're all over the United States also, but in the same aspect though. We're still hometown Yep, kind of feel because we're here for our hometown guys. I think that's great again Because the ambassador angle that's just the fact that you give your number out and help people that that's a big difference So yeah, that's appreciate appreciated So you work in the area you've grew up in the area? Well, I'm a mountain girl, okay from the mountains, but I moved to Hendersonville in 2012 and started in Cable in 2016. So I always like to ask people if they have a favorite restaurant or restaurants they recommend if people are visiting in town. So what you got for us? My favorite restaurants probably Dandelions. You are the first to say that. Really? I love Dandelions. Huh. And remind me where that is. That is across from the parking deck on Fifth. That's what I thought. Didn't they just reopen? They did. They just had a ribbon cutting because they redid the whole thing. It's beautiful in there and they support safe lot. So they're awesome. I've heard wonderful things about that place and have never been. you need to go. Shrimp and grits. Really? Yes. Shrimp and grits is awesome. That's amazing. It's the best shrimp and grits I've ever had anywhere. Wow. I'm not a big shrimp fan, but I love crawfish. yeah. ⁓ Shrimp's not bad, but my mom loves shrimp regret so I'll have to tell her yeah Do you have a second favorite? Mezzaluna is probably they make their fresh pasta. I love mezzaluna I love their salmon actually it's they do it quite well third favorite probably shine Shine is a great suggestion. They have good food, too Yeah, and I love their rooftop bar right the right time of year. Yeah, it's a great place to look over and see that Courthouse or Main Street or something, which is pretty unique to the area. How about when people visit the area, like, hey, you gotta go check this out. You gotta go see this, gotta go hike this or whatever. Well, the Acoustal Trail, course, just opened if they like to bike or hike or anything like that. That's awesome. DuPont, ⁓ DuPont Park, that would be a great place for people to go hike and enjoy that. There's so many waterfalls there too. Yeah. Yep. It's beautiful. So those are your two go-tos? Am I missing anything? That's good enough. all I can think of right now. That's good. How about, you know, one of our favorite questions that we haven't asked a few people lately, but I need to go back to it, especially since you get around town, but roundabouts. You like roundabouts? Not so fond about roundabouts. I like roundabouts. You still have to be careful because everybody else don't know how a roundabout works. But I like them. I think it keeps traffic moving. I'm with you. What's probably the most frustrating thing is when somebody thinks it's a four way stop. Well, if you're behind them, that's the first thing for you. they're in another lane, then it's good for me. I keep going. Yeah. You pray for patients. Yes. So right here at Church Street and Main Street intersection, I think next year, maybe even 2027, they're doing a roundabout. And I didn't realize it was going to be a double roundabout from what I understand. So like two, two lanes. Oh. Yeah, exactly. That's your face and expression just said what I felt. But yeah, that's a little scary. That'll be a challenge and new for us. But I understand the necessity for it with the more heavy traffic flow we have here. Well, more more people are moving into Hendersonville. Hendersonville is growing by leaps and bounds. Yeah. Do y'all see that statistically with optimum? Yeah. Yeah. It's huge. because we do work with MDUs, multiple dwelling units, apartment complexes and things, and they're shooting up all over the place. I don't It's almost scary how fast they are, honestly. I was all for it, but now I don't know if I'm all for it. Yeah, it's everywhere. In places that you wouldn't imagine. Exactly, yeah. Yeah, you see them going down Main Street, or down 26, and you can see them just on the side of the interstate all over the place. But interstate bills grow on quickly. And the roads will have to grow with it or it's going to be bad. Yeah, and I think we're behind already, honestly, or have been for a long time. Residents don't need to vote against it, Much more, need to allow stuff to happen or we're going to hate it in 10 years. inevitable, it's going to grow. You know, if you're not growing, then that could be a community not thriving. And we want to thrive. I agree. And I've met several people lately and I see young people choosing to come here. It's not just retirees, which is great. I mean, there's plenty the the Western North Carolina offers. So it's a great place to live and work. does Optimum have any job openings if case somebody's looking to move? We do actually have an opening in the same thing that I do. OK, because we're wanting to expand and have more people than just me and the ender civil doing the same thing. I think you're overloaded, but maybe not. Well, it's a lot. I have to pick and choose. Pick and choose events that I'm going to do because I can't be everywhere at the same time. And a hologram. Right. And. Let's see, retail, I think retail is still hiring. They may have several spots still open, something to look for. ⁓ Go to the career page for ⁓ Altis. Okay. And they'll be able to see job openings So not Optimum, it's Altis? Altis is our parent company. Okay, gotcha. And I think it's still listed that way, but they are trying to get Optimum as the main brand name. Okay. Is Optimum.com or .net? It's both. Is it the same site or a different site? It's two different sites. The dot com is basically going to be your mobile. The dot net is going to be internet and cable. Okay, that's interesting. We've learned a lot today. Alright, so Amanda, let's see. We've talked about food. We've talked about roundabouts. We've talked about favorite spots to check out. We've talked about optimum. How about for 2026, anything exciting happening or that optimum does? We're just going to continue with doing the events and hitting the- Community events. Community events. I know you guys are big on supporting local community. We do and schools. We do the donor choose. And this past year we gave the teachers a lot of money. That's There was a lot of money. I don't know the figure right off the top of my head. And we also- the robotics teams in the area. have ⁓ two that we support, one in Silva and one here in Hendersonville. And we support them and their robotics championships. And that helps high school students. You know, one thing it keeps them busy and doing something that they're growing. And they're learning, learning how to do the robotics and put a robot together and how it works and then compete. So. That's great. Yeah. So it's an awesome thing. And so we're big in that. Well, just from the outside looking in, I appreciate the involvement in the community and supporting local. And that means a lot. mean, not, yeah. So Altum obviously isn't a local company, but they're heavily involved in the community. that says a lot for them, I think. I agree. And keeping you and using you. It says a lot. Tell them one more time your phone number, best way to reach you. 828-606-7598. And it's Amanda Ivy with Optimum. That's it. She's your ticket to success with Optimum. All right. Thank you, Amanda, for taking time. Thank you. You've done great. And for picking and choosing to be on the podcast since you made that comment. So thanks again for watching and listening and keep living local.