As a New Jersey native, Gary Wojtaszek may have had some misconceptionsabout the sleepy Midwest. But as the CFO of Cincinnati Bell,Wojtaszek is in the vanguard of change, leading the almost140-year-old local phone company in its bid to become a global datacenter colocation provider for Fortune 1000 customers.

“It's a unique opportunity to join a company that some wouldbelieve had seen its best days, and to come in and set a newstrategic direction and take it to a different spot,” Wojtaszeksays. “It's been a fun couple of years here.”

So far, so good. Cincinnati Bell reported $1.4 billion inrevenue last year and it showed strong growth in sales from datacenter colocation, which totaled $125 million, a 75% increase from2009. In colocation, a company provides customers with space,power, protection and services, while they bring in their serversand other equipment.