In the mid 1980s, Boland Jones started his first company, American Network Exchange (AMNEX), which provided the first alternatives to the AT&T operator service. Jones foresaw the promising future of business communications applications and founded Premiere Global Services (PGi) in 1991. After 28 years in business, PGi now serves 90% of the Fortune 500. With customers around the globe in nearly every industry, PGi has been recognized by Forbes magazine as one of America's 200 Best Small Companies and received the Growth Excellence of the Year Award from Frost & Sullivan in 2008. PGi has been included in Gartner's Magic Quadrant for Web Conferencing Solutions and was recognized in 2009 by the Product Development & Management Association as an Outstanding Corporate Innovator of the Year.