With flash and fanfare, PrairieWave Communications became Knology of the Black Hills during an event Thursday afternoon.

Knology employees, dressed in gray Knology sweatshirts, watched as crews unveiled the new logo on the sign above the former PrairieWave entrance of the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center.

Inside, a giant pile of PrarieWave-logo clothing was donated to the Rev. Jim Sorum of Bethel Assembly of God Church in Rapid City. He's part of the Nicaragua Resource Network, and he's taking the clothing to Nicaragua to help clothe the poor in that Central American country.

PrarieWave, the cable, voice and broadband Internet company formerly known as Black Hills FiberCom, was acquired by Georgia-based Knology in April. Knology, a large regional telecommunications company, is traded on the NASDAQ.

The new name restores the Black Hills identity of the original Black Hills FiberCom, said Rodger L. Johnson, Knology's president and chief executive officer.

"We talked to people around town, and we talked to our employees. They loved the Black Hills identity that got lost when it became part of PrairieWave," Johnson said. "We wanted to bring that Black Hills identity back. Now we get the best of both worlds. We get Knology, and we get Black Hills in our name. And I love the logo."

It's the latest change for FiberCom, which began a decade ago as a subsidiary of Black Hills Corp.

At the time, officials decided to build the network only into the Northern Hills and Rapid City.

Is it possible that Knology might extend to Hot Springs, Custer and other Southern Hills customers?

"Anything is a possibility," Johnson said. "One of the things we told the people here is that they get a chance to compete for resources, one of which is capital. … Everybody gets a chance to make their case for expansion or investment."

Contact Dan Daly at 394-8421 or dan.daly@rapidcityjournal.com.