LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Windstream Corp. Chief Executive Officer Jeff Gardner says the company has put itself in a position for five years of growth.

Windstream shareholders gathered Wednesday in Little Rock for the company's annual meeting. Gardner told them the company has grown from a landline phone company to an important business to business data firm.

The company is pushing to sell cloud computing and other information services, using its high-speed network and data centers across the country.

Windstream has more than 14,000 employees nationwide. A number of workers protested outside the meeting. Union workers have complained for years over a cut in retiree health benefits.

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