SDN Communications has 17 member companies covering more than 80 percent of South Dakota's geography and reaching into southwestern Minnesota, northwestern Iowa and North Dakota. Over the next few months, we'll introduce you to all of the companies. We started with Alliance Communications, Beresford Municipal Telephone Co., Interstate Telecommunications Cooperative, Northern Valley Communications / James Valley Telecommunications and Kennebec Telephone Co.
Next up is TrioTel Communications.
Headquarters: Salem, SD
Name of CEO/GM and years with company: Heather Kranz, 23 years
Other members of executive team: Justin Norris, Network Operations Manager and Barb Mentele, Accounting Manager
Year formed: 1951
Number of employees: 12
Website: triotel.net
History: TrioTel Communications, Inc., formerly McCook Cooperative Telephone Company, was established in 1951 when the first Board of Directors meeting was held in Salem, SD. The directors’ ultimate goal was to provide telephone service to rural subscribers that would be comparable in quality to that enjoyed by urban telephone customers. By 2013, TrioTel became a leader in the broadband infrastructure by being the first telephone company in South Dakota to provide fiber optic connection to 100% of its subscribers.
Services offered: Residential Internet, Business Internet, Whole Home Enhanced WIFI, Cable TV, Phone, Business Phone Systems, Camera Monitoring Systems
Square miles in service area: 930
Counties in coverage area: Hanson, rural Hutchinson, McCook, Miner and rural Lake counties.
Population in coverage area: 3,415
Expansion areas/current construction: Since 2016, TrioTel has expanded its fiber-optic network by 275 miles, with its most recent project covering rural western Lake County. Completed in the fall of 2024, this expansion enabled us to provide high-speed internet to over 400 locations.
Notable towns, cities in coverage area: Alexandria, Canova, Center, Clayton, Emery, Fulton, Junius, Salem, Spencer and Winfred.
Organizations/charities that TrioTel supports: TrioTel has a strong tradition of supporting community needs across our service areas. We actively participate in and assist with various community projects, educational programs and youth sports activities. In addition, TrioTel provides annual economic development funds, scholarship awards and supports community-organized events. We also participate in most local parades to show our commitment to the community. Recently, we introduced Paid Volunteer Hours, allowing TrioTel employees to give back by volunteering where they feel their efforts will make the most impact within our service area.
Other interesting facts about company:
- Out of the 12 TrioTel employees, there are a combined 198 years of service
- Three TrioTel employees serve as volunteer firefighters
- The last name Hueners is no stranger to TrioTel. John Hueners served on the TrioTel board from 1954-1973 and then his son, Tom Hueners, served on the board from 1973-2024. That’s all but 3 years of the cooperatives existence!
