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. and Interstate Telecommunications Cooperative.
Next up is Northern Valley Communications / James Valley Telecommunications.
Headquarters: Aberdeen, SD (NVC) and Groton, SD (JVT)
Other physical locations: Redfield, SD (NVC)
Name of CEO/GM and years with company: James Groft, 25 years
Other members of executive team: Tanya Berndt, CFO; Jeff Evenson, Sales & Marketing Manager; Cody Hanten, Network Operations Manager; Jason Hill, IT Manager; Pat Schumacher, Outside Plant Manager
Year formed: JVT - 1951; NVC - 1997
Number of employees: 49
Website: www.nvc.net and www.jamesvalley.com
History: James Valley Cooperative Telephone Company was established out of necessity in 1951 after an earlier sleet storm destroyed many miles of telephone lines. Dial-up Internet service was added in 1995, a few years prior to the formation of the cooperative’s subsidiary, Northern Valley Communications in 1997. Digital cable television service was launched in 2003 giving customers the ability to get phone, Internet and TV services all from one company. After building its own network with over 20 towers, cell service was added in 2007. Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) construction began in 2013 in JVT service towns and in 2019 to rural areas. Anticipating the needs of customers and meeting those needs has led NVC/JVT through a cycle of innovation and growth.
Services offered: Residential and Business Internet, Cell Phone, TV, Phone, Business Phone Systems, Managed IT Services, and Web Hosting
Square miles in service area: 3,850 square miles
Counties in coverage area: Brown, Spink, Day, Faulk, Hand, Clark, & Marshall
Population in coverage area: Approximately 40,000
Expansion areas/current construction: A push to bring Fiber-to-the-Home to the rural areas in their service territory started in 2019. See the below map for fiber construction in rural areas and the corresponding years the work took place.
Notable towns, cities in coverage area: Aberdeen, Groton, and Redfield
Organizations/charities that JVT/NVC supports: JVT awards three $2,000 scholarships to high school seniors each year. NVC/JVT are both dedicated to the local schools in their footprint donating bottled water, financial support to esports and Wi-Fi. Employees engage in their community as volunteer coaches, referees and firefighters as well as serving on charitable boards. They support NSU, Safe Harbor, United Way of Northeastern SD, and the Aberdeen Area Humane Society, among others.
Other interesting facts about company
NVC/JVT has been in business for over 70 years!
They currently have 49 full-time employees with 30 of them having 15 or more years of service. Their combined years of service for all employees is 763.
Former Governor Ralph Herseth served on JVT’s original board of directors.
