Blog & Tools

Graham Beynon, a software engineering manager at SDN Communications, was recently featured in SiouxFalls.Business, as an Up-And-Comer in the community and leadership roles with the company.

Fostering relationships has been key to Amber Hopper’s personal life and career, whether on the court or over the phone. She built a career that started in athletics and pivoted to telecommunications - an unusual transition that will become clear in this article.

SDN Communications’ member/owners elected board leadership, including three new leaders to the board of managers.

As a staff member at TrioTel Communications, Heather Kranz saw major transformations over the past 21 years, from digital television options to fiber. The challenges of adapting to ongoing change are what keep Kranz engaged in the industry, especially in her new role as CEO/General Manager of TrioTel Communications, Inc.

How does a business show appreciation to its visionary? In the case of SDN Communications, its data center site northwest of Sioux Falls will be named the Mark Shlanta Technology Park in honor of its late, long-serving CEO. SDN Board of Managers President Denny Law, who also leads SDN Member Company Golden West Telecommunications of Wall made the announcement Wednesday evening at an industry dinner.

Ryan Dutton, SDN Communications’ newly promoted Vice President of Sales learned the industry from the ground up, literally. Dutton spent his high school summers digging ditches for Bevcomm, a rural independent broadband provider based in Blue Earth, Minnesota.

We’re proud to announce that Mark Shlanta, former SDN Communications Chief Executive Officer, will be inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame (SDHoF) this fall.

Ryan Punt didn’t always dream of a career in telecommunications. The Stickney High School grad studied accounting his freshman year of college, at the urging of his parents. But it was the mid-1990s, and this thing called the internet was exploding around the world.

SDN Communications' teams have plenty of projects on their plate for 2022. The fiber footprint is growing more than ever before and the SDN Data Center is doubling in size - all in an effort to support and deliver UPTIME to customers and member companies.

Starting 23 years ago, two young men working to advance South Dakota broadband services met for breakfast before every SDN Communications board meeting. Newly hired SDN CEO Mark Shlanta and newly elected SDN Board President Bryan Roth found value in the face-to-face meetings to drive success for the young company.

Jamie Stanley, a carrier management coordinator at SDN Communications, was recently featured in SiouxFalls.Business, as an Up-And-Comer in the community and leadership roles with the company.

SDN Communications sees the value of investing in employees to foster leadership. So much so, a new program is underway to further develop a culture of personal and professional growth.

With 12-inch thick concrete walls able to withstand an F4 tornado (200+ mph winds), the SDN Communications Data Center northwest of Sioux Falls sometimes gets referred to as the “Bunker,” and now it’s going to double in size for potential future tenants.

One realtor calls the ReConnect project “revolutionary,” and is excited for the possibilities it will bring. “For people who want to live and work remotely in this area, having high-speed internet is imperative. This will be amazing.”

The recent passing of our visionary and former, long-serving CEO Mark Shlanta casts a dark shadow over our office. But as we try to find our bearings in his passing, Vernon Brown shares the more personal leadership gifts he provided.

SDN’s employees and Member Companies mourn the loss of its former, long-time visionary Chief Executive Officer Mark Shlanta. He died February 23, 2022, just more than a week after his 57th birthday and following a two-year battle with cancer.

The independent broadband companies of South Dakota have made huge strides in delivering fiber internet services across the state. In fact, 93% of South Dakota homes, businesses and farms served by rural telecommunication companies are connected by high-speed fiber,

Imagine a world without the reliable services SDN Communications delivers every day. It could be a nightmare for IT professionals, remote workers, and even parents of sick kids trying to do a telehealth visit.

Sarah Tuntland calls herself a problem solver — whether that’s crunching numbers as part of her day job or volunteering with non-profit boards across the community.

Dan Eich is the Director of Wholesale and Carrier Management for SDN Communications, where he’s been employed since 2010. How he got there can be traced back to missing out on a field trip.