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Industry: Telecommunications

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  1. Ten lessons I learned from my boss, Mark Shlanta
    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.
  2. SDN mourns loss of former CEO Mark Shlanta
    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.
  3. Rural telecommunication companies future-proof SD
    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,
  4. 'Dean of the South Dakota lobbyists' defied stereotype to become industry’s greatest advocate
    One of my best friends, Greg Dean, was a lobbyist – the “Dean of the South Dakota lobbyists” – who earned that designation by representing the reason we have lobbyists in government: Their power for good.
  5. 5 Reasons Why Fiber Internet Edges-out Satellite Service for South Dakota
    With the state of South Dakota’s heavy investment in fiber connectivity for residential and business internet, critics argue satellite services could be the better option. A national internet connectivity expert based in Mitchell says that’s wrong for several reasons.
  6. Local telecoms make progress connecting South Dakotans but work remains
    Investments from federal and state governments as well as the private sector have made a significant impact on expanding broadband access in South Dakota. But there is still work to be done and more dollars needed.
  7. Change in Leadership at SDN Communications
    After more than 21 years as CEO of SDN Communications, Mark Shlanta is stepping down. On Monday, December 20, SDN Vice President of Sales, Ryan Punt, will become CEO and lead the company that has evolved to become an industry-leading provider of telecommunications services.
  8. New fiber route to Denver strengthens SDN network
    An upgraded SDN Communications fiber route to Denver will improve connectivity, performance and UPTIME for companies with offices, warehouses, or other connectivity needs west or south of South Dakota.
  9. Black Hills ReConnect digs in this spring with FARR Technologies at the helm
    Come spring 2022, SDN Communications plans to begin the first of two ReConnect fiber projects. Once complete, it will connect the Black Hills in a way it’s never been before.
  10. SD telecom leaders retire with nearly 70 years of industry leadership
    Three state telecommunications leaders stepped into retirement over the past year after having a front-row seat to the changes in the industry during the past two decades.
  11. The future of the telecommunications industry from two perspectives
    During the 2021 SDTA annual conference in Deadwood, industry experts Dan Caldwell and Carissa Swenson of Consortia Consulting debated the future of the rural broadband industry - where it’s going, how it will be funded and what it will look like.
  12. Passion for technology drives Austin Hansen to new GM role at BMTC
    Beresford native Austin Hansen began his telecommunications career while in high school. He worked at the Beresford Municipal Telephone Company (BMTC) as part of a School-to-Work program.
  13. Governor praises SDTA companies for ‘changing the ballgame’
    Gov. Kristi Noem wants telecommunications professionals in South Dakota to know they’ve changed the lives of people in the state.
  14. Bandemer leads ITC as it expands state-of-the-art broadband services
    As the new General Manager and CEO of ITC, Tracy Bandemer wants to ensure customers across the region continue to experience the most reliable and best possible speeds for services at home, work and school.
  15. Mutziger leading Midstate Communications as new GM
    The telecommunications industry has come a long way over the past two decades. Chad Mutziger with Midstate Communications remembers the excitement of offering speeds up to 56K when the company was referred to as a telephone company.
  16. Gov. Noem Announces 18 New Broadband Grant Awards
    Governor Kristi Noem announced today that 18 new grants have been awarded to fund broadband projects that will better connect unserved and underserved areas across South Dakota.
  17. The law that will forever change SD's economy
    It’s important we acknowledge neither the telephone nor electric service would have ever reached rural South Dakota without a government investment triggering a public partnership benefitting us yet today. The same can be said of high-speed broadband service.
  18. Governor Kristi Noem Announces 24 Broadband Grant Awards
    Governor Kristi Noem announced today that 24 grants have been awarded to fund broadband projects to better connect unserved and underserved areas across South Dakota.
  19. Build Dakota scholarship offers debt-free tech degrees in high-need careers
    2020 Mitchell Technical Institute graduate Connor Wendland’s face has appeared on several marketing pieces, including a billboard banner visible along Interstate 90. He wasn’t paid for his modeling gig but he did graduate debt-free thanks to the Build Dakota scholarship program.
  20. Housing investments saving small towns, helping businesses grow
    Located about 15 miles from Mitchell, Mount Vernon is perhaps best known as the hometown of former NFL linebacker Chad Greenway. But the notoriety hasn’t been enough to keep the population from declining, and a lack of housing kept it from growing.