Blog & Tools

Popular Resources

Topic: Member Companies

  1. SDN Communications Board of Managers elects executive team, new member
    The SDN Communications Board of Managers elected its leadership and added a new member at a pair of recent meetings.
  2. New Venture Communications CEO has a love of leadership and a passion for rodeo
    Fay Jandreau was drawn to the telecommunications industry because of the technology. But when he's not working for Venture Communications as the new CEO, you might find him at the rodeo.
  3. Venture general manager, a true leader, retires
    When Randy Houdek retired as CEO and general manager of Venture Communications Cooperative at the end of November - after 33 years with the company - the state lost a respected leader with deep influence in the telecommunications industry.
  4. Keeping healthcare accessible in rural South Dakota
    Horizon Health Care operates 32 clinics in 22 communities across South Dakota, providing crucial healthcare to rural residents. SDN Communications and its members want to make sure Horizon can continue this important work.
  5. Former long-time SDN Board President Bryan Roth loses fight with cancer
    Long-time SDN Board President Bryan Roth died on Labor Day after battling cancer for years. As the general manager of TrioTel Communications in Salem, he served on the SDN board for 19 years and helped shepherd the company’s remarkable growth.
  6. SDN mourns loss of board member Rod Bowar of Kennebec
    SDN Communications and its Member Companies mourn the loss of long-time board member Rod Bowar, owner of Kennebec Telephone Company.
  7. Internet is coming to Sioux Falls’ neighboring communities
    Alliance was awarded a little more than $6 million to expand its broadband fiber network farther into the southern Canton area. The expansion will bring consistent, high-speed internet services to the Larsons for the first time since they bought their acreage 10 years ago.
  8. SDN Communications' membership elects three new industry leaders
    SDN Communications’ member/owners elected board leadership, including three new leaders to the board of managers.
  9. Heather Kranz leads TrioTel’s 100% fiber network into the future
    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.
  10. Former SDN CEO, board president bonded over advancing broadband, living with cancer
    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.
  11. 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,
  12. People are at the center of our 'Top 2021 Articles'
    When it comes down to it, people want to read about other people and how technology affects those people. So, it should be no surprise to learn that SDN Communications' top blog article of 2021 was about two people in the company.
  13. A partnership connecting kids to education
    When the pandemic forced schools to switch to virtual learning in 2020, Crow Creek Tribal School was no exception. But for many of the students there, virtual learning was impossible because they did not have access to the internet.
  14. Broadband grant helps deliver life-changing connectivity to West Edgemont area
    Converting rural western South Dakota customers over to fiber optics within 10 years is a giant undertaking. A federal grant is helping make that possible for some customers in 2021.
  15. 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.
  16. 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.
  17. 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.
  18. 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.
  19. 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.
  20. 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.