Things For Which We Are Thankful #9
CA–The Rural Broadband Association, held board elections at the board’s fall meeting. Kevin Beyer, General Manager of Acira (Chokio, MN) powered by Farmers Mutual Telephone Company (Bellingham, MN) and Federated Telephone Cooperative (Chokio, MN), was elected chairman of NTCA.
Beyer has been a member of the NTCA board for four years. With nearly 30 years of experience in the telecommunications industry, he has served on many industry boards, including the NECA Average Schedule Task Group Committee, the Pinnacle Marketing Group Board of Directors and multiple positions with the Minnesota Telecom Alliance. Farmers Mutual Telephone Company and Federated Telephone Cooperative, where Beyer has been at the helm for two decades, are both certified NTCA Gig Capable Providers.
The NTCA board also elected Allen R. Hoopes, CEO/chairman of Silver Star Communications (Freedom, WY), as vice chairman and J. Fredrick “Fred” Johnson, Farmers Telecommunications Cooperative (Rainsville, AL) as secretary/treasurer. Don Richards of Richards, Elder & Gibson, PLLC (Lubbock, TX) was re-elected general counsel.
The following NTCA members will serve on the 2019 board:
- Central Region
Commercial: Doug Boone, Premier Communications (Sioux Center, IA)
Cooperative: Ron Hinds, GRM Networks (Princeton, MO)
- North Central Region
Commercial: John Klatt, Lakeland Communications Group, LLC (Milltown, WI)
Cooperative: Kevin Beyer, Acira (Chokio, MN) powered by Farmers Mutual Telephone Company (Bellingham, MN) and Federated Telephone Cooperative (Chokio, MN)
- Northeast Region
Commercial: Mike Grisham, Shawnee Telephone Company (Equality, IL)
Cooperative: Barry Adair, Wabash Communications Co-Op. (Louisville, IL)
- Northwest Region
Commercial: Allen R. Hoopes, Silver Star Communications (Freedom, WY)
Cooperative: Don Bitz, Triangle Telephone Cooperative, Inc. (Havre, MT)
- Southeast Region
Commercial: H. Keith Oliver, Home Telephone Co. (Moncks Corner, SC)
Cooperative: Fred Johnson, Farmers Telecommunications Cooperative (Rainsville, AL)
- Southwest Region
Commercial: Russell “Rusty” A. Moore, Big Bend Telephone Co. (Alpine, TX)
Cooperative: Bill Hegmann, Southwest Arkansas Telephone Cooperative, Inc. (Texarkana, AR)
November 21, 2018