NETWORK CONNECTIONS Quarter 4 | 2021
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Building for the Future Page 3:
Annual Meeting—Oct. 21 Page 6:
Connected Careers
A letter from our
General Manager/CEO Kent Schimke
BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE Thankful for Our Members
The shift in seasons from summer to fall brings a change to the weather, with cooler temperatures and shorter days. It is a reminder of the constant change in life and in business.
This fall, work will continue in Mapleton as staff are finishing work to install main lines and placing fiber drops to individual homes and businesses until the ground freezes.
As we reflect on this past year, the challenges we face because of COVID-19, the changes in how business operates and the growth DRN ReadiTech has made despite these challenges, we continue our commitment to provide you the best services available.
In the City of Horace, the project is progressing. If weather stays warm, crews plan to place fiber drops to customer premises north of Wall Avenue.
We will continue building for the future as we monitor new and emerging technology allowing us to best serve you and our future generations.
DRN’s 71st Annual Meeting—October 21
Please join us for DRN’s 71st annual meeting on Thursday, October 21 at the Ellendale Public School. We are continuing to monitor the COVID-19 situation in our state and area and are committed to do our part to keep our employees and customers healthy. Currently, we plan to hold the meeting in person and look forward to seeing you in the safest manner possible.
Eastern North Dakota Fiber Expansion Project
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As part of our strategic plan to connect rural North Dakota to the fastest Internet with fiber-to-the-home service, we have made great progress this summer in Cassleton and Mapleton. In recognition of these accomplishments, we celebrated the grand opening of our Casselton office while crews continue connecting customers to the main fiber lines.
If you’re interested in learning more about our ReadiTech Fiber project in Eastern North Dakota, please visit readitech.com/fiber.
Best wishes for a safe and healthy holiday season
We are thankful for you, our members. On behalf of DRN ReadiTech, thank you for being part of our cooperative and our communities. Best wishes for a safe and healthy holiday season!
Kent Schimke
ANNUAL MEETING REPLAY Can’t make it to the annual meeting? Watch the replay airing at noon and 7 p.m. Tuesday, October 26 on DRN TV Channel 102.
E H T R O F G BUILDIN
E R U T FU Join Us for the 2021 Annual Meeting
Thursday, October 21 at Ellendale Public School Registration & Meal 4:30 – 5:45 p.m. Meeting 6 p.m.
DOOR PRIZES! Win Up to $900 Cash!
Board members up for re-election at this year’s annual meeting:
Arden Falk, Fort Ransom District 3: Fort Ransom, Kathryn & Verona exchanges
Sidney Meidinger, Fredonia District 4: Fredonia & Jud exchanges
Dan Girard, Ellendale District 10: Ashley, Edgeley, Ellendale, Kulm & LaMoure exchanges
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Help shape the future of your cooperative— vote in your Annual Meeting The significance of the cooperative elections is an important governance tool – a vital cooperative pillar and allowing members to shape the future of your organization. The rights, responsibilities, and privilege of being a cooperative member, grants each member an equal vote regardless of what volume of business they do with the cooperative. The voting process is there to serve the best interests of the cooperative. “DRN asks each voting member to take advantage of your unique responsibility to directly influence the future of your cooperative. Your opinion is important and valuable to us,” said Kent Schimke, DRN ReadiTech CEO/general manager. All members are encouraged to attend their annual meeting to learn more about their cooperative and vote. According to DRN Board President Ralph Neu, “The more input by our members, the more closely DRN can meet your needs.” Make your voice heard! Join us at this year’s Annual Meeting on Thursday, Oct. 21, 6 p.m. at the Ellendale Public School. A complimentary meal will be served from 4:30 to 5:45 p.m. before the meeting.
~ Annual Meeting Notice and Annual Report will be mailed to members early October. ~
ADD A JOINT NAME TO YOUR ACCOUNT If you’ve never given authorization to add a joint name to your account, DRN cannot allow him/ her, whether it be a spouse or roommate, to vote at the annual meeting or make changes to your account. By adding a joint name, the primary person is allowing the joint name to add services, inquire about billing, charges, etc. Call 344-5000 now to add a joint name to your account, or download and print the “Joint Name & Voting Rep. Form” online at www.drtel. com/annualmeeting. E-mail completed form to: customerservice@drtel.com or, mail to: DRN, P.O. Box 69, Ellendale, ND 58436-0069.
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Annual Meeting Election Process Printed below is a section of the DRTC’s bylaws, which explains the election process. Please review the nomination process and plan to attend the annual meeting to take part in your telecommunications cooperative. IV. ELECTION PROCESS: It is imperative that members be provided with a summary of the bylaws section on the election process prior to the nomination of candidates for board positions. The Rural Utilities Service (RUS) requires that Dickey Rural Telephone Cooperative provide a summary of the bylaws section on the election process prior to the nomination of candidates for board positions. SECTION 4.4 Nominations: It shall be the duty of the board to appoint a committee on nominations consisting of nine (9) members, one from each District. No member of the board may serve on such committee. The committee shall prepare and post at the principle office of the Cooperative at least thirty (30) days before the meeting a list of nominations for directors to be elected. (Any fifteen or more members acting together may make other nominations by petition not less than twenty (20) days prior to the meeting and the Secretary shall post such nominations at the same place where the list of nominations made by the committee is posted.) The secretary shall be responsible for the mailing of the notice of the meeting and a statement of the number of directors to be elected, the names and addresses of the candidate, specifying separately the nominations by the committee and the nominations made by petition, if any, said notice and statement to be mailed at least ten (10) days before the date of the meeting.
COMPANY NEWS
DRN ReadiTech welcomes new team members Carter King joined DRN ReadiTech as a marketing specialist. A Dilworth, Minnesota native, King is a graduate of Concordia College in Moorhead. He works from the Fargo office. Jon Langeliers is the new outside network operations specialist in Oakes. Before joining DRN ReadiTech, he worked at Bobcat in Gwinner. Langeliers is originally from Beulah. Also joining the Oakes office is Kaylee Brummund. Originally from Oakes, Brummund previously worked at Dakota Pediatric Dentistry in Fargo. She returned to Oakes and recently started as a customer care specialist. DRN ReadiTech welcomes Brent Haugen to the team in Casselton, where he is working as a network analyst. Haugen, Casselton, worked at Corporate Technologies before coming on board at DRN ReadiTech.
Kaylee Brummund Customer Care Specialist
Carter King
Marketing Specialist
Jon Langeliers
Outside Network Operations Specialist
Brent Haugen Network Analyst
Summer Celebrations
EDGELEY FORT RANSOM
We were so happy to be back in the communities with you this summer after a long 2020! DRN ReadiTech employees took part in the Dickey County Fair, Ellendale; the Ransom County Fair, Lisbon; and the Sargent County Fair, Forman. We also joined several summer parades throughout DRN service territory. In August, we had a fun time serving over 300 people in Edgeley and Fort Ransom at the Annual DRN ReadiTech Customer Appreciation Picnics. In our eastern North Dakota fiber expansion areas, we enjoyed meeting with new customers at our Community Picnic in Casselton and Mapleton’s Summerfest. We also participated in Bean Days in Horace, took part in the Back to School Open House in Mapleton and held a Groundbreaking Ceremony in Horace. We wrapped up the summer events with our Casselton Office Grand Opening Ribbon Cutting Celebration and Mapleton Days. Thank you to all our customers who attended these special events! Watch for DRN ReadiTech at fun, family events near you next summer!
CASSELTON
Thank you!
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WITH BROADBAND, NORTH DAKOTANS ARE BUILDING SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSES RIGHT FROM THE RURAL COMMUNITIES THEY LOVE There was a time when folks had to move to big cities to pursue their big dreams—but times have changed. Today, small towns in North Dakota have access to faster Internet than some of the largest cities in America. The member organizations that form the Broadband Association of North Dakota, including DRN ReadiTech, have laid over 40,000 miles of fiber across the state, enabling download AND upload speeds exceeding 1 Gig and empowering dreamers to build successful businesses right from the rural communities they love. From a guitar instructor in Kindred to a medical spa in Williston, BAND member providers and their customers are proving that you don’t have to give up small-town life just to pursue your big-city dreams.
Small Towns, Big Dreams In Kindred, Fargo native Steve Stine relies on broadband from MLGC to live-stream guitar lessons to aspiring artists around the world. As the face of GuitarZoom, Steve has amassed almost a million subscribers across two YouTube channels and become a mentor to some of music’s biggest stars, like pop sensation Shawn Mendes. “My videos are getting viewed all over the world, all the time,” Steve said. “I'm able to do things that a lot of my friends that live in bigger cities can't even do. They don’t have those speeds at their homes.”
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CONNECTED CAREERS continued from page 6. A few hours north, in Edinburg, Katie Skoog has turned her passion for crafting into profit through Simple Life Pattern Company. Katie specializes in creating sewing patterns for women, girls, and babies. And with high-speed Internet from Polar Communications, she is able to sell her patterns to an international market without ever leaving her home. Simple Life Pattern Company currently sells PDF sewing patterns in Germany, Australia, Norway, Singapore, and more. Katie can control it all from the comfort of her home in rural North Dakota. “I love my little town of Edinburg,” Katie said. “Being able to work from home, on my computers, and do everything in my living room to support my family, that’s the best feeling ever and I wouldn’t change it for the world.” And on the other side of the state, in Williston, Victoria Claire is caring for her community as the general manager of Destiny Med Spa. Drawn by the easy-going pace of small-town life, Victoria moved from the bustling metropolis of Las Vegas to western North Dakota in 2015. Today, she relies on broadband by Nemont Telephone Cooperative to communicate with patients and connect them with industry-leading health solutions. “Having broadband Internet is vital to our business because it gives us greater efficiency,” Victoria said. “We couldn’t operate without it.”
The Perfect Combination Whether it was escaping the hustle and bustle, reconnecting with nature, or providing a better quality of life for their children, Steve, Katie, and Victoria each had their own reasons for relocating to rural North Dakota. Much like their motivation, their businesses run the gamut: from e-commerce to brick-andmortar, from music to medicine.
To learn how upgrading your broadband can help your business, go to drnreaditech.coop.
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OCTOBER IS CO-OP MONTH October is Co-op Month. A time to recognize the accomplishments and contributions of member-owned cooperatives across America. Cooperatives are different from other businesses. As a co-op, DRN doesn’t have to answer to distant investors. Instead, we focus on meeting the needs of our member-owners and building connections within our communities. A lot has changed since Dickey Rural Telephone Cooperative was created to bring telephone service to rural southeastern North Dakota in 1950. Today, we serve 32 communities with 100% fiber-optic infrastructure providing Gigabit speed Internet and other vital connections. We are proud to continuing offering the best telecommunications services available and improving the quality of life everywhere we serve.
To celebrate, we are joining other local co-ops to sponsor FREE popcorn at the following volleyball games! Oct. 7 LaMoure*/Litchville/Marion vs South Border Oct. 12 Sargent County vs. Wyndmere/Liderwood @ Milnor* Oct. 14 Ellendale* vs. Lisbon Oct. 14 Oakes* vs Linton/HMB Oct. 19 Edgeley*/Kulm/Montpelier vs. Ellendale Oct. 25 Edgeley/Kulm/Montpelier @ Napoleon/GS @ Gackle* Oct. 28 Sargent County @ Tri-State @ Rosholt, SD* *Designates locations of match
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DRN READITECH GIVES BACK Ransom County Historical Society receives donation for building repairs to help reach its mission of preserving local culture and educating visitors.
Ransom County Historical Museum
DRN ReadiTech is committed to investing the communities we serve and improving the quality of life. In the spirit of that commitment we recently donated to the Ransom County Historical Society Museum renovation project. The donation will go towards making structural repairs to the museum’s outer wall. The Ransom County Historical Society maintains and shares the history and culture of the county and state with visitors every year.
Rural Development Finance Corporation awards grant to Lisbon Park District’s mini golf course to create a safe, family fun activity for future generations. DRN ReadiTech is a proud member of the Rural Development Finance Corporation (RDFC). As a result, communities in our service area are eligible to apply for a grant. RDFC recently awarded a grant to the Lisbon Park District to upgrade the over 20-year-old mini golf course. The donation will go towards adding a self-service golf putter stand, new hole obstacles, picnic tables, benches, sidewalks and a new fence.
Lisbon Mini Golf Course
Our offices will be closed
Statement of Non-Discrimination Dickey Rural Telephone Cooperative (DRN) is a recipient of federal financial assistance from the Rural Utilities Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and is subject to the provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended and the rules and regulations of the U.S. Department of Agriculture which provide that no person in the United States on the basis of race, color, national origin, age or disability shall be excluded from participation, in admission or access to, denied the benefits of, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination under any of this organization’s programs or activities. The person responsible for coordinating this organization and subsidiaries nondiscrimination compliance efforts is Kent Schimke, general manager. Any individual, or specific class of individuals, who feels that this organization has subjected them to discrimination may obtain further information about the statutes and regulations listed above from and/or file a written complaint with this organization; or USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call (202) 720-5964 (voice or TDD). Complaints must be filed within 180 days after the alleged discrimination. Confidentiality will be maintained to the extent possible
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READITECH ENGINEERING IS NOW HIRING Are you awesome? We have openings! Engineering Technicians, Designers, Engineers, and Right-of-Way Specialists Our new ReadiTech Engineering division is looking for Seasonal Engineering Technicians I and II; and soon seeking Designers, Engineers, and Right-of-Way Specialists to join our team! At ReadiTech Engineering, we look for the very best people and give them meaningful work to do. Those who choose to work for us are joining a leading cyber-first engineering firm. We are committed to blending industry expertise and advanced technology to deliver stellar service. If you enjoy problem solving, multi-tasking, technology, and are AWESOME - Apply online today! Go to engr.readitech.com
For a full schedule visit
Catch local sports action on BEK Sports, channel 104, BEK Sports Plus+ East, channel 195 and BEK Sports Plus+ West, channel 196. Date Fri.. Oct. 1 Sat. Oct. 2 Sun. Oct. 3 Tue. Oct. 5 Tue. Oct. 5 Thu. Oct. 7 Thu. Oct. 7 Fri. Oct. 8 Sat. Oct. 9 Sun. Oct. 10 Tue. Oct. 12 Tue. Oct. 12 Wed. Oct. 13 Fri. Oct. 15 Fri. Oct. 15 Sat. Oct. 16 Mon. Oct. 18 Mon. Oct. 18 Thu. Oct. 21 Fri. Oct. 22 Sat. Oct. 23 Sat. Oct. 23 Sun. Oct. 24 Tue. Oct. 26 Tue. Oct. 26 Thu. Oct. 28 Thu. Oct. 28 Fri. Oct. 29 Sat. Oct. 30 Sun. Oct. 31
It’s never too early Description High School Football Fargo Davies vs Mandan High College Football Mayville State vs Valley City State Women's College Soccer Upper Iowa vs Minot State High School Volleyball South Border vs Wilton-Wing High School Volleyball Mandan vs Minot High High School Volleyball Kenmare vs Stanley High School Volleyball St. Mary's vs Dickinson High School Football Bismarck Century vs Bismarck High College Football MSU-Moorhead vs Minot State Women's College Soccer MSU-Moorhead vs Minot State High School Volleyball Jamestown High vs Mandan High High School Volleyball Oakes vs Carrington College Volleyball Lake Region State vs Bismarck State High School Football Jamestown High vs TBD High School Football Ellendale-Edgeley-Kulm vs Linton-HMB High School Football Playos 9B 1st Round High School Volleyball Sisseton (SD) vs Sargent County High School Volleyball Shiloh Christian vs Linton-HMB High School Football Legacy High vs Mandan High Women's College Soccer Minnesota State Mankato vs Minot State College Football Upper Iowa vs Minot State High School Football Playos 11B 1st Round Women's College Soccer Concordia St. Paul vs Minot State High School Volleyball Mandan High vs St. Mary's Central High School Volleyball Lisbon vs Sargent County College Volleyball University of Mary vs Minot State High School Volleyball Central McLean vs Wilton-Wing High School Football Playos 11AA Qtr Final Round College Football Minnesota Duluth vs Minot State Women's College Soccer Bemidji State vs Minot State
Time Channel 6:30 p.m. 104 2 p.m. 104 1 p.m. 104 7 p.m. 195 & 196 7 p.m. 104 7 p.m. 195 & 196 8 p.m. 104 7 p.m. 104 1 p.m. 104 1 p.m. 104 7 p.m. 104 7 p.m. 195 & 196 7 p.m. 104 7 p.m. 104 7 p.m. 195 & 196 1 p.m. 104 7:30 p.m. 195 & 196 7:30 p.m. 104 7 p.m. 104 5 p.m. 104 11 a.m. 104 2 p.m. 104 1 p.m. 104 7 p.m. 104 7 p.m. 195 & 196 7 p.m. 104 7 p.m. 195 & 196 7 p.m. 104 1 p.m. 104 1 p.m. 104
To start your holiday planning. Does that include faster Internet?
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NEW LISTINGS Dickey 778 Amanda Rosencrans...................... 778-7632
VACATION RATES FOR SNOWBIRDS
Ellendale 349 Maverick Ag...................................... 349-2539 Frieda Keller...................................... 349-5060
Going south for the winter and wondering what to do with your telecommunications services while your gone? DRN ReadiTech offers vacation rates for customers who leave their residence for less than six months. You can lower your monthly bill by putting your services on vacation rate. To place your service on vacation rate, simply call DRN ReadiTech at 344-5000 to sign up or request online at drnreaditech.coop. A one-time service fee of $25 applies. There is no charge to reconnect within six months of placing service on vacation rate.
Forman 724 Sargent Co. Forman Ambulance.................. .............................................................. 724-3358 Gwinner 678 John Ayers......................................... 678-2291 LaMoure 883 Alice Mueller.................................... 883-4486 Lisbon 683 The Market........................................ 683-3453 NDSU Extention HDFS.................. 683-5535 Cynthia Olson, CPA........................ 683-7064 Lyle Olson.......................................... 683-5643 Walock Johnson Ins Agency....... 683-7446
It’s never too early
To start your holiday planning. Does that include faster Internet? The holidays will be here before you know it. Kids home from school, relatives visiting, and more bandwidth hungry devices in the home. Now’s a great time to upgrade to a faster plan, so you’ll be ready for the online activities related to Thanksgiving & Christmas — researching recipes, ordering groceries, compiling playlists, reviewing Black Friday ads, planning your holiday shopping, streaming football or the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Receive a Wireless Speaker! Sign up or upgrade your Internet speed AND download the DRN ReadiTech Wi-Fi App.
To sign up call, 344-5000 or go online: drnreaditech.coop Promotion good Nov. 1 - Dec. 31, 2021. Some restrictions apply. Contact DRN ReadiTech for more details.
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This institution is an equal-opportunity provider and employer.
PO Box 69 Ellendale, ND 58436
thanks
Happy holidays & for being a customer! Our offices will be closed the following days for our staff to spend time with loved ones:
Veteran’s Day • Thursday, Nov. 11 Thanksgiving • Thursday, Nov. 25 & Friday, Nov. 26 Christmas Eve • Friday, Dec. 24
Headquarters 9628 Hwy 281 | PO Box 69 Ellendale, ND 58436
Lisbon Office 16 4th Ave W Lisbon, ND 58054
Oakes Office 103 6th St S Oakes, ND 58474