PAGE 3 COMPANY NEWS
SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS
Retirement news, and milestone work anniversary.
Meet the 2024 Scholarship Recipients
PAGE 4-5
ANNUAL MEETING
Recap of the 72nd Annual Meeting.
PAGE 6-8
COMMON CENTS AWARDS
Common Cents grant recipients.
PAGE 9
AVOID EMAIL SCAMS
Keeping your information safe from scams.
SUMMER SAFETY
Arlo and RRC have you covered.
PAGE 10 BACK PAGE
The weather in the Red River Valley never ceases to throw us curve balls.
What started as one of the driest springs on record quickly turned into fields flooded with water. Like many farmers and ag-based businesses, rainfall affects our construction crews and fiber build schedules.
Even though our fiber installation projects for 2024 are slightly delayed, we are still on track to finish not one but four large fiber broadband projects by the end of the year. These projects will provide over 1,000 residents and businesses with the best broadband available today. Thank you to all the dedicated Red River employees for making this possible.
Expanding our fiber network comes with the challenge of having a skilled staff to support it. Currently, Red River is seeking dedicated individuals to join our team.
If you’ve ever thought about a career change, now is a great time to join our team at Red River Communications. We offer more than just a job - we provide a fun, hands-on work environment. As a member of our team, you will enjoy a comprehensive health and insurance package, excellent PTO schedules, and complimentary Red River services. It’s a fantastic opportunity to work for your local cooperative.
If this opportunity resonates with you, we invite you to check out our open positions at redrivercomm. com/careers. We’re excited to meet individuals who are as passionate about our mission as we are, and we look forward to discussing how you can contribute to our team.
Have a wonderful and safe summer,
- Tom Steinolfson, CEO/GM
TOM STEINOLFSON CEO/ GENERAL MANAGER
“These (fiber broadband) projects will provide over 1,000 residents and businesses with the best broadband available today.”
Deb Syvertsen retired this spring after over 26 years at Red River Communications.
Starting in 1997, Deb’s first position included accounting duties as well as answering phone calls and providing customer service. After five years, Deb’s drafting background moved her into mapping in the plant department.
Eventually she became Plant & Records Manager and worked extensively with plant records for state and railroad crossing permits. Deb’s management position evolved into updating fiber and broadband maps necessary for regulatory reports and receiving broadband expansion grants.
Her latest role also as Customer Experience Manager included overseeing the customer service and trouble reporting
departments as well as records and mapping. Deb’s knowledge of records and experience in mapping was vital to Red River Communications’ transition to fiber-to-the-home facilities.
Originally from Kent, MN, and a long-time resident of the Abercrombie, ND area, Deb is planning to spend a great deal of her retirement time with her grandchildren. She is also involved with Quilts of Valor, an organization that makes and presents quilts to area military veterans. Deb and her husband Craig have enjoyed vacationing in Texas and plan to continue those excursions.
We thank Deb for her many years of service to Red River Communications and wish her well in retirement!
Thanks, Deb, for 26 great years!
Tyler Johnson - 10 years
This May, Tyler Johnson celebrated ten years with Red River Communications. As a Network Administrator, Tyler works closely with the rest of our network team, installing, designing and maintaining LAN/WAN Networks.
Tyler is a highly valued member of the Red River Communications’ team and we look forward to many more years.
Red River Communications is pleased to announce the 2024 recipients of 12 college scholarships for students pursuing higher education in vocational fields and general studies.
Out of the 49 applications submitted by outstanding high school seniors in the Red River Communications service area, twelve students were awarded $1,000 Red River Communications scholarships.
Eight of these scholarships were general studies scholarships, two were vocational, one was for a student entering technology field of study, and one was for a student entering an agriculture-based college major.
“Choosing recipients from the 49 outstanding applications was not an easy task for our scholarship committee, but an inspirational one,” says Red River Communications CEO Tom Steinolfson.
“Many dedicated and deserving students are looking to continue their education. Red River Communications is proud to help 12 students achieve their future career goals.”
HARLAN DEIKE BOARD PRESIDENT
I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to all those who attended the 72nd Annual Meeting of Red River Communication on April 4th, 2024, in Colfax, ND.
The evening was truly wonderful, filled with engaging conversations, a delicious meal from The Black Pelican (and let’s not forget the mouth-watering cake), and a celebration of our cooperative’s achievements.
I am pleased to report that our cooperative is thriving. Through hard work and strategic planning, the cooperative has consistently been able to give back to our members through capital credit allocations. One of the board of directors’ primary goals is to prioritize our cooperative’s health and prosperity, ensuring its members’ bright future.
We are dedicated to the well-being of our
members and the broader community. We sponsor local youth clubs and activities, support local park boards and fire departments, and encourage our employees and board members to volunteer their time and talents for various community groups and events. Our goal is to make a positive impact beyond our cooperative’s walls.
Every month, we meet to discuss cooperative business, review management reports, and address issues raised by cooperative members. I encourage each of you to bring us your questions, suggestions, and concerns.
Thank you for allowing me to help lead your cooperative this past year.
Harlan Deike Board President & District 4 Director
Total Current Assets- $13.7 Million
• Cash & CDs - $9.0 Million
• Materials & Supplies - $3.0 Million
• Accounts Receivable - $1.7 Million
Other Assets & Investments - $16.9 Million
Telecommunications Plant - $28.0 Million
TOTAL ASSETS - $58.6 Million
Current Liabilities- $4.7 Million
• Current Debt - $1.2 Million
• Accounts Payable - $2.5 Million
• Other Current Liabilities - $1.0 Million
Long-Term Debt- $9.9 Million
Other Long-Term Liabilities - $1.2 Million
Total Members’ Equity - $42.7 Million
TOTAL LIABILITIES & MEMBERS’ EQUITY - $58.6 Million
Operating Revenue - $14.0 Million
Operating Expenses - $12.3 Million
Margins from Operations - $1.7 Million
Non-Operating Margins - ($419,000)
NET MARGINS- $1.3 Million
2022 Margins Allocated in 2023 - $2.77 Million
*All financial numbers are drafts until final audit is complete.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR NEXT YEAR! APRIL 3, 2025 | RICHLAND HIGH SCHOOL | COLFAX, ND
DIRECTORS RE-ELECTED FOR ANOTHER THREE-YEAR TERM:
Tim Viland | District 1 - Abercrombie
Harlan Deike | District 4 - Great Bend
Jerry Janssen | District 7 - Rollag
The CoBank Sharing Success Grant Program works with customers such as Red River Communications to provide grants to charitable organizations and causes. Non-profits and other agencies such as schools & government organizations, can apply. Use of the grants must benefit a community or communities that receive service from Red River Communications. Grants range from $250 to $5,000. Applications Due J uly 10, 2024
Wanda Braton presents the Barnesville Fire Dept. with a $1,000 Grant for specialty flashlights
Congratulations to these deserving organizations who received Common Cents grant funds.
Grant applications and donation information can be found at redrivercomm.com/common-cents.
Quarterly Applications Due: March 1, June 1, Sept. 1 and Dec. 1
Donna Berg Presents the LIDGERWOOD PROGRESSIVE DEV. CORP $500 for a sand volleyball court
WYNDMERE-BARNEY AMBULANCE: $1,000 for automatic pulse equipment
FRIENDS OF THE LEACH PUBLIC LIBRARY: $500 to digitize archived newspapers
for roof replacement on addition
Lou Ann Lee presents a check to the Abercrombie Fire protection district for $250 to go towards a laptop
Email and text messages have become crucial in personal and professional communication in today’s digital age. However, the prevalence of cyber threats, such as phishing emails and texts, requires constant vigilance and selfprotection.
Our Customer Experience team has recently been alerted by our customers about a surge in scam emails falsely claiming to be from Red River Communications. These messages, which we did not send, typically include content like ‘your account will be deactivated ‘, ‘we are upgrading our email system ‘, or ‘update your account information ‘.
Phishing emails and text messages may look like they’re from a company you know or trust - like Red River Communications, your bank, a credit card company, social media platforms like Facebook, online payment apps like Venmo, or an online store.
Phishing emails and text messages often tell a story to trick you into clicking on a link or opening an attachment.
• Delete and discard suspicious email or text message. If you think it might be legitimate, visit our website - or the website the message is referencing - directly instead of clicking on the link in the message to log into your account to ensure you are on the correct website.
• If you enter your information, call us immediately to reset your password and secure your account.
• If you have an old or short password, reset it to a longer, stronger password.
• Learn more at redrivercomm.com/email-scam-tips or call our Customer Experience team at 701-553-8309.
Scammers often pressure you to click on fake links in an email to steal your information or download malware.
Email is an excellent way for us to inform and educate our customers. But we will NEVER ask you for your username or password or verify your account via email.
The Red River Communications team is busy bringing FiberFAST broadband to multiple new communities in 2024. To learn more about the fiber build process and learn about each project visit our fiber projects landing page. For more details, maps & project updates: redrivercomm.com/fiber-projects
Pocket gophers can cause thousands of dollars in damage to our fiber-optic network. Red River Communications will pay $4 for each pair of pocket gopher front feet caught within our service area.
For more information about the program, please contact our office at 701-553-8309.
In compliance with the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020, Minnesota statutes now require each subscriber of a wireline, wireless, or IP-enabled voice service to pay a monthly fee to provide for the robust creation, operation, and maintenance of a statewide 988 suicide prevention and crisis system. This 12 cent/month fee is effective Sept. 1, 2024.
LOIS SZATKOWSKI (701) 242-0123 Residential Hankinson
DALE WEBER (701) 538-4865 Residential Lidgerwood
CALLAHAN MEATS (218) 493-4290 Business Barnesville
WILLERD WARD (701) 274-8867 Residential Mooreton
RANDALL FORD (701) 274-8877 Residential Mooreton
Summer 2024
Volume 9, Issue 2
The Red River Communications CONNECT newsletter is published quarterly for our members. It is distributed freeof-charge to our members and customers in North Dakota, Minnesota and South Dakota.
Harlan Deike
President
District 4 - Great Bend
Rhonda Erbes Vice-President
District 3 - Colfax
Gary Boutiette
Secretary/Treasurer
District 5 - Kent
Tim Viland
District 1 - Abercrombie
Wayne Schindler
District 2 - Barnesville
Joe Pikarski
District 6 - Mooreton
Jerry Janssen
District 7 - Rollag
Ron German
District 8 - Fairmount/Hankinson
Jan Schmit
District 9 - Lidgerwood/ Wyndmere
Red River Communications 510 Broadway | PO Box 136 Abercrombie, ND 58001
7925 180th Ave SE Wahpeton, ND 58075
Questions? Service issues? Call 866-553-8309
RED RIVER CONNECT is produced by the Red River Communications Team.
Contributing writers include: Kari Kleingartner, Tom Steinolfson & Donna Thiel.
This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
