COMPANY NEWS
Anniversaries and grant opportunities.
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73RD ANNUAL MEETING RECAP
Win big at the annual meeting.
PAGE 4-5
COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
Wahpeton/ Breckenridge Chamber profile.
PAGE 6-7
SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS
2025 Scholarship awards announcement.
PAGE 8-9
WI-FI FOR THE OUTDOORS
Live your best life outside this summer.
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Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Annual Meeting on April 3rd. It was a pleasure to connect with so many of you, share updates from the past year, and look ahead to what’s coming next. Your continued support and involvement make Red River Communications a strong and vibrant cooperative.
This spring marks the beginning of another exciting construction season. We are proud to launch our Border-toBorder Project in rural North Hawley, extending high-speed fiber broadband to even more rural neighbors. At the same time, we are on track to complete the final 30% of construction in central Wahpeton, bringing reliable, future-ready fiber connectivity to the heart of the Twin Towns.
While we celebrate these milestones, we also face important challenges. The broadband industry is navigating uncertainty as the Universal Service Fund (USF) undergoes scrutiny in the Supreme Court. These proceedings could have lasting impacts on how
rural broadband providers like Red River Communications can continue to deliver affordable service. We remain committed to advocating for policies that support rural connectivity and will keep you informed as the situation develops.
Despite these challenges, we are seeing tremendous momentum in our business services. More local businesses are tapping into the speed and reliability of our fiber network, and many are discovering the convenience of our new hosted phone product. This all-in-one solution is proving to be a game-changer for communication and collaboration.
At Red River Communications, we believe that everyone deserves access to the tools that connect us to opportunity. As we move through 2025, this mission remains at the heart of everything we do.
Sincerely,
- Tom Steinolfson, CEO/GM
2025 FIBER PROJECTS
Find our where RRC will be this summer.
PAGES 11
TOM STEINOLFSON CEO/ GENERAL MANAGER
“Your continued support and engagement make Red River Communications a strong and vibrant cooperative.”
This spring, Red River Communications is proud to celebrate two significant milestones. Lisa Amundson, our dedicated Plant Coordinator, is commemorating her 10th work anniversary. Lisa plays a crucial role in keeping our fiber projects on track and ensuring our field teams have everything they need to keep your service running smoothly.
Additionally, we would like to honor Gary Boutiette for his 20 years of service on our Board of Directors, where he represents the Kent Exchange. Gary has been a steady voice for our members, consistently focused on improving service, supporting rural growth, and guiding the cooperative through times of significant change and progress.
Thank you, Lisa and Gary, for your years of dedicated service to the Cooperative. Please join us in congratulating them and expressing your gratitude for their contributions!
Red River Communications has once again parterened with the CoBank Sharing Success Grant Program 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, 2025 GO TO
10TH
Total Current Assets - $16,400,000
• Cash & CDs - $8,700,000
• Materials & Supplies - $2,200,000
• Accounts Receivable - $5,500,000
Other Assets & Investments - $16,600,000
Telecommunications Plant - $30,000,000
TOTAL ASSETS - $63,000,000
BALANCE SHEET: LIABILITIES & MEMBERS’ EQUITY*
Current Liabilities- $5,000,000
• Current Debt - $1,500,000
• Accounts Payable - $3,200,000
• Other Current Liabilities - $300,000
Long-Term Debt - $12,900,000
Other Long-Term Liabilities - $1,100,000
Total Members’ Equity - $44,000,000
TOTAL LIABILITIES & MEMBERS’ EQUITY - $63,000,000
Operating Revenue - $14,600,000
Operating Expenses - $13,400,000
Margins from Operations - $1,200,000
Non-Operating Margins - $470,000
NET MARGINS - $1,670,000
2023 Margins Allocated in 2024 - $1,180,000
Capital Credit Retirements During 2024 - $630,000
MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR NEXT YEAR! APRIL 9, 2026 | RICHLAND 44 HIGH SCHOOL | COLFAX, ND
The Wahpeton Breckenridge Chamber of Commerce is dedicated to enhancing the visibility of local businesses and promoting Wahpeton, ND, and Breckenridge, MN, as thriving destinations. Their work includes business advocacy, community events, and DMV services. But when their outdated phone system started hindering their efforts, the Chamber turned to Red River Communications for help.
about the Chamber’s mission: to strengthen the local economy by connecting community members and businesses.
Katie Rauber, Executive Director, and Jordan Evenson, Marketing Assistant, took time out of their busy schedules to speak with Red River to share
“We want to encourage people to shop local and reduce the need to travel to places outside our community,” Rauber said.
The Chamber works hard to build community visibility through ribbon cuttings, first-dollar ceremonies, business networking events, and their core summer event, Borderline Chalkfest - on July 12th and 13th, 2025. These efforts are supported by an incredibly active ambassador program that includes 28 representatives from local businesses.
In addition to business support, the Chamber also provides DMV services such as vehicle licensing and tab renewals — making it convenient for residents to access essential services locally.
After rearranging their DMV office, the Chamber experienced connectivity issues with their old phone system. Red River Communications assessed the situation and identified the system as outdated.
“We needed something more modern and flexible,” said Katie. “Red River came in, explained our options, and made it easy.”
“The install team was fantastic,” Evenson said. “They worked around our schedule, answered all our questions, and ensured we were comfortable with everything.” The installation was smooth, with no disruption to their dayto-day operations.
easy transfers, crystal clear calls. It’s night and day from what we had before.”
Besides the userfriendly features and improved call quality, the Chamber saw immediate cost savings. “We’re saving $30 a month with more features and better service,” said Rauber.
Red River’s hosted phone system, powered by Sinch’s advanced cloud technology, offers a flexible, scalable, and cost-effective solution — backed by local expertise and hands-on support.
“Sarah Larson (Red River Communications, Business Sales Executive) provided amazing training,” added Rauber. “The new phones are intuitive—quick dial,
The team is still exploring features and other system capabilities, but they have already seen improvements in day-to-day communication.
“Having someone local matters,” Evenson said. “Red River’s quick response time and understanding of our needs made the difference.”
If your business faces challenges with an outdated phone system, take it from the Wahpeton Breckenridge Chamber: a modern, hosted solution from Red River Communications makes all the difference. To set up a consultation to review your business’s needs, please call our office at 701-553-8309 or go to redrivercomm.com/business.
1505 11 St N, Wahpeton, ND 58075
www.wahpetonbreckenridgechamber.com Follow them on Facebook, Instagram & Linkedin.
Red River Communications is proud to announce the recipients of its 2025 scholarship program, awarding twelve $1,000 scholarships to exceptional high school seniors pursuing higher education.
This year, 45 students from across the Red River’s service area submitted applications. After careful consideration by the scholarship committee, twelve students were selected for demonstrating academic excellence, community involvement, and a clear commitment to their future careers. The scholarships were awarded across four categories: vocational fields, technology, agricultural and various majors.
• Agriculture Scholarship: Sydney Loff, Richland 44 High School
• Technology Scholarship: Paul Armitage, Breckenridge High School
• Vocational Scholarship: Lillian Miranowski, Richland 44 High School
General Scholarships were awarded to the following students:
• Andrew Jean, Hankinson High School
• Ava Krier, Wyndmere High School
• Kalie Boehm, Richland 44 High School
• Zachary Clark, Hankinson High School
• Hattie Jackson, Hawley High School
• Otto Dockter, Richland 44 High School
• Skyler Foertsch, Hankinson High School
• Samantha Dotzenrod, Wyndmere High School
• Kinzee Miller, Wahpeton High School
The Red River scholarship program reflects our continued commitment to strengthening rural communities by supporting education, innovation, and workforce development.
SCHOLARSHIP PAUL ARMITAGE Breckenridge High School VOCATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP
Richland 44 High School
SYDNEY LOFF
Richland 44 High School
Representatives from Red River Communications attend each schools senior awards night and present each student with their scholarship award. Watch our social media accounts for photos of each of these presentations.
2026 SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM APPLICATIONS OPEN DECEMBER 1ST, 2025.
Red River Communications is excited to expand our fiber broadband network this summer. Visit our blog to learn about all the exciting projects we are working on.
Whether you are planning to build a new home, are interested in an outdoor Wi-Fi network, or would like to set up a yard network at your farm site, now is the time to schedule a consultation with our team.
Stop into one of our two offices or give us a call at 701-553-8309 to get your project on our 2025 construction list.
Pocket gophers can cause thousands of dollars in damage to our fiber-optic network. Red River Communications will pay $2 for each pair of pocket gopher front feet caught within our service area.
For more information about the program and details about the program, please contact our office at support@redrivercomm.com or 701-553-8309.
Spring/Summer 2025
Volume 10, Issue 2
The Red River Communications CONNECT newsletter is published quarterly and distributed free of 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, and Donna Thiel
This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
