Dakota Central - 2020 Summer Newsletter

THE

LINK

Summer 2020

Page 2:

Letter from our General Manager:

Mother nature has thrown us all many obstacles to overcome this year.

All we can do is adapt, overcome, and prepare for the unexpected.

Page 4:

Scholarship Winners Dakota Central has awarded $5,500 in Scholarships.

Page 6:

Business Spotlight

Davoni’s in Jamestown is now open and

serving up authentic, homemade Italian dishes.

A letter from our

General Manager I never expected to see a winter and spring quite like this one!

Mother nature has thrown us all many obstacles to overcome this year. All we can do is adapt, overcome, and prepare for the unexpected.

As of June 1, all employees have resumed working in-office and we have re-opened our lobbies to the public, while following recommended guidelines to keep our employees and customers safe. However, we continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation locally and nationally and are prepared to make any changes to operations if necessary.

With precautions taken to avoid exposure

to COVID-19, we stopped prewiring homes for the upcoming construction project in the rural Spiritwood, Pingree and Buchanan areas, which leaves us a bit behind on where we expected to be at this time. In mid-May we again started the pre-wiring and are diligently working to stay a head of the construction crews. Due to the limited availability of fiber resources and crews, construction also began later than usual this year. However, we are hopeful the construction crews are able to work through the summer without setbacks due to weather. Services will be turned up as they are ready; we expect to begin connecting customers as early as September.

With the uncertainty and risk of the coronavirus pandemic, the Board of Directors made the decision to postpone this year’s Annual Membership

Meeting, which was to be held in June. The meeting has not been rescheduled at this time, as we wait to see how the situation unfolds through the summer. Towards the end of the summer the board will assess if it is safe to hold a meeting later this fall based on the current risk level and recommended guidelines.

We recently launched a new streaming video service, which allows customers to access our full channel lineup on their own devices without the need for set-top boxes. The timing of the roll-out in April was opportune, as we were able to connect customers to StreamingTV without the need to enter homes to install set-top boxes and program remotes. While we are now entering homes again with precaution, StreamingTV is a great contactless option that you can start using immediately. Please give us a call if you’d like to know more about StreamingTV or want to sign up!

I wish you all a safe and healthy summer as activities and business slowly return to normal!

- Keith Larson CEO/GM

Company

News New Faces

Janell Lynne Customer Service Rep

Beth Kollman Dispatcher

Dakota Central is pleased to announce two new additions to the team in Jamestown.

Janell Lynne joined in April as a Customer Service Rep. She has over 13 years of experience in customer service and the telecommunications industry. Being familiar with the software and industry language, she has jumped right in! Stop by the Jamestown office and say “Hi!” to Janell!

Beth Kollman also joined us in April as a Dispatcher in Jamestown. Beth has previous experience in dispatch in the telecommunications industry as well. We are happy to have her on the team!

Former Customer Service Rep Melissa Vetter has transitioned to a Dispatch role in Jamestown, and was eager to learn another aspect of the business!

Congratulations, Mark!

In May we said “See ya around” to Mark Johnson, as he retired after almost 24 years of service at Dakota Central. With our offices closed during that time, we improvised with a socially distant Zoom retirement party and celebrated virtually with Mark. In retirement Mark plans to take up fishing as a professional hobby, and spend more time with his son and dog. Dakota Central thanks Mark for his years of service, and wishes him good health, good times and the best of luck in retirement!

Melissa Vetter Dispatcher

2020 Service Award Winners A big THANK YOU to our wonderful employees and directors for their dedication and hard work throughout the years. We wouldn’t be here without you!

We would like to recognize the following employees for their years of service and commitment to Dakota Central. Thank you for all that you do!

Brad Klocke – 15 years of service Ryan Fisher – 15 years of service Lori Solberg – 20 years of service Holly Utke – 20 years of service Melissa Vetter – 20 years of service Joel Willey – 20 Years of service Quentin Spitzer – 20 years of Service Brian Paulson – 20 years of service Troy Roundy – 25 years of service

Scholarship

Winners 2020 Dakota Central Awards $5,500 in Scholarships Dakota Central is proud to announce the 2020 Dakota Central Scholarship winners! Five $1,000 scholarships have been awarded to outstanding graduating seniors whose parents or guardians are customers of Dakota Central. The Jerry Eissinger Memorial Scholarship of $500 has been awarded to the top scoring applicant, in addition to the $1,000 Dakota Central Scholarship.

Applicants were judged on community activities, school activities, financial need, grades and achievement.

Consideration was also given to those looking to pursue a career in the telecommunications or technology industry, as well as those looking to return to a rural area after college.

This marks the 20th year of the scholarship program having awarded over $100,000 to date. Dakota Central is proud to offer the scholarship program to show its commitment to area youth.

Hats off to this year’s Dakota Central Scholarship winners and to the entire class of 2020!

Madison Richter Carrington Jyl Kostelnik

Alayna Martinez

Jerry Eissinger Memorial Scholarship

Carrington

Nate and Lindsy Pavelko

Cassidy Neuman Carrington Julie and Lyle Neuman

Benjamin Zuther Buchanan Michelle Zuther

Marah Schmitz Carrington

Jim and Kim Schmitz

Because we live in the communities we serve, Dakota Central employees are committed to giving back to our communities by lending a helping hand where needed Here are some of the organizations our employees are currently involved in: School Board • City Council • Job Development Authority • Community Development Board Park Board • Rotary Club • Lions Club • Eagles Club • Kiwanis Club • Knights of Columbus Rural/City Fire Department • Church Committees • 4H Leaders • Make-A-Wish

Buisness Spotlight:

Davoni’s

Now open and serving up authentic, homemade Italian dishes is Davoni’s in Jamestown. Davone Mitchell (“Chef D”) is the manager and head chef of the new restaurant. After delaying opening earlier this spring due to COVID-19, Davone is happy to be up and running with a full staff but limited menu available for dine-in or take-out.

Using original recipes, the chefs prepare homemade meatballs, lasagna, marinara sauce and bread from scratch every morning.

“We want to offer a unique menu and highquality, affordable food that’s of value to Jamestown,” Chef D said. “There’s a lot of passion and love that goes into our dishes.”

He explained how every dish is made to order; “we’ve been asked why it takes 15-20 minutes for the food to come out, but we are crafting every dish for you, and that takes time.”

Davoni’s now able to operate at full capacity, which is fifty occupants. However, they are still struggling with supply chain shortages.

Their menu includes staple items for now, like pasta, appetizers and salads, with plans to add specialty items when available. Chef D explained he has plans to add filet mignon with specialty toppings, seafood dishes and other unique items to the menu as soon as adequate supply is available.

Another interesting feature is their wine selection. “We had wine consultants come out and craft our wines to pair specifically with our dishes,” Chef D said.

In order to keep the business running smoothly and efficiently, Dakota Central has set Davoni’s up with Business-Class Managed Wi-Fi that includes two access points, which allows them to run their point-of-sale system and process credit cards securely. This also enables them to have a dedicated Guest Network that employees and customers can use, without compromising the business network.

Something that is becoming increasingly popular in businesses and in some cases a necessity, are security camera systems. For the protection of the business, employees and patrons, a high-definition camera system was installed at Davoni’s by Dakota Central, which can be monitored remotely on a mobile device or web browser.

Davoni’s is a welcomed addition to the Jamestown restaurant scene, and we are glad they are finally open for business! If you’re looking to try something new and delicious in town, you can’t go wrong with the meatballs!

STREAM HERE TV MADE FOR YOU Patio season has arrived! StreamingTV brings you a whole new entertainment experience. Say hello to free features like HD, DVR, Restart/Replay TV, and our favorite, Video-On-Demand! Watch your favorite shows and movies live or on-demand anytime, anywhere.

FOR A LIMITED TIME, SIGN UP AND GET

ONE MONTH FREE! Call today to sign up risk-free! No commitments, cancel anytime!

604 18th St SW, Jamestown, ND 58401

Summer Construction Update

Win a $25 credit on your next Dakota Central bill! Just return this coupon by July, 31st 2020 to be eligible for the drawing.

Congratulations to last issue’s winner:

Construction season is here! We’re happy to report that construction has begun in the rural Pingree, Buchanan and Spiritwood areas, after setbacks due to limited available resources. We are back to wiring homes to prepare for service, and are hopeful that customers will be connected by early fall, pending any weather set-backs.

Kevin Walford, Warwick

NAME

PHONE NUMBER

CARRINGTON OFFICE 630 5th St. N Carrington, ND 58421 p: 701.652.3184 f: 701.674.8121

OFFICE HOURS 8am-4:30pm M-F To report trouble call your local office and follow prompts

JAMESTOWN OFFICE 604 18th St. SW Jamestown, ND 58401 p: 701.952.1000 f: 701.952.1001

INTERNET HELP DESK HOURS 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

DAKOTACENTRAL.COM l 652.3184 OR 952.1000

this institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer.