PRTC serves the community

PRTC CEO Jason Dandridge wasn’t surprised when he learned installation and repair technician Adam Spooner jumped into action to save a dog from a burning house after completing a troubleshooting call in Cottageville.

“I am very proud of Adam for taking the action he did to save not only someone’s pet, but their home,” Dandridge says. “Had he not reacted as quickly as he did, they could have lost everything. He went above and beyond the job description and acted as a good neighbor and friend would do.”

Spooner‘s instinct to help reflects the mindset at PRTC, the locally owned telecommunications and technology provider. The cooperative was founded in 1951 when big corporations wouldn’t provide service to the rural areas and area residents banded together to do it themselves.

PRTC is much more than a telecommunications and technology provider, and that sense of service to the community continues today.

“We think local and support our local residents, businesses and communities,” Dandridge says. “Helping in our community when we can is part of that.”

Most PRTC employees live in the communities where they work and know the customers they serve. “It’s more than just a job,” Spooner says. “We serve in the communities where we work and live.”

While Spooner appreciates the recognition for his actions, he doesn’t believe what he did was all that remarkable. He says any of his co-workers would have done the same. “They would not have hesitated to do the same thing,” Spooner says. “I also believe God puts people in certain places for a purpose, and that was my purpose that day.”

PRTC’s goal is to serve the community in various capacities. For example, the cooperative provides CPR and automated external defibrillator training and certification for all employees, says Cliff Warren, PRTC human resources manager.

Each PRTC location has an AED — a lightweight, portable device that can provide an electrical charge to restart someone’s heart following cardiac arrest. Employees also have first-aid kits on their trucks and can react if needed if an emergency occurs in the field, whether to another employee or someone else.

PRTC also supports the Foundation for Rural Service, which provides scholarships, youth tours and grants. “A big part of our culture here at PRTC is being a part of our community and helping make a difference in the lives of those we serve,” Warren says.