Hello and Goodbye
RTC meeting marks management changes, company progress
By Jerry W. Kram
The times they are a’changing, and nowhere was that more evident at the 64th Annual Meeting of the Reservation Telephone Cooperative 64th Annual Meeting held in Parshall on June 18. The meeting’s theme, "Looking backward, Moving Forward," reflected the changes in the cooperative and its customer base.
The event drew one of the biggest crowds in years, with 324 voting cooperative members in attendance, nearly twice as many as attended last year’s meeting. After a meatball supper served by the cooperative’s employees, the business meeting began.
Part of the change for the cooperative was the election of two new directors to replace outgoing directors Hilman Anderson and Dennis Heer. Glenn Schreiner was elected on a unanimous ballot to replace Anderson as the director from District 5, representing Douglas, Makoti, Max, Roseglen and Ryder. There was a contested election to replace Heer, who represented District 2A of Mandaree, New Town and Ross. Jared Eagle defeated Duane Estovold by a vote of 199 to 102. Both men are from New Town.
Board President Jeanette Hoff and Financial Manager David Aamot outlined the cooperative’s growth over the last year. Aamot reported that RTC’s revenue grew from $26 million to $29.8 million from 2013 to 2014. Expenses grew from $22.7 million to $26.5 million, leaving net revenues stable at about $3.3 million. RTC’s assets grew even more rapidly, from $93.1 million in 2013 to $108.2 million in 2014.
