On Tuesday, July 14, we all had the opportunity to tour Glenwood Telecommunications’ new corporate headquarters in Blue Hill, Nebraska. We met with the Glenwood leadership team: General Manager Stan Rouse; Human Resources/Marketing/Business Development Manager Jennifer Reiman; Controller Sara Swanson; Acting Assistant General Manager Aaron Wescoat; Outside Plant/Project Manager Josh Henderson). We learned about their roles in the company and the history of Glenwood. The leadership team gave us a tour of their office building and their warehouse, as well as the equipment used to provide service, including fiber.
One thing that stuck out to us was their dedication to customer service. Upon switching from cable to purely fiber, Glenwood’s team went out of their way to educate people on how to use streaming services rather than using cable. They also make frequent house visits that a lot of other companies may not be willing to make in order to assist their customers. They also educate their customers on why it may sometimes be difficult to get fiber to all rural locations. Another thing that stuck out to us was the philosophy the company lives by: “If you're not growing, you're dying.” It was interesting to hear about how they apply this philosophy by acquiring a lot of smaller telecom companies to continue to expand their reach. Finally, hearing about how much auditing they have to go through was interesting. Because of the funding they receive, the government is heavily involved in making sure they spend it appropriately.
We concluded our time with the Glenwood team over lunch at Dick’s Place in Lawrence, Nebraska. In sum, the trip was a great experience and we enjoyed learning more about one of Rembolt Ludtke's corporate clients.
