SENIOR COALITION CONNECTS WITH GREAT PLAINS COMMUNICATION

On Tuesday, January 23rd, the Chamber's Senior Coalition Committee traveled north of Kearney to visit the new location of Great Plains Communication. Founded in 1910 by E.C. Hunt as a Nebraska phone company, Great Plains Communications has evolved over the past century into a telecommunications service provider, keeping pace with technology and increasing bandwidth demands to become a leading regional fiber optic network services provider. With over a century of experience, they are a leader in providing fiber-driven services and technology solutions to enterprise, carrier, and residential customers across the Midwest and beyond, powered by their growing 18,000+ mile network.  Coverage includes the state of Nebraska and extends into Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

In 2023, GPC moved their Kearney location into their new building, located at 7310 2nd Ave. The Kearney service center serves communities in Kearney, Lexington, Elwood, Minden, Atkinson, Overton, Grand Island, and Elm Creek.

Hosts Matthew Kauk and Aaron Faucett, both in Commercial Sales, took the group on a guided tour of their new establishment and explained the many services provided.  Our visit began in their lavishly spacious lobby with a comfortable lounge area for existing or potential customers.  They showed us the large rooms for their call center and service technicians, a sizeable conference room, and a beautifully modern kitchen/break room full of delicious homemade treats.  We explored the external warehouse equipped with vast amounts of storage room. 

Matthew and Aaron explained the complexity of how fiber works and why it’s better than cable.  They opened the back garage door to reveal their open yard area which stores large reels of fiber and conduit.  Service Technicians pull through the automatic gates and load the reels on the back of their trucks which come installed with mechanical wheels to help distribute the product. 

Service Technician, Erick Verbeck showed the group the Hub, located outside in a secure building. 

The Hub is the source for all fiber services in the Kearney area.  Safety protocols notify the technicians of any issues before the customer experiences any indicators, allowing continuous, uninterrupted service. 

To learn more about Great Plains Communications, please visit their website at https://gpcom.com/ or by calling 866-698-3229.