March - SkyLine Membership Corporation

March 2007
Alleghany - Ashe - Avery - Watauga - Johnson
TheConnection
Business Profile
R.C. Mitchell
President
John Dixon
Chief Executive
Officer
Sandie Bower
Chief Marketing
and Sales Officer
Kim Shepherd
Customer Service
Manager
Karen P. Powell
Public Relations
Director & Editor
Customer Service
Center
Dial 118 if calling from
one of SkyLine's 12
exchanges.
Outside service area
1 (800) 759-2226
Repair Service
Dial 611 if calling
locally. Outside local
service area:
Toll Free
1 (877) 475-9546
(1-877-4SKYLINE)
www.skyline.org
The Connection
Published monthly
for members of
SkyLine Membership
Corporation.
Price says the company
purchases green lumber
from lumber mills within
a 100- to 200-mile radius,
When Catawissa Lumber & Specialty
including such woods
Company, Inc. of West Jefferson
as red and white oak,
was looking for both cost-savings
soft maple, poplar and
and the latest in technology for its
cherry. “Our local plant
telecommunications services, it turned
kiln dries the various
to SkyBest Communications, the whollywoods, which can take
owned subsidiary of SkyLine Membership
as little as seven to 10
Corporation.
days for poplar to 30 to
“We worked with SkyBest’s Sharon
40 days for oak,” he said.
Hennis, who provided a cost comparison of
When the green lumber
our existing services, and SkyBest offered
arrives to the plant, it is
us the best rates,” said Plant Manager
carefully handled, stacked,
Brantley Price. “We also like working
seasoned and stored
with a local company, who can respond
to preserve its natural
quickly to service calls when we need that
beauty. Each step of the
kind of support.” Through its subsidiary,
drying process is carefully
SkyLine has been able to extend its service
monitored to produce
area footprint into the West Jefferson and
stress-free lumber with an
Jefferson markets over the last few years by Brantley Price is the plant manager of
average of five- to sevenCatawissa’s
West
Jefferson
facility.
offering such telecom services as local calling,
percent moisture content.
long distance and Internet services for the first
In addition to the production of wood components, the
time.
West Jefferson plant also sells kiln-dried lumber.
Another advantage Price cited in selecting SkyBest
In recent years, Catawissa has partnered with Baili, a
was Catawissa’s option to keep the company’s original
traditional Chinese furniture manufacturer renowned in
telephone number. “Even though we were changing
Chinese and Japanese markets for its furniture-making
service providers, we were able to keep our 246 number,
artistry, to form a new furniture collection, which offers
which meant considerable savings in printing costs for
a complete range of dining room, living room, office and
such things as stationery and business cards,” he said.
occasional furnishings. The Catawissa-Baili Fine Arts and
Catawissa manufactures and supplies hardwood
Crafts made its debut at the High Point Furniture Market
panels and components for many of the furniture
in late 2005, which was named by Home Décor Buyer
industry’s leading brands. The family-owned company
magazine as one of the seven best new fall introductions
is based in Catawissa, Pennsylvania, with three modern
in January 2006.
woodworking facilities in two Appalachian forest states,
In the same way that Catawissa has held true to
including two plant facilities in Pennsylvania and one
family traditions of commitment to service and assurance
in West Jefferson. The local plant, which is located on
of quality, SkyBest continues a long-held tradition by its
Buck Mountain Road, currently has 95 employees and
parent company, SkyLine, to deliver unparalleled service
operates a single shift. It has been part of the Ashe
and the latest in telecommunications technology.
County economy for decades and most recently was
“One of the main reasons we chose SkyBest was to
known as West Jefferson Wood Products until it was
get high-speed broadband Internet,” Price said. “We
acquired by Catawissa in 1995.
needed a fast, reliable connection to the Internet so
Catawissa is capable of processing 25 million board
we could better communicate with our corporate
feet of lumber into hundreds of thousands of wood
headquarters in Pennsylvania.” As the first
components each year, including panels, drawer
area company to introduce dial-up Internet
fronts, face laminated squares and
access in 1995, SkyBest followed with its
semi-machined components.
high-speed DSL Internet offerings in 2000.
These products are used for
Today, residential and business customers have
such furnishing applications
more options than ever before to utilize this
as university dormitories
latest technology. From standard 1.5 Mbps
and military bases. Its
download speeds to the higher bandwidths of
manufacturing customer
3.0 and 6.0 Mbps, the company is pressing
base is both large and
forward to be even more responsive to the
small, domestic and
needs of its customers.
international.
Catawissa Lumber & Specialty
Company, Inc.
continued on back
STC-100572
Worth Noting
FRS Youth Tour to Washington, D.C.
March 31
Directory Collection Drive Ends
Applications for SkyLine-Sponsored Youth Programs
Available March 8
2007 Frank James—SkyLine Scholarship
Ten scholarships with a total value of $22,500 are
scheduled to be awarded this spring to children
of SkyLine members to assist them with the
cost of a college education. Five $1,000
scholarships, renewable up to four years, will be
awarded to students who will attend a four-year
college or university. Five $500 scholarships,
renewable up to two years, will be presented to
students who will attend a two-year community/technical
college.
The scholarship program, which was established by the Board
of Directors in 1987, now includes renewable scholarships for both
four-year and two-year college-bound students. The scholarship is
named in memory of Frank James, longtime SkyLine board member
and former president, who was a strong advocate of education,
having served as a teacher, principal and later superintendent of Ashe
County Schools.
To qualify, applicants must be children of current SkyLine members
(of at least one year), and be graduating seniors at a public high
school in the co-op’s five-county service area (Alleghany, Ashe, Avery,
Watauga and Johnson).
The scholarships will be awarded on the basis of scholastic
achievement, financial need, demonstrated leadership and community
involvement. Application packages will be available at area high
school guidance departments and all SkyLine Customer Service
Centers beginning Thursday, March 8.
Waiting on Dial-Up?
Fast Break to High-Speed Internet
With SkyBest High-Speed Internet
you can score faster than ever!
Enjoy downloading your favorite
games, photos or music with ease. It’s
faster and easier than dial-up and
best of all, you can talk on the phone
and surf the Web at the same time!
SkyLine/SkyBest — the best choice
for High-Speed Internet.
*Some restrictions apply. Service
not available in all areas.
www.skyline.org
This June, SkyLine will sponsor two high school juniors to be among
over 100 students to attend the Foundation for Rural Service’s 2007
Youth Tour to Washington, D.C.
Now in its 13th year, the FRS Tour brings rural students from
across the United States to Washington, D.C. for a four-day visit from
June 2 through 6 to some of the most historical sites in the nation.
While here, students also learn about the telecommunications
industry, as well as the regulatory and legislative processes.
Educational sessions on these topics are greatly enhanced by
both site visits to the U.S. Capitol and the U.S. Department
of Agriculture, in addition to meetings with industry leaders and
members of Congress.
The students also are given ample time to explore the Nation’s
Capital and its many attractions. While here, the group visits such
sites as the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials; the Korean, Vietnam
and new World War II Memorials; Mount Vernon, home of
George Washington; the Smithsonian Museums; and, much more.
To be eligible to apply, the student’s parents must receive
telephone service from SkyLine or SkyBest, and the student must
meet the following program requirements:
• be a junior at a public high school in the co-op’s five-county
service area;
• write a letter of application, including future plans beyond high
school;
•submit a 500-word essay on one of three selected topics;
•have a minimum 3.25 grade-point-average (GPA);
•obtain a letter of recommendation from a teacher or school
official;
•exhibit demonstrated leadership in campus organizations;
•exhibit demonstrated community involvement through volunteer
activities.
Applications for the 2007 Youth Tour will be available at area high
school guidance departments and at all SkyLine Customer Centers
beginning Thursday, March 8. The application deadline is Monday,
April 9.
Co-op Leadership Conference Applications
Available March 8
Beginning this month, SkyLine is accepting applications for the
2007 Cooperative Leadership Conference, a five-day leadership
development program scheduled from June 18 to 22, at White Lake,
N.C. Sponsored by the Cooperative Council of North Carolina and
member cooperatives from across the state, the conference features
workshops, speakers, recreation and small group sessions that center
around the cooperative way of doing business. This year’s conference
promises to be a fun week with lots of leadership development and
fellowship opportunities for young people.
Participants also will be eligible to apply for a $1,000 college
scholarship, and four outstanding campers will be selected to
represent North Carolina at the National Institute on Cooperative
Education (NICE) at Shippensburg State University in Shippensburg,
Pennsylvania, from July 18 through 22.
Rising high school sophomores, juniors or seniors who are children
of SkyLine or SkyBest telephone service customers can apply for the
conference sponsorships. (Applicants must be at least 15 years old
at the time of the Conference.) Up to 10 students will be selected to
attend.
Applications will be available at area high school guidance
departments and at all SkyLine Customer Service Centers beginning
Thursday, March 8. The application deadline is Monday, April 9.