July 2009 - BEK Communications

beacon
VOLUME 51
J U LY 2 0 0 9
Dates to
Remember
July 1
July Bills Mailed
July 4
Independence Day
2009 BEK Communications Cooperative Board of Directors pictured with CEO/General Manager
and Legal Counsel. Bottom Row L to R: Jerod Tufte, Attorney; Brett Stroh, District II;
Anton Braun, District IV; President Leo Meier, District III and Secretary/Treasurer
Sanford Williams, District I. Back Row L to R: Vice President Doug Kalianoff, District II;
Richard Hausauer, District I; Virgil Horner, District III; Bill Becker, District IV,
Michael Wickenheiser, District III and Derrick Bulawa, CEO/General Manager.
Highlights of the 57th Annual Meeting
of BEK Communications Cooperative
Members of BEK Communications Cooperative met Thursday, June 11, 2009 at the Kidder
County School in Steele, N.D. for the 57th Annual Meeting.
Prior to the meeting, a beef supper was served to 771 members and guests. There were
429 qualified voters who registered to vote at the Annual Meeting which included 42 early
voters. Early voting was offered this year by BEK’s Board of Directors on a trial basis per
the cooperative bylaws. Members were allowed to vote at the BEK headquarters office
during the week of the Annual Meeting, June 8th from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and June 9th
from 9:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
story continued on page 2
July 8
Disconnect Day
July 15
¢ommon ¢ents Grant
Applications Due
July 20
Reminder Notices Mailed
Friday, July 3, 2009
Independence Day Observed
BEK Office Closed
Highlights of the 57th Annual Meeting continued from page one
Following a special presentation of “A Visual Odyssey of BEK Communications Cooperative – 2008,” the meeting was called to order
by President Leo Meier at 7:00 p.m.
The election tellers were: Luella Jochim, Linton; James Fischer, Napoleon; Kathryn Benson, Steele; Alvin Mertz, Dawson; Thomas
Fischer, Napoleon; John Kuhn, Tappen; Dorothy Niklos, Linton; Nancy Dewitz, Steele; Rita Mastel, Strasburg and Teller Coordinator,
Meg Rath, Sterling.
Election Results: Incumbent directors Brett Stroh, Leo Meier and Anton Braun were re-elected to the Board of Directors. The
winners will serve three-year terms.
The voting results were reported as follows:
DISTRICT I
(Regan, Sterling, McKenzie, Wilton, Wing)
No election held
DISTRICT II
(Pettibone, Tappen, Robinson, Tuttle, Steele)
Brett Stroh, Tappen (incumbent)
Spoiled Ballots
Total Ballots Cast
97
3
100
DISTRICT III
(Kintyre, Strasburg, Hazelton, Linton)
Leo Meier, Hague (incumbent)
Spoiled Ballots
Total Ballots Cast
71
4
75
DISTRICT IV
(Lehr, Zeeland, Wishek, Napoleon)
Anton Braun, Napoleon (incumbent)
Gerald Burlack, Wishek
Spoiled Ballots
Total Ballots Cast
81
41
0
122
Moose Creek Symphony entertained members prior to the meeting
with their Blue Grass and Folk style music. They also sang the
National Anthem after the Presentation of Flags by the Wishek
American Legion Color Guard. The Invocation was given by Rev. Cori
Waisanen who is the pastor serving the United Methodist Churches of
Linton, Moffit and Sterling.
This year’s grand prize drawings were for two 32” LG Flat Screen
LCD TV’s, a desktop computer w/printer and a Dell Inspiron Laptop
computer. The winners of the televisions were Edna Meidinger of
Wishek and David Becker of Napoleon. The winners of the computers
were Mildred Wanner of Wishek and Joseph Aberle of Linton.
The theme for this year’s annual meeting was “Clear Vision” which
emphasizes BEK’s proactive approach from day one to deliver
advanced communication services to its members and to go beyond
the technical aspect of the company by working with and in its
communities.
At the reorganization meeting following the annual membership
meeting, the Board of Directors elected Leo Meier to serve as
President, Doug Kalianoff as Vice President and Sanford Williams as
Secretary/Treasurer.
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GRILL for SALE
Send sealed bids to:
BEK Communications Cooperative
Attn: Grill Bid
PO Box 230
Steele, N.D. 58482
Terms: Bids must be post-marked no later than July 17,
2009. Winning bidder will be notified by July 21st and will
have 10 working days to purchase and pick up the grill.
Description: 4’ wide grill x 12’ long. C
Cooking surface is 38”
wide x 68” long. Included is a rotisserie, one 30 pound tank
and a 2 inch ball. This grill served BEK well for many years
to prepare the meat for the annual meeting.
For more information, call BEK Communications at
475-2361 or 1-888-475-2361.
Way BEK When...
Let’s go back to the early 80’s. We’re about to undergo some major changes; are we ready? A Hollywood
actor voices his preparedness with the following statement:
“What I’d really like to do, is go down in history as the president who made America believe in
themselves again.”
‐‐‐President‐elect Ronald Reagan
It’s 1980 and a year when the voters are heard. At
the BEK Annual Meeting in June, members voted 301 to
43 to approve the retirement of capital credits at age
70 (or another age determined by the Board) to anyone
with capital credits who makes a written application.
The retirement of capital credits to members on a
percentage basis in addition to the first year earned
as the first year retired also passed 326 to 14. Who
won the presidential election in November? Enter,
stage right: Ronald Reagan. Former Beatle John Lennon
who sang “Give Peace a Chance” is gunned down in front
of his apartment in Manhattan. The new “ABC News
Nightline” debuts and as the next year comes into play,
there’s much to report...
It’s 1982 and the people in Hazelton, Strasburg,
Wing, Tuttle and Tappen are getting BEK’s expanded
Cable TV service. Others are excited about the new
cordless phone being introduced allowing you to multi‐
task while chatting with your neighbors, giving you a
sense of freedom to “roam” while talking. If you made
a trip with your family this year and didn’t go to
the new Disney Epcot Center in Orlando, what were you
thinking?
It’s 1983 and it’s the first time you can buy your
own telephone set. Up until now you were renting your
telephone sets from the telephone companies. So you
had a decision to make, do you continue to lease your
phones or “Just Say No” to leasing and buy your own.
“Just Say No” was the new anti‐drug slogan of 1983
launched by First Lady Nancy Reagan.
It’s 1981 and the news affecting the nation has a
big impact on us as well. Do you want the good news
first? Well, what would that be? Ah, yes...a fairy
tale wedding takes place in Great Britain as Lady
Diana Spencer weds Prince Charles, the heir to the
British throne. The telecommunications industry takes
a huge turn in operations as the government decides
to deregulate the telephone industry. Customers
were concerned with increased rates and a decline
in service. New products hitting the market are the
IBM personal computer and Microsoft’s MS‐DOS. It
is a year to rejoice and a year to weep: After 444
days, 52 American hostages are released from Tehran,
AIDS is officially recognized by the U.S. Government,
President Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II are both
shot and seriously wounded in separate shootings and
Egyptian President Anwar Sadat is assassinated.
It’s 1984. Ok, truthfully, did you all dread the
coming of this year, just a little bit? Did you
wonder and ponder about the writings of George Orwell,
portraying our lives to be governed by surveillance
and control? Well it appears we put those thoughts
behind us for awhile as we moved on to new ideas like
Rep. Geraldine Ferraro of Queens, N.Y. becoming the
first woman to run for Vice President on a major party
ticket with Walter Mondale. Another new idea...a
baboon heart is transplanted into the body of a
15‐day‐old “Baby Fae” causing a huge controversary.
The FCC authorizes the city of Robinson to get cable
TV services and Tuttle, Robinson, Pettibone and
Regan’s dial offices were cut over to new equipment.
On an ending note, here’s a little 80’s trivia: What
major food franchise’s advertisements depicted 83 year
old Clara Peller demanding, “Where’s the Beef”?
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New Telephone Directories
The new telephone directories have arrived! The 2009-2010 edition of the BEK/West
River Missouri Slope Telephone Directory was delivered to members the last week in
May. Each customer has received one large directory.
The BEK directory includes listings from West River Telecommunications based out of
Hazen, N.D., giving BEK customers the advantage of additional listings.
NEW
MEMBERS
Hazelton - Temvik
Burns Wade & Christina.... 782-6819
Ohlhauser Arnold & Viola ... 782-4703
Kintyre - Braddock
Gross Terry L .................... 332-2226
After receiving your directory, please check your listing for any errors. If you find any
errors, please report them as soon as possible. While every effort is made to improve
each issue and to eliminate all errors in the BEK/West River Missouri Slope Telephone
Directory, BEK Communications and the publishers of the directory do not assume any
liability because of errors and omissions that may occur in the telephone directory.
Lehr
Erickson Joe & Danielle .... 378-2556
Glaesman Devin ............... 378-2331
Just Paul ........................... 378-2331
Linton
If you did not receive the new directory or need extra copies, additional directories are
available at the following locations:
Braddock – Hager’s Bar
Dawson – Dawson Cafe
Hague – Hague Store
Hazelton – Bank of Hazelton
Kintyre – Titan Machinery
Lehr – Security State Bank
Linton – BNC National Bank
Napoleon – Stock Growers Bank
Pettibone – T & V Grocery
Regan – Regan Farmers Union Elevator
Robinson – First Security Bank – West
Steele – BEK Communications Headquarters
Sterling – Cenex Tops Truck Stop
Strasburg – Strasburg State Bank
Tappen – Tappen Farm Supply
Tuttle – Tuttle Community Store
Wilton – City of Wilton (Auditor’s Office) and First State Bank of Wilton
Wing – Chat & Chew Cafe
Wishek – Security State Bank
Zeeland – McIntosh County Bank
Arends David & Barbara ... 254-5850
Harper Kimberly & Ranny ... 254-5839
Honeyman Andrea ............ 254-4999
Midwest Teleservices
International ...................... 254-5841
Stevens Jennifer ............... 254-5852
McKenzie - Menoken
Burrer Bryon ..................... 673-3434
Napoleon
Cowan Teresa ................... 754-2022
Lindenberg Keith & Diane ... 754-2014
Mulligan Marvin & Christine ...754-2015
Steele
Adams Eugene J .............. 475-2096
Lemieux John & Jessica ... 475-2725
Miller Edward & Judy ........ 475-2098
Steiger Jeremy ................. 475-2076
Whitman Elsie................... 475-2212
Sterling - Driscoll - Moffit
Rosell Karen ..................... 387-4312
Strasburg - Hague
State Line Resort LLC ...... 336-7765
Wilton
Tedford Nadine & Chris..... 734-6015
Wishek
TRS Rate Change
The Telecommunications Relay Service Program (TRS) is administered by the State of
North Dakota, Information Technology Department. As of July 1, 2009, the 2009-2010
surcharges will increase to $0.05 per access line per month, up from $0.03 per
access line per month from last quarter.
Huffman Steve & Ashley ... 452-2002
Nitschke Monica ............... 452-2005
Performance Ag Services
LLC ................................... 452-2004
Toll Free ..................... 888-484-4177
TRS provides full telephone accessibility and helps hearing persons and
businesses that wish to talk with persons who are deaf,
hard-of-hearing or have speech impairments.
1-888-475-2361
[email protected]
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BEK Members Receive
Capital Credit Checks
On June 1, 2009 a total of 2328 capital credit checks were mailed to members totaling $571,442.86. As approved by the Board
of Directors, this refund was based on 100% of the capital credits earned by members of the cooperative in 1996.
BEK Communications is a cooperative, which means the customers are the shareholders. Each year a portion of the
cooperative’s operating margin is allocated to each member. The amount of the allocation is determined by the amount of
business you choose to do with BEK each year and the profit for that year. The more services you purchase, the more capital
credits you earn. The company uses those funds for a period of approximately 12 years and then may issue a retirement of
the funds to the members, as with the retirement issued on June 1, 2009.
In addition to getting all the benefits of great customer care and high-tech communications service, BEK members get money
back. At the present time, capital credits are paid through a general retirement, one time payouts when you reach age 70 or to
settle estates.
5
PRESRT STD
ECRWSS
CAR-RT SORT
U . S . P O S TA G E
PA I D
PO Box 230 • 200 E Broadway
Steele, North Dakota 58482
PERMIT NO. 5
STEELE, ND
P O S TA L C U S T O M E R
beacon
M ay Tr i v i a
Wi n n ers:
Published by BEK Communications
701-475-2361 • 1-888-475-2361 • www.bektel.com
Kent
Weiser,
Brenda
Seil, Hazelton;
Heaton;
Lorrene
Schiermeister,
Linton;
Gloria Fuhrer, Herreid, S.D.;
Marlys
Strom,Zeeland;
Steele;
Sherri Haak,
Patty
Flegel,
Hazelton
and
Leo Bitz, Wishek
Ralph
Fischer, Wing.
and Lawrence
Lehr, Wishek.
Board of Directors
Beacon Trivia Questions
PO Box 230 • 200 E Broadway • Steele, North Dakota 58482
There were _______ early votes cast for the 57th Annual
Meeting of BEK Communications Cooperative.
Leo Meier, President ................................ Hague ...........336-7258
District III
Doug Kalianoff, Vice President ................ Steele ............475-2839
District II
BEK Sports is televising two Lions All Star games and
the _______________
________________ Live in July.
Sanford Williams, Secretary/Treasurer .... Wing ..............943-2474
District I
Each year a portion of the cooperative’s operating
margin is _____________________ to each member.
William (Bill) Becker ................................. Wishek ..........452-2928
District IV
Anton Braun............................................. Napoleon ......754-4440
District IV
Entries must be received by August 7, 2009.
Richard Hausauer .................................... Wilton ............734-6116
District I
Name ____________________________________________________
Virgil Horner ............................................. Strasburg ......336-7208
District III
Phone Number ____________________________________________
Brett Stroh ............................................... Tappen ..........327-8201
District II
Clip and send to the BEK office with your phone payment. You can
also email to [email protected]. We will be drawing for five $5.00
credits to be applied to the winners’ phone bill.
Michael Wickenheiser.............................. Linton ............254-4949
District III
Derrick Bulawa, CEO/General Manager,
Manager Feedback ............................................. 701-475-1234
[email protected]
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