Christmas. Join us for a Christmas Open House: Dates to Remember

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1 V O L U M E 5 6 N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R Dates to Remember BEK bill payments are due on the 20th of each month. November 27 Thanksgiving BEK Office closed for Holiday December 7 Pearl Harbor Day Remembered Christmas open house December 18 BEK Christmas Open House December 21 Winter Begins December 24 Christmas Eve BEK Office Closed at Noon December 25 Christmas BEK Office Closed for Holiday December 31 New Years Eve January 1, 2015 New Years Day BEK Office Closed January 15 Common Cents Grant Application Deadline January 19 Martin Luther King Day Observed Join us for a Christmas Open House: When: Thursday, December 18, 2014 Time: 1:00-4:00 p.m. Where: BEK Headquarters - Steele, ND What: Delicious treats and beverages (and a great opportunity to meet and greet) Register to win door prizes

2 2015 BEK Calendar The BEK Calendar is really one of the best around. We humbly make this statement because we know we have some of the finest photographers in our service area who submit some pretty awesome photos. Each BEK customer household was sent a copy of this eye-catching calendar as our gift. A special hats off to our young photographer, Amelia Moch of Kintyre, who submitted a very intriguing photo that worked perfectly for our October page. Congratulations to all of the 2015 BEK Calendar photo contest winners! We will enjoy your photos all year! Photo by: Kathleen Lawler Photo by: Kathleen Lawler BEK CALENDAR 2015 BEK CALENDAR 2015 BEK CALENDAR 2015 Photo by: Kathleen Lawler BEK Directory Advertising Sales Continue The Missouri Slope Telephone Directory, LLP is the only telephone directory sponsored by BEK Communications Cooperative for directory listings for BEK s Cooperative and Rural Bismarck listing(s) and Northern Directory Publishing (NDP) is the only company authorized to secure ads and print the directory. NDP is based out of Montana and has been in the directory publishing business for over 25 years. Currently, NDP has four sales executives working in the BEK service area and surrounding cities. The sales team acquiring advertising for BEK s telephone directory is April Greenwood, Dave Chadduck, Angie Brinkman and Marty Thielges. Their goal is to work with local businesses to find the best advertising options. Directory Advertising sales began in October and NDP will continue to secure advertising contracts through February. Have You Met this BEK Spyder Man? Ryan Heinsohn is a BEK Sales Executive who works from the sales office in Bismarck. He doesn t wear a cape, he can t fly and he can t shoot webs from his wrists, but Ryan is a professional Spyder Man! A few years ago, BEK began offering BEK SpyderTalk which is web powered business phones. It operates similarly to the unique construction of a spider web. The web design allows the user (the spider) endless avenues to capture a visitor. All business calls are captured through BEK SpyderTalk. The beauty of this product is that BEK owns the technology and businesses do not have to invest in a phone system. BEK supplies businesses with a web based business phone system and takes care of the upgrades. Businesses using the product have virtually unlimited capabilities. In order for this intricate service to be a seamless experience for our businesses customers, we have experts like Ryan at the forefront of BEK SpyderTalk client services to offer individual attention from sales to implementation, demonstration and client satisfaction. Ryan has been with BEK for nearly two years and he says his most interesting days are when he s out of the office, meeting with current and prospective customers. He really enjoys a good challenge and experiencing the satisfaction of solving customer issues in regards to their voice and data infrastructures. His sales responsibilities include selling premise based telephony and SpyderTalk services. His web spins in many directions such as designing overhead paging, network cabling, school intercom/clock systems and wireless infrastructure. When he came to BEK, Ryan was looking for an opportunity to work in a business-to-business technology selling environment; one that would give him the products and services portfolio he needed to solve challenges for customers. Now that he s been with the company awhile, Ryan has found that BEK s business portfolio continues to grow and exceed his expectations. BEK has had a reciprocal experience with him. Ryan is an energetic, outgoing person who you may find at Bismarck Mandan Chamber events, not only representing BEK, but also serving as a Chamber Ambassador. He likes to golf, travel on the Missouri River with his wife Janelle, follow UND hockey and support the Twins and Vikings as true Minnesotan fans do. 2

3 Here to Serve You - BEK s New CTO When the interview is over, hands have been shaken and a start date is determined, it s nice to know that in looking for the right person to fill the job, you also find a person who believes you are the perfect company for employment. Mike Harian accepted the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) position at BEK on August 5, 2014 and he is pretty open with his reason why: BEK is one of the most technology progressive telecommunications companies on the planet. You should all be extremely proud of what you have accomplished. Mike manages Network Operations from BEK Headquarters in Steele. The central office, which handles network operations, is a team of dedicated and highly skilled employees who provision the network devices to handle all of BEK s technology for voice, data, video and cloud services. This department is the backbone of the company and it s a magical place; a place where advanced technology dreams become reality. Mike has a Master s of Science degree from Syracuse University in Telecommunications and Network Management. His experience in communications and technology is vast. He was General Manager for several subsidiaries of Sierra Tel, a communications company in central California that offers services similar to BEK including Internet, Television, and Business Systems. Mike says he loves working with people and technology. Mike and his wife live in Mandan. They have three college age children. He is big into technology as well as photography, music and online MMO s video gamer s delight! It s nice that all of his favorite hobbies can be done inside as he is a bit concerned about North Dakota winters. With that being said; if you get a chance to meet him, please give him a WARM North Dakota welcome ;) Outside Plant New Employees - Here to Serve You In early spring, when the ground thaws, BEK construction equipment comes out of hibernation and the outside plant crew begins their sunrise to sunset schedule of work activity. In May, BEK hired two new Outside Plant Technicians to help them work through another busy season and prepare for the next big project. LeRoy Krueger is not new to the area, but for the past 25 years he had been away from home extensively working construction for Strata Corporation and Lee s Construction. He loved the work, but BEK not only offered a great job opportunity for him; it allows him to go home each night! That makes his wife smile :) LeRoy is responsible for installing new cable to subscribers and also repairing existing cable. With BEK s continued growth and maintaining existing customers, another new day quickly turns into another week and here it s already been six months since LeRoy started his new job at BEK. LeRoy says he enjoys meeting new customers who are excited to receive the services BEK provides. LeRoy is originally from Tappen, N.D. and he attended North Dakota State University in Fargo. He is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps and we are honored to have him on our team. LeRoy loves the outdoors; he enjoys hanging out with his wife Kelly and friends whether they re fishing, golfing, camping or just playing cards. When it comes to fiber installation and splicing, Ron Hensch knows what he s doing. Ron knew that BEK would be a good fit for him with his 20 years of work experience as a Master in the underground division of fiber optic installation for Moorhead Electric and six years of contract fiber splicing for A & I. At BEK, Ron is responsible for outdoor plant work orders relative to fiber installation and splicing. He enjoys all aspects of his job; each day is a new challenge and that s what motivates him. Ron is originally from Campbell, M.N. and he attended North Dakota State College of Science. He and his wife Cindy now live near Foxhome, M.N. Campbell and Foxhome are both small rural communities probably quite similar to many of those in BEK territory. Ron has put on a lot of miles since May working all over the BEK service area and trips back home. If he gets any down time he enjoys hunting, fishing, sports, gardening and wood working. Well Ron, at least four out of the five can also be done in the winter! Welcome LeRoy Krueger and Ron Hensch. 33

4 Who Changed the Channel? Whether you select your channels from the guide or punch in a number, occasionally you re going to notice that someone changed the channel name. Who does that? We know what you re thinking - BEK changed another channel! Actually the content providers make these changes, which they call re-branding and we pass on that information to you. So here s what we ve got going on for BEKTV: Channel Changes YouTube is no longer available on BEKTV s Cloud TV platform. CH # 110 & CH # The Hub and The Hub HD were rebranded as Discovery Family channels on October 13, Starz/Encore FREE Preview: Wednesday, November 26th - Monday, December 1st - FREE preview of Starz/Encore programming to all current BEKTV customers.* Check it out on channels ! Also check out the HD channels ! *If you do not want to receive these channels, you may change your parental control settings to block them. New Channel Additions Variety Package CH # 1262 MoviePlex HD Variety, Sportsmen Block of Tavern Core - Sportsmen Block of Business packages. CH # 80 & CH #1080 Midco Sports Network & Midco Sports Network HD Starz/Encore Premium Package CH # 1350 Encore Black East HD CH # 1352 Encore East HD CH # 1356 Encore Suspense East HD CH # 1360 Encore Action East HD CH # 1362 Encore Classic East HD Showtime Premium Package CH # 1383 Showtime Women East HD CH # 1385 Showtime Extreme East HD CH # 1387 Showtime Beyond East HD CH # 1389 Showtime Next East HD CH # 1393 The Movie Channel Xtra East HD New Channels Coming Soon: CH # 1198 Fusion HD will be added to the Expanded, News Info block of Tavern Core West, News & Info block of Business Core West packages. Additional Channels Coming Soon to Classic Cable CH # 34 Fox Business CH # 35 Fox News 4 Video on Demand... Check it out! Recently BEK implemented a significant upgrade to the TV system, most notably our Video On Demand (On Demand) options and interface. It is so slick and easy you just have to check it out. With winter nipping at our heels and noses, staying in and watching television seems like a fabulous option for entertainment! And with all of the options BEK s On Demand has to offer, how could you go wrong; just look for yourself: Rent A Movie Watch Your Favorite Programs Watch Premium Channels You really should try it; there are a lot of good new releases and old favorites available to view. To find just what you are looking for, navigate through the headings. From Discovery, AMC, Animal Planet and many more Anytime you want; watch or record. Select the Free On Demand tab. Are you subscribed to HBO, Starz, Showtime? Did you know you can watch movies that play on these premium channels whenever you want? Oh ya, that s right, you can! You can find this under the Premium Channels tab. Watch Bek Training Videos Looking for some helpful tips on navigating through our BEKTV system? Look no further, the BEK Local Videos tab has what you need! You can find each of these options and MORE, all under On Demand on BEKTV! Navigate through the On Demand options from the top menu using the cursor arrows (NOT the DVD control arrows) on your remote control and select an option by choosing OK. Images and descriptions of the available content will appear below. There, now didn t we just make your winter a little better?

5 LIVE ON BEK SPORTS NETWORK - CH 28 BEK SPORTS 2 - CH 29 BEK SPORTS CLASSIC - CH 30 BEK Sports 2 girls basketball girls basketball Dec 2 Kidder County (Steele) Dec 5 Milnor/North Sargent Dec 9 Linton-HMB (Hazelton) Dec 16 LaMoure Dec 19 Kidder County (Steele) - 6:00 p.m. Jan 9 Barnsville, Richland (Colfax) Jan 13 Strasburg-Zeeland Jan 16 Lisbon - 6:00 p.m. Jan 17 Wilton-Wing - 6:00 p.m. Jan 23 Sargent Oakes - 6:00 p.m. Jan 26 Wilton-Wing - 7:15 p.m. Jan 27 White North Shore-Plaza - 6:00 p.m. Jan 29 Garrison - 6:00 p.m. Jan 31 New Parshall - 6:30 p.m. Feb 2 South LaMoure Feb 6 Northern Wyndmere-Lidgerwood Regular season girls basketball games start at 7:30 p.m. unless noted. boys basketball Dec 18 New Watford City Dec 19 Kidder County (Steele) Jan 6 Parshall Jan 8 North Hankinson Jan 10 Wilton-Wing - 7:15 p.m. Jan 12 South Border (Wishek) Jan 16 Lisbon Jan 17 Wilton-Wing Jan 20 Wyndmere-Lidgerwood Jan 23 Sargent Oakes Jan 27 White North Shore-Plaza Jan 29 Garrison Jan 30 Kidder Napoleon-GS Jan 31 New Parshall - 5:00 p.m. Feb 3 South Border (Ashley) Feb 5 Wyndmere-Lidgerwood Feb 10 Linton-HMB Feb 12 Lisbon Feb 19 North Milnor Feb 20 Wilton-Wing Regular season boys basketball games start at 7:30 p.m. unless noted. BEK Sports Winter Schedule Page BEK Sports Network Dec 2 Kidder County (Steele) Dec 9 Linton-HMB (Hazelton) Jan 13 Strasburg-Zeeland Jan 23 Napoleon-GS Jan 26 Wilton-Wing - 7:15 p.m. Regular season girls basketball games start at 7:30 p.m. unless noted. boys basketball Jan 30 Kidder Napoleon-GS Regular season boys basketball games start at 7:30 p.m. unless noted. womens basketball Jan 21 Valley City State University of Jamestown (Jamestown Civic Center) - 5:30 p.m. mens basketball Jan 21 Valley City State University of Jamestown (Jamestown Civic Center) - 7:30 p.m. A select number of Network games will appear on our BEK Sports LIVE streaming service available on Jan 21 womens basketball Jan 21 Valley City State University of Jamestown (Jamestown Civic Center) - 5:30 p.m. mens basketball Valley City State University of Jamestown (Jamestown Civic Center) - 7:30 p.m. wrestling Find us on: facebook.com/beksports twitter.com/beksports youtube.com/beksportsnetwork Check the BEK Sports website for: Weekly/monthly game schedules Channel assignments Info about where you can watch the BEK Sports Network. Dec 4 South Border (Wishek) Dec 11 South Border (Ashley) Jan 22 Ellendale-Edgeley-Kulm/Lisbon/LaMoure Triangular Regular season wrestling matches start at 6:00 p.m. Location of games are highlighted in BOLD. BEK area games are highlighted. Schedules subject to change and blackouts. Post season schedule to be announced. BEK Sports not available in all areas.

6 BEK Scholarship Opportunities Soon high school seniors will be applying for college and making financial arrangements that will allow them to attend the college of their choice. Guidance Counselors will encourage students to apply for scholarships whenever they can. BEK Communications Cooperative is proud to offer several scholarship opportunities. As in other years, high school seniors interested in applying for BEK scholarships will be given the opportunity to choose from several types of applications: BEK Academic Scholarship Up to three $500 Academic Scholarships will be awarded to students enrolled in an accredited college or university working towards a bachelor s degree. Applications will be judged on grades, appearance of application, school activities, volunteer work, work experience, home activities and creativity. BEK Vocational / Technical Scholarship Up to three $500 Vocational / Technical Scholarships will be awarded to students enrolled in an accredited vocational, technical or trade college working towards a program certificate, diploma or associate degree. The applications will be judged on grades, appearance of application, school activities, volunteer work, work experience, home activities and creativity. BEK Broadcasting Scholarship Up to three $500 Broadcasting Scholarships will be awarded to students who have completed training in BEK s broadcasting program and participated in at least one live event. Students being considered must be enrolled in an accredited college or university, vocational, technical or trade college working towards a program certificate, diploma or associate degree. The applications will be judged on grades, appearance of application, school activities, volunteer work, work experience, home activities, creativity and BEK Broadcasting participation. It s easy to obtain one of these scholarship applications: 1. Contact your local high school counselor. Applications will be mailed to the schools by late November. 2. Download your application online from BEK s website at: 3. Call or stop in the BEK office to request a scholarship application. Our toll free number is These three BEK Scholarship applications must be postmarked by March 12, BEK Technology Scholarship (Valley City State University) Specific to students currently attending or planning to attend Valley City State University, the BEK Technology Scholarship is awarded in the amount of $2,500 for an entire academic year. To be considered, students must demonstrate a financial need, student or student parent must be a BEK customer or member, and the student must be enrolled in a program of technology study leading to an Associate or Bachelor degree. Examples of these majors include Software Engineering, Technology Education, and Computer Information Systems to name a few. Recommendations will be made to the BEK Board of Directors by the Valley City State University nominating committee, Financial Aid office, and Enrollment Services staff. Please note: the deadline for this scholarship is February 15! BEK Technology Scholarship (University of Mary) Details pending - look for more information coming soon. Additional Scholarships Available Foundation of Rural Services (FRS) and BEK Communications. The FRS was established in 1994, in cooperation with the NTCA, which is the Rural Broadband Association. In keeping with its mission to sustain and enhance the quality of life throughout Rural America by advancing an understanding of rural telecommunications issues, the FRS is offering scholarships to further the education of rural youth. About the FRS Scholarships: There are 30 national FRS scholarships available. Should a student from the BEK Communications service area be selected, BEK will contribute an additional $500 to the scholarship, for a total one-time scholarship award of $2,500. It should be noted that preference will be given to individuals expressing an interest in returning to a rural area to work following graduation. Students may also be eligible for four FRS Staurulakis Family Scholarships valued at $5,000 each or two TMS Scholarships for $1,500 each. Students who are majoring in math, science, engineering, or medicine are given preference for the FRS Staurulakis Family Scholarships. Applications are available from your guidance counselor or can be downloaded from the FRS web site at Completed applications should be sent directly to FRS, postmarked no later than March 2, Applications postmarked after March 2nd will not be accepted. *BEK Communications Cooperative is proud to sponsor the future of its youth by offering college scholarships to current subscribers of BEK Communications services (over BEK Fiber or copper) and their dependents, excluding immediate families of BEK directors and BEK employees BROADCASTING2015 SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION VOCATIONAL/TECHNICAL2015 SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION Proud sponsors of our youth s future Proud sponsors of our youth s future ACADEMIC SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION Proud sponsors of our youth s future 6

7 New Listings BISMARCK-MANDAN-BALDWIN & OTHER BUSINESS LISTINGS Burleigh Co Auditor Drechsler David Kary-Ressler-Ressler First Court Fransen Larry Greater North Dakota Chamber Gross Matt Legacy Resources Inc Nelson Troy & Kree Radke Mike Renteria Carlos Tollefson Odin Venture Real Estate Vogel Law Firm Bismarck Vogel Law Firm Fargo Vogel Law Firm Moorhead HAZELTON-TEMVIK Poitra Joe Rankins Lisa Fode Tamara & Rick KINTYRE-BRADDOCK Manikowski Bobbie Schaffer Samantha LEHR Scherbenske Delane LINTON Fisher Melissa Look Justin Strum Mary MCKENZIE-MENOKEN Hanson Brent Kleinsasser Alex Schafer Darrell L NAPOLEON Compaan Traci Gross Nicholas STEELE Bullinger Shaun Hayes Luella Spitzer Travis STERLING-DRISCOLL-MOFFIT King Samantha STRASBURG-HAGUE Ohlhauser Rodney & Bonnie Thompson Mark Vander Vorste Louis Vander Wal Travis Vaughn Mary TAPPEN-DAWSON CRYSTAL SPRINGS-LAKE ISABEL Dewitz Justin Eberl Dean TUTTLE Anderson Chris Flanders Merrill K Gallup Ben Mengel Flint Sandy s Leaning Post Common Cents Grant Program The Board of Directors of BEK Communications Cooperative offers a Common Cents Community Grant Program as a means to provide financial support through a structured program. It is designed to meet the current and future needs of our communities. The next application deadline for BEK s Common Cents Community Grant Program is January 15, Two categories are considered in awarding grants: Community Outreach grants - to support those services, activities, and events that contribute to the economic viability, health or safety, or general well-being of those residing in the community. Economic Development grants - to support communities in their efforts to create new jobs, retain businesses, and to provide incentives for prospective or newly developing industries. Tax-exempt, nonprofit, community organizations or groups in BEK Communications Cooperative s serving area are eligible to apply for the Common Cents Community Grant Program. Funding is awarded twice each year. To see if you qualify or to get an application, please call our office at or visit our website at Here are the Winners! To those who stopped in or sent their registrations for some great Coop Month and Fall Treats gift baskets Congratulations! Coop Month and Fall Treats Gift Basket Winners BEKTel Gift Package Walter Klein of Zeeland Cordless Phone & $25 Gift Certificate BEKNet Gift Package Keith Pfaff of Steele Sherpa Blanket, $50 BEK Gift Certificate, Jump Drive, Stylus Pen & Computer Brush BEKTV Gift Package Jerry Bucholz of Regan Sherpa Blanket, $50 BEK Gift Certificate, 3 BEKTV VOD Coupons & BEK Sports DVD Gift Certificate BEK Sports Gift Package Adam Emter of Steele Duffle bag filled with sporting goods including a BEK Sports Sweatshirt, T-shirt, Stocking Cap, Can Koozie, DVD Gift Certificate, BEK Water Bottle & Stress Football Don t forget to check us out on Facebook (facebook.com/bekcommunications) you ll find company updates, BEK Sports Live broadcast updates, contests and prizes! You could be a winner just like Jackie Meier who won two VIP tickets to the Haunted Fort in Mandan, Kelsey Roehrich who won two tickets to the Dierks Bentley concert in Bismarck and Brian Schumacher who won two tickets to Mannheim Steamroller Christmas in Bismarck. JOIN OUR FREE COLLEGE FOOTBALL CONTEST! WILTON Hetletved Lacey C Larson Glen WING-ARENA Wing Theatre WISHEK Hagel Harry Meidinger Ellon Vetter Cody ZEELAND Bollinger Gary Brandner David PLAY THE FREE BEK BOWL CHALLENGE Pick the winning teams of this year's bowl games and you could win a great prize from BEK. Sign up at: bekbowlchallenge.com

8 PRSRTD STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 256 BISMARCK, ND 200 East Broadway PO Box 230 Steele, North Dakota BEK Beacon Published by BEK Communications 200 East Broadway PO Box 230 Steele, North Dakota P (701) F (701) September/October Trivia Winners: Helen Garnaas, Linton, N.D., Rose Geffre, Napoleon, N.D. Herman Kauk Sr, Wishek, N.D., Francis Schreiner, Wishek, N.D., and Phyllis Will, Hazelton, N.D. BEK Communications Cooperative Board of Directors The Board of Directors are the elected officials who meet monthly to guide the progress of the Cooperative and its subsidiaries. They provide strategic vision, keep abreast of changes in the industry and continue to influence national policy ensuring that rural North Dakota will always have access to emergent telecom services at affordable rates. The BEK Board is comprised of nine directors serving four districts as listed below: Brett Stroh, President... Tappen District II Leo Meier, Vice President... Hague District III Billie Becker, Secretary/Treasurer... Wishek District IV Kevin Bernhardt... Linton District III Gerald Burlack... Wishek District IV Doug Kalianoff... Steele District II Vickie Martin... Linton District III Shane Morris... Regan District I Sanford Williams... Wing District I Trivia Questions 1. High School students can apply for various from BEK to help with college expenses. 2. The BEK office is closed on Thanksgiving Day, noon on, Christmas and. 3. BEK Common Cents Grant applications are due, Entries must be received by January 9, Name Phone Number Clip and send to the BEK office at P.O. Box 230, Steele, ND You can also answers to bekcomm@bektel.com. BEK will draw for five $5.00 credits to be applied to the winners bill. Derrick Bulawa, CEO/General Manager Manager Feedback...managerfeedback@bektel.com