Students in Junior Varsity Leadership training through the Mountain Home Area Chamber of Commerce recently went to NATCO at Flippin for a “Tech Day.” The 24 students attending from Cotter, Mountain Home, and Norfork took tours of the NATCO plant, learned about digital technology, and viewed a Power Point presentation about careers in telecommunications.

After meeting the NATCO staff, the students and adult advisors heard South Shore Foundation Trustee Jodie Jeffrey-Sanders explain the concept of the South Shore Foundation, which is the charitable organization of the telephone company. The foundation makes grants to nonprofit agencies and communities and funds scholarships for area high school graduating seniors and Arkansas State University Mountain Home students.

A tour of the central office with Network Services Supervisor Travis Sullivan revealed the technology of a modern telephone company including how a dial tone works and how local and long distance telephone calls are made. Students learned about careers at NATCO through a Power Point presentation given by Vice President/Plant Manager Steven Sanders Jr. Internet Services Supervisor Larry May demonstrated high-speed DSL telephone and “always on” Internet service and showed the students the three informational Web sites NATCO provides for customers and for area residents. They are www.natconet.com, www.natcotech.com, and www.southshore.com, a site dedicated to area information and economic development efforts. Each NATCO manager told the students about his or her job and the necessary education for that position. Those participants included: Outside Plant Supervisor David Carson; Internet Services Supervisor Larry May; Resident Engineer Doug Smith; Customer Service Supervisor Melissa Merkel; Accountant David White; Business Office Manager Steve Smith; Dispatcher Monica Osborn; and Russ May, inventory.

Adult sponsors and Chamber of Commerce Adult Leadership participants present for the event included: Mike Parrish, Cotter schools; Vicki Hurst, Norfork schools; Mark Paden, Mountain Home schools; Tiffany Bauer, Karen Hopper, and Mike Ragland, chamber committee members.

Students attending were: Cotter - Lynette Nagyiski, Jacklyn Smith, Courtney Jones, Christy Rodgers, Chris Roberts, William Ledbetter, Katie Broskovak; Mountain Home - Micki Casper, Heather Jansen, Kenneth Hurst, Krista Fitch, Laurie Arias, Justin Applegate, Amber Schulz, Levi Honey, Nick Wilber; Norfork - Sheena Lumley, Britni Bateman, Amanda Wiggins, Eden Edwards, Brandon White, Chris Yates, Kris Kanatzar, and Kolt Jeffery.

NATCO is an independent, family-owned and operated telephone company serving portions of Marion and Boone Counties within a 658 square-mile territory. Its NATCO Technologies division provides Internet services to the entire Twin Lakes area, including Mountain Home, Yellville, and Harrison and surrounding communities. NATCO offices are at 301 E. Main St. in Flippin, AR 72634, telephone 1-800-775-6682.