Workforce recruitment and retention challenges are not isolated to any single community in Kansas; they are a widespread concern across Western Kansas. Employers in every economic sector are struggling to attract qualified applicants, and even more critically, to retain the talent they already have.
In 2023, Nex-Tech was awarded over $2.2 million through the Kansas Capital Project Funds (CPF) Broadband Infrastructure Program to bring broadband access to one of the most underserved regions in Kansas: a 99% unserved area in rural Saline County. Nex-Tech matched this amount, contributing an additional $2,293,000 to the project. Thanks to this vital funding, Nex-Tech was able to construct the necessary infrastructure to deliver high-speed fiber broadband to this rural community, a transformative step forward for both residents and businesses.
The need for high-speed broadband in rural northwest Kansas has never been greater, and our mission of connecting families, businesses, and communities has never been clearer. These all came to life recently in the towns of Oberlin, KS, and Herndon, KS. We had customer sign-up events in both towns, where we invited residents to dinner, answered their questions, and signed them up to our fiber network.
Ella Burrows recently joined our community economic development team as a summer Intern through the Nex-Generation Round Up for Youth program. Ella embodies the energy, optimism, vision, and drive typical of our western Kansas youth, and we are proud to introduce her to you.
LENORA, KS, May 9, 2025- Nex-Tech has made a $100,000 loan to support the effort of 1872 Restaurant and Events to open an Italian restaurant and offer other entertainment services to the people of Stockton KS, and the surrounding area. The loan was made possible through the Nex-Tech Revolving Loan Fund, which provides funds to eligible local businesses to create employment and contribute to sustaining the local economy. The loan is a testament to our commitment to making life better for the customers and communities we serve.
Interconnectivity, interoperability, networking, or whatever you call it. People have to listen to people. Institutions have to listen to institutions. Leaders have to listen to leaders.
Nex-Tech continues to connect more communities to fiber optic broadband. Recently, I had a great time with our customer acquisition team as we had two customer sign-up events in Clayton and Kirwin, KS. Nex-Tech will be connecting these communities with high-speed, fiber-optic Internet.
Nex-Generation Round Up for Youth (NGRUFY) continues to impact the youths across the Nex-Tech footprint tangibly. I reached out to Layne Reynolds, the organization’s Marketing Coordinator, to get us up to speed with some cool facts about NGRUFYI. She prepared this.
A community is composed of a group of stakeholders doing different work. But when viewed from the right perspective, we see an interdependent and functioning society. That is the beauty of our communities, and that is exactly where Nex-Tech fits in.
You can hear the whistlings, cheers, and screams from afar. You can see the swags and colorful shirts. The teens are selling lemonade and cookies along the way. You can perceive the aroma from the many barbecue grills. Parents and kids are walking to the arena with excitement. The young and old are elated. You can see the heart and soul of the town come alive. You can feel the pride and vibe of unity in the community.