NATCO Leaders Stay Updated on Telecom Issues
April 2005

NATCO Vice President and Plant Manager Steven Sanders Jr. attended two conferences this year to hear national leaders in the telecom industry and met with national policy makers in Washington,D.C.

In January, Sanders attended the winter meeting of OPASTCO, the Organization for Promotion and Advancement of Small Telephone Companies, held in Orlando, Fla., where two commissioners of the Federal Communications Commission addressed the members. The OPASTCO meeting featured programs especially for small companies, such as responding to wireless local number portability, and real-life experiences of companies that have Internet telephony. Then in March, Sanders attended the annual CADTEL Conference, which deals with technical and engineering topics of importance to the telecommunications industry.

In late April, Sanders and NATCO Business Manager Steve Smith took part in the ATA - Arkansas Telecommunications Association meeting with members of Congress from Arkansas as follows: Senator Blanche Lincoln, Senator Mark Pryor, Representatives John Boozman, Vic Snyder, and Mike Ross. The meeting allowed ATA representatives to discuss regulatory and telecom issues of importance to rural telephone companies with Arkansas elected officials.

Steven Sanders Jr. has bachelor's and master's degrees in business administration. He has worked at NATCO since 1989, starting when he was a college student. He is the grandson of the late Ray Sanders, the founder of NATCO. Sanders currently serves on the Small Company Concerns Committee of the Arkansas Telecommunications Association (ATA) and is an ATA Director. To keep up with economic development in the South Shore and the surrounding region, Sanders also serves on the board of NCARED - North Central Arkansas Regional Economic Development

Smith has been business manager for NATCO since February 2002 and has worked in the telephone industry for over 20 years. Smith began his career in the engineering department of CenturyTel. He served as a division manager for CenturyTel before joining NATCO.