Youth Leadership Group Attends Tech Day at NATCO
May 2005

Mountain Home Rotary youth leadership group learns about telecom field Ninth-grade students from Mountain Home and Norfork went to NATCO recently for a Tech Day program, learning about digital telephone and Internet services and careers in the field. The event was part of the Rotary Youth Leadership program, which is coordinated by the Mountain Home Area Chamber of Commerce. Cotter High School also participates, but did not attend. Students pictured are: front row (from left), Jacob Maple (N), Clayton Brinza (MH), Austin Farnam (MH), and Zachary Harris (N); back row (from left), Renee Foster (N), Amanda Gibson (MH), Carley Miller (MH), Shanon Landreth (MH), Richard Brakebill (N), Brandi Bowers (MH), Ashley Greer (N), Hannah Burkhart (N), Lacey Miller (N), and Ashley Gragg (N). The youth leadership program is a project of the Mountain Home Area Chamber of Commerce, sponsored by Rotary Club of Mountain Home.

Students in the Mountain Home Rotary-sponsored Mountain Home Chamber of Commerce Youth Leadership program recently took part in Tech Day at NATCO. The 14 students attending from Mountain Home and Norfork toured the NATCO plant, learned about digital technology and careers in telecommunications. Cotter High School also participates in the leadership group, but did not attend the program.

NATCO Network Services Supervisor Travis Sullivan explained functions of the telephone company central office, and NATCO Vice President and Plant Manager Steven Sanders Jr. discussed the latest in Internet and communications equipment and services. Also, NATCO Technologies Internet Services Supervisor Larry May gave a hands-on demonstration of high-speed DSL and other Internet services. The company has three Web sites: www.natconet.com, www.natcotech.com, and www.southshore.com, a site dedicated to area information and economic development.

NATCO department supervisors told students about their jobs and the necessary education for each position. Those participants included: Outside Plant Supervisor David Carson; Assigner April Sellars; Customer Service Supervisor Melissa Merkel; CPA David White; and Dispatcher Monica Osborn.

The students and adult advisors heard South Shore Foundation Chairman Jodie Elizabeth Jeffrey discuss South Shore Foundation, which is the charitable organization of the telephone company. The foundation offers scholarships for area high school graduating seniors and Arkansas State University Mountain Home students. It also awards grants to nonprofit agencies and communities.

Attending from the Rotary Youth Leadership Committee of the Mountain Home Area Chamber of Commerce were Karen Hopper and Mike Ragland. Accompanying the students were Betty Braswell for Mountain Home schools and Angie Parnell for Norfork schools.

Students attending from Mountain Home were: Carley Miller, Austin Farnam, Brandi Bowers, Clayton Brinza, Amanda Gibson, and Shanon Landreth. From Norfork were: Richard D. Brakebill, Zachary Harris, Jacob Maple, Ashley Greer, Hannah Burkhart, Lacey Miller, Ashley Gragg, and Renee Foster.

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.