Midco’s expansion map over the past few years is illuminated by government partnerships at every level—city councils, county boards and state broadband offices alike. It’s part of the operating model behind how the operator’s fiber network reaches new communities, but in Midco’s view, the commitment doesn’t end once the ribbons are cut. It continues by following through on promises made to the areas it’s being welcomed in throughout its five-state footprint of Kansas, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
Midco’s pledges are led by establishing a presence in communities, but some of the most visible of its partnerships are architectural. The operator backs Midco Arena at Augustana University, home to South Dakota’s first Division-I hockey program, and it renewed a 10-year sponsorship of the Midco Aquatic Center with the City of Sioux Falls, which now draws roughly 220,000 annual visitors against an original 80,000 estimate.
“We look for partnerships that align with our purpose; they really can improve the life in the communities we serve,” says Paige Pearson Meyer, VP, Corporate Communications. “Both Augustana and the city of Sioux Falls, these are generational facilities. These were gaps—it’s the first aquatic center in our region… [Augustana] now provides a hockey rink to thousands of youth hockey players, and we know that hockey space is obviously missing in many Midwest communities.”
Midco’s network expansion is governed by a thorough game plan that often utilizes a tandem technique. New Minnesota markets like Janesville, Victoria and Pipestone came online after each respective city approved franchise agreements. In Forest Lake, Minnesota, its pact with the city came with something else attached: a blended project combining Midco’s own $1.2 million investment with a Minnesota Border-to-Border Broadband Grant and a city contribution that brought the total project cost to $2.2 million.
“We believe that if we invest in a community and it thrives, that’s good for us, and that’s good for everybody,” President/COO Ben Dold says. “It’s just been a big part of who we are as an organization. And I think it’s contributed meaningfully to our success in a really crowded, competitive environment.”
The push in the Land of 10,000 Lakes is part of a larger regional effort that connected nearly 1,400 previously underserved addresses, reflecting a $4.1 million investment from Midco—in addition to public-private partnerships with Minnesota’s Office of Broadband Development, Washington County, Chisago County and the Cities of Forest Lake and Wyoming.
On a larger scale, Midco’s Fiber Forward initiative has turned network investment into an ongoing, multiyear relationship with state and local governments. Recent updates include a $43 million project to wrap up network upgrades in South Dakota and a $9.1 million enhancement in North Dakota’s Bismarck-Mandan communities.
Ongoing quality is a deliberate effort, whether a partnership involves government or community groups. “It’s not like, ‘Hey, we cut the ribbon, we celebrate and we move on,’” Pearson Meyer says.
Dold ties it back to the values he helps lead Midco with. “Our ethos is to be a force for good in the communities we serve. That’s part of our DNA,” he says. “The company’s been around for over 95 years, and throughout that history, we’ve always been involved and supportive of the communities we serve.”
Fast Facts
Augustana University President Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, who led the push for D-I hockey and Midco Arena, was the first woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from South Dakota, serving three full terms.
The Midco Foundation’s semiannual grants delivered $144,000 across 89 organizations in its most recent round. Since 1988, the Foundation has given over $6 million to various causes within its service area.