Exceptional Service with a Hometown Touch.

Garden Valley Technologies is an innovative, member-owned cooperative, providing the highest quality, cost-effective services to our members. We’re a 115-year-old organization owned by the friends and neighbors we serve across northwest Minnesota.

Community Involvement

Each year, Garden Valley Technologies considers sponsoring up to two youth delegates to attend the NTCA Foundation for Rural Services (FRS) Youth Tour in Washington, D.C. High school juniors, under the age of 18, and residing within GVT’s exchanges, are encouraged to write an essay-style letter of application explaining why they’re interested in attending and why they should be chosen to represent Garden Valley Technologies at the youth tour. Watch for additional information in our December “Voice of the Valley” newsletter.

The Minnesota Telecom Alliance, of which Garden Valley Technologies is a member, has established a Foundation and awards seven scholarships to be awarded to 2022 Minnesota graduating high school seniors. Each scholarship with be a one-time amount of $2,000. For additional information, please visit www.MNTA.org

Foundation for Rural Services (FRS), along with the National Telecommunications Cooperative Association (NTCA) and its members, strongly promotes the continuing education of rural youth. As your local telecommunications service provider, we are happy to offer this national scholarship program to the students in school districts located within GVT’s service area. For additional information, please visit the FRS website at www.frs.org.

GVT offers free public Wi-Fi at 11 area locations in the cities of Bagley, Clearbrook, Erskine, Fertile, Fosston, Goodridge, Grygla, Mentor, Oklee, Red Lake Falls, and Winger to any member who needs them.

GVT believes in helping the communities we serve, and providing free public Wi-Fi is just one more way to keep friends and neighbors connected. A Garden Valley Technologies banner will be displayed at each location where free Wi-Fi is available. When logging in, the user will see a splash page promoting GVT, along with terms and conditions of use.

While attending a public event at one of these locations, enjoy GVT’s free public Wi-Fi service!

Garden Valley Education Foundation (GVEF) promotes a technology grant program by offering funds to school districts located within our service area. These grants are to be used to aid in the purchase of technology-related services or products.

 

 

Donations, given in the form of cash or merchandise, are one of our ways of giving back to area communities. The cooperative’s donation policy allows for an annual amount, based on the number of access lines in an exchange, that’s designated to be used on a first-come, first-served basis to non-political, non-religious organizations located within GVT’s service area. GVT also helps sponsor many community events put on by various organizations throughout our service area. Some of these events include holiday parties, health fairs, benefits, youth associations, and local fairs and parades.

The Garden Valley Education Foundation (GVEF) has presented $5,000 technology grants to nine local schools. The grants are intended to be used for the purchase of any technology related service or product the district feels would best suit their needs. Each of the nine schools submitted a written request for grant funds which included what […]

Garden Valley Technologies has been awarded a border-to-border broadband grant to provide Internet access to rural Oslo and east rural Warren, MN

Voice of the Valley Newsletter

This Issue

  • 85+ Capital Credit Program
  • Annual Membership Meeting
  • What is GVT Stream
  • Directory Sales & Cover Contest
April 2023

Capital Credits

GVT is a cooperative, owned by its members. As a cooperative, a percentage of the margins are allocated to each member of the cooperative who bought services from Garden Valley Telephone Company during the year they were earned.

Each member’s annual credit allocation is accumulated and totaled over the period of time that the member continues to receive service.

Garden Valley Technologies members have now received payments for their capital credits in the cooperative totaling more than $23-million over the last 15 years. These payments are not dividends for tax purposes because they are a return of contributed capital.

Unclaimed Patronage

One of the benefits of being a Garden Valley Technologies member is patronage checks or Capital Credit checks. Unfortunately, checks are sometimes unclaimed. A list of of members who have unclaimed patronage checks are generally posted in GVT’s December Voice of the Valley newsletter, and you can also click the link below to view a list of unclaimed checks.

Estate Settlements

The Cooperative’s present policy provides that authorized representatives of the estates of deceased GVT patrons may apply for the retirement and payment of capital credits. For more information, please call our office at 1-800-448-8260.

GVT Board of Directors

FRONT ROW: President Arlene Novak, Vice President James Ferden, Secretary Allen Paulson, Treasurer Lee Hoaas
BACK ROW: Directors Jim DeVries, Larry Djernes, Casey Holland, Byron Ness, Ron Kiesow

DistrictDirectorExchanges Represented
3Arlene Novak, St. Hilaire – PresidentRed Lake Falls, St. Hilaire, Plummer
4James Ferden, McIntosh – Vice PresidentMcIntosh, Oklee, Winger
7Allen Paulson, Shevlin – SecretaryBagley, Minerva, Shevlin
2Lee Hoaas, Erskine – TreasurerBrooks, Erskine, Mentor
9Ron Kiesow, Goodridge – DirectorGatzke, Goodridge, Grygla, Gully
6Larry Djernes, Clearbrook – DirectorClearbrook, Gonvick, Leonard
5Casey Holland, Fosston – DirectorFosston, Lengby
1Byron Ness, Fertile – DirectorBeltrami, Fertile, Maple Bay
8Jim DeVries, Bejou – DirectorCLEC & National Members, including Bejou, Thief River Falls & Warren
Board Election Process

Have you ever wondered how Directors are elected to our nine-member Board of Directors?

Want to be a part of the GVT team?

View career opportunities and apply online.

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