By Robert Williams

Editor

Midco completed a yearlong fiber installation in Frazee and is currently offering state-of-the-art services to 900 homes and businesses in town.

“We appreciate Midco’s investment in Frazee and congratulate them on the completion of this project – truly a milestone to be celebrated,” said Frazee Mayor Mike Sharp. “Midco’s commitment will ensure that our residents and businesses are well served for reliable high-speed internet, which is essential in today’s digital world.”

In 2021, Midco announced its Fiber Forward initiative.

“That was to build fiber throughout our footprint more deeply – a $500 million investment,” said Vice President of Customer Experience Bob Bartelt. “We look at the communities near our network and have the greatest need for good, reliable fiber connections.”

The multi-year initiative is what brought fiber to Frazee, as the company grows its fiber network to power 22,000 miles of connections and set up customers for the technological advancements of tomorrow. 

Midco spread from the Fargo-Moorhead area down Highway 10 through Detroit Lakes and Frazee and recently finished installs in New York Mills shortly after Frazee in April.

There really is no town too small for Midco but there are factors that determine where the company builds next.

Some of those factors are whether or not there is an existing provider and if that provider is fiber deep already, or if a community has a need for a full fiber buildout. 

“The economics have to make sense for us and that’s really how we evaluate where we’re going to build,” said Bartelt. “We also ensure that we’ll be able to sustain services for years to come – we pride ourselves in not being a fly-by-night service provider. When we make an investment, we’re there to stay.”

Midco made a recent acquisition in east-central Minnesota around Hinckley and up through rural communities to Duluth.

Midco’s overall footprint is largely in the quad-state area of the Dakotas, Minnesota and Wisconsin, with a fiber system also in Kansas.

“We’re very invested in the communities we currently serve as we evaluate growth,” Bartelt said.

The investment in Frazee has a special meaning to Bartelt, a 2001 graduate of Frazee-Vergas High School. After graduation, he moved to Moorhead, where he pursued his associates degree at M State and graduated from the University of Mary with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Business Management. He began working at Midco in 2014 as a Technical Support Manager.

“Midco has seen steady growth and that has allowed me to continue to grow in my career,” he said.

Bob was promoted to Director of Customer Experience. He spent seven years in that role before being promoted to the executive team as the VP of Customer Experience this past January.

“One of the reasons I enjoy working at Midco is the values really align with growing up in Frazee,” said Bartelt. “We’re very community focused. It’s a big company but very focused on the communities we serve.”

Midco backed that up in Frazee immediately by providing needed support for the Frazee School District’s summer baseball and softball programs.

Bartelt leads multiple operations workgroups which include all customer support teams. The company also only hires support team members from within Midco’s footprint, keeping the experience local for both customers and employees.

“That’s one of the things that is a differentiator for us,” Bartelt said. “When you’re comparing some of the companies our size, we don’t do any outsourcing or offshoring. Providing a best-in-class customer experience has been a cornerstone throughout Midco’s 94-year history, and we want to make sure our customers are supported by somebody local. That’s something that our customers value, and I know Midco does, as well.”

Midco’s business model is concentrated on positive interactions with customers and providing exemplary service.

“Customer experience is at the heart of everything we do,” Bartelt said. “We do believe that every interaction is an opportunity to exceed customer expectations. It’s something we prioritize,” said Bartelt.

One example, especially for customers with years of experience dealing with telecommunication and cable companies, is that Midco is one of the only companies that offers 15-minute time slots and direct appointments when technicians will be at the customer’s house.

“You hear a lot from the telecom industry – we’ll be there between eight and noon, and you wait,” said Bartelt. “We really focus on hitting the customer’s agreed upon time slot. It’s one of our key metrics on the field operations side to make sure we’re timely and attentive to our customers.”

Customer support is also provided every day 24/7/365 with local crews and support technicians.

Another new initiative is Midco’s Customer Commitment.

“It reflects our pledge to provide customers with transparency,” said Bartelt. “We promise straightforward communication, fair pricing and service reliability backed by an experienced support team. Our focus is on building lasting relationships ensuring every customer feels valued and heard. We’re proud to stand by our work and always make things right no matter the circumstance.”

Midco also discounts its services for new and recurring customers. When residential customers signed up early in Detroit Lakes and Frazee, they were given a discounted rate for the first year of service. Now, new customers can lock in internet pricing for three years and know that their bill won’t change year after year. Beyond that, there are referral bonuses available for new and existing customers. For more information on Midco’s services for both residential and commercial customers, along with its initiatives and online account access, visit www.Midco.com.