Dear TSTCI Members and Associate Members

CELEBRATE, CELEBRATE — Our industry has a lot to celebrate this year — and celebrate we will at the TSTCI Annual Meeting, October 11-13, 2017 at the Renaissance Austin Hotel, Austin, Texas.    

Yes, we will celebrate a renaissance moment for our industry with the successful passage of our legislation.  We will join together to acknowledge and celebrate our coming together as an industry to make what some thought impossible — possible. We will share informational sessions and networking with co-workers, peers and new and old friends. We’ll look forward to days in front of us; acknowledge days we’re in; and, remember some of those we shared days with in the past.  We’ll be uplifted, motivated, educated, appreciated and celebrated. And all of that will happen for three days in October at a fabulous conference planned for you by the TSTCI Program Planning Committee, TSTCI Staff and the TSTCI Board.  You’re invited so plan to come celebrate with us.    

After a charming yet competitive day of golf at the beautiful Avery Ranch Golf Club, rest and relax before joining us at the Wednesday evening trifecta -- Welcome Reception-Vendor Table-Top Display-Silent/Live Auction!  As you all know this isn’t your normal event – but it is a highlighted event for the conference. The increased the time (4:30 pm - 7:30 pm) allows all these events to happen simultaneously and gives everyone time for more interaction with our treasured Associate Member vendors who work hard with and for you and who work hard and for TSTCI. In addition, the Live/Silent Auction benefitting the TSTCI PAC always adds a thin layer of competitive spirit to an already exciting evening.   

In an effort for more inclusion, communication, and interaction, several years ago, we moved the Annual Membership meeting to Thursday afternoon and introduced the “Rural Matters Dinner & Awards Banquet.” This allows us more time shared with our all of our members and provides an encompassing-environment to introduce the new Board and Officers. The Awards Dinner also gives us a special platform to recognize the recipients of the two Annual Awards – the “TSTCI-Legend Award” — which focuses on someone who has helped guide the industry and the Association for many years; and the “TSTCI — Friend of Rural Award” — that recognize someone — either internal or external to TSTCI — that has or is making an extraordinary difference to/for/in Rural Texas.  Our industry, our members and our Association have so much to be proud of and we want to take the time to officially recognize those efforts. We hope you will plan to join in the celebration of our industry and of our rural roots. 

So, registration is now open for the Annual Membership Conference & Associate Member Table-Top Display at the Renaissance Hotel in Austin, Texas October 11-13, 2017. CLICK HERE  

In addition to the social and educational events, the Annual Meeting is also the time where we come to do the business of the Association. It is the meeting where we do the State of the Association, we elect new Board representatives and we are introduced to the Officers that will lead TSTCI for the next year. While the legislation is passed, not all the work is complete for our efforts. Implementation of this new legislation will be equally important to its passage. 

To help make your attendance and participation as easy as possible, we provide a link from the TSTCI website to assist you with “Registration” “General Sponsorship” “Hotel Reservations” “Golf – Participation and/or Sponsorship” Banquet Sponsorships”  — all the comforts of participation at www.tstci.org. On the website link you will also find a Pre-Agenda outline for the outstanding program sessions. But, to give you a peek behind the curtain so to speak, let me outline for you some of the conference highlights. 

We begin our time together Wednesday, October 11th with the Annual Wesley B. Roberts Memorial Golf Tournament at the Avery Ranch Golf Club. Golf begins on Wednesday with breakfast at 7:00 am in the Golf Clubhouse and a Shotgun Start Tee-Off at 8:00 am. Your golf fee includes the cart rental, green fees, driving range balls, full breakfast, beverages, lunch and prizes. Registration for the golf tournament and opportunities to assist with golf tournament sponsorships is available on the online registration page

After golf and a shower, join us beginning at 4:30 for the “Vendor Table-Tops” during the “Where the Stars are Still Big & Bright Welcome Reception” which goes through 7:30 pm. This evening event is highlighted by our Associate Member Table-Top Displays and our traditional PAC-benefiting Silent & Live Auction. Each of these events are important to our Association so we’ve worked the plan to give each aspect of the evening time to shine. We encourage all attendees to honor our Vendor Displayers with your time and presence. The Silent Auction items will be intermingled and will run from 4:30-7:00 pm. The Live Auction items will be presented in three 15 minute segments (the first beginning around 5:00) and spaced hourly throughout the evening. Each venue in this event packed evening is important — so please make time and put forth effort to support our Associate Membership vendors and supporters and participate in the Auctions to continue support of our PAC. The Silent & Live Auctions benefit the TSTCI PAC so please donate items for the Auction.  We include a list of all Auction Items and Donors, so help us out and let us know if you’re bringing an auction item and a description and value would be helpful. Your pre-planning helps up with our program planning and helps it be a better event for everyone. PLEASE let us know your auction items/door prize items so we can plan for them and so we can include you in the program and on-site sponsor board.

Thursday morning after a hosted breakfast and welcome, former Denver Broncos captain, Karl Mecklenburg will kick things off for us with his “Six Keys to Success in a Changing World.” As a refresher to some and an introduction to others, Karl Mecklenburg began his career as a college walk-on player and then 12th round draft choice in the NFL. But this unconventional start to a long and memorable career included playing in three Super Bowls and six Pro Bowls. Karl has been inducted into the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame and the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame. Karl’s stories of teamwork and leadership will be humorous and inspiring. He says he approaches his speaking the same way he approached his football career — with intelligence, passion and intensity. (NOTE: He is also bringing a “signed” Denver Bronco jersey for the Live Auction). 

After changing the world with Karl, you’ll learn how to change your partnership focus for broadband and more with Dana Baker, GVNW. Then, Becky Jones, TexLa Telehealth Resource Center, will give us an update on “Telehealth in Texas.” One of the benefits to our rural communities of the broadband network is the access to the telehealth/telemedicine services. Becky’s organization, TexLa Telehealth Resource Center is a quasi-state agency that covers Texas and Louisiana services. 

Before we break for lunch, TSTCI Associate member — Greg Whiteaker, Herman & Whiteaker, LLC, in Washington DC will fill our need to know bucket about important legal issues and responsibilities. Greg will outline your companies’ responsibilities under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). If you don’t know what they are or even that you have any responsibilities, this is definitely a segment you don’t want to miss.  In addition to the DMCA, Greg will touch on the Mobility Act, Wireless responsibilities and much more. This will be Greg’s first time in front of our membership (although I’m confident not his last) so I know you’ll help me give him a big and warm welcome.

After lunch, only those attending the Annual Membership Meeting will return for the afternoon session — Annual Membership Meeting & Election of Directors.”  This meeting is open to TSTCI ILEC members and their signed-in designees.

After a full day of valuable information sharing, please plan to join us for a pleasant evening at the 4th Annual Rural Matters Dinner & Awards Ceremony. This event gives us all a fun, memorable and somewhat nostalgic time together. There is not an additional charge to attendees for the banquet; however, when you register for the conference, we would very much appreciate your filling in the area about whether and if your spouse/significant other will be attending the banquet.  This is a catered event and your help to ensure a reasonable headcount is greatly appreciated. In addition, we always make arrangements for a vegetarian dinner option or other special dietary needs, so please let us know of any special dietary requests.  We have several opportunities for sponsorships of this important event including “Table-Sponsorships” and “Hosted Bar Sponsorship.” Table sponsorships are a great way to get extra recognition--your table will be reserved with your name and you will also get to invite other registered attendees who you would like to be seated with you at your table for eight.  In addition, you will be listed as “Table Sponsor” in our promotional material and will get verbal and signage acknowledgment during the conference. Remember, too, this is part of the package for our Premiere Sponsorship — which we acknowledge Eastex Telephone Cooperative, VTX1 Companies and Moss Adams as our 2017 Premiere Sponsors. 

Details for all sponsorship opportunities are included on the website sponsor page.  Please make plans to join us for an evening honoring our industry and some of your peers. 

Friday, after a continental breakfast, a key legislator has been invited to give us the Good/ Better/Best of our legislative effort and then perhaps not such a pretty picture of the rest of the legislative session.  This will be an interesting segment for sure.  We will then map our way through “Geocoding — More than Just an FCC Requirement” with panelist Joe Mendez- EPI Communications Consultants, Karen Gunkel — Colorado Valley Telephone Cooperative, Inc. and Joey Anderson-Nortex.  Who would have thought that GPSing our customers would be something we’d be doing.  But, here we are.  While the geocoding requirement only immediately hits those ACAM companies, geocoding is coming and not too far down the road for our Legacy companies as well.  So, buckle up.

We will end the day and the conference with a Closing Keynote by the Texas State Demographer, Lloyd B. Potter, PhD.   Dr. Potter will give us the “Demographic Characteristics and Trends in Texas.”  Dr. Potter works at the Institute for Demographic and Socioeconomic Research at the University of Texas in San Antonio.  To plan for our customers of the future, we must first know who they may be!  This is sure to be an enlightening and engulfing presentation!

Before we adjourn for another year, we will draw for the Grand Prize graciously sponsored by Texas Communications Expo.

Please plan to join us in Austin! 

Registration for Meeting – Please click here.

Continuing Education Units — The objectives of this conference are to improve the skills and knowledge of accounting and other issues related to the telecommunications industry. Participants shall receive 6 non-technical CPE credit hours for participation, and there are no prerequisites for participation. We have registered with the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy as a CPE sponsor. This registration does not constitute an endorsement by the Board as to the quality of our CPE program. TSTCI Sponsor ID# 2349

Award Dinner Sponsorships — Table Sponsors and Hosted-Bar Sponsors

Sponsorship/Door Prizes/ Auction Items — As an appreciated sponsor, your company will be recognized in the on-site printed program, on the Sponsor-Sign displayed throughout the meeting and in the Weekly “This Week” leading up to the conference.  To be included in the printed material, we need to receive your sponsorship, door prizes and/or auction items donation by September 19, 2017. As always, your support is very much appreciated. 

Hotel Information — The meeting is at the Renaissance Austin Hotel, Austin, Texas. For your convenience, we have a direct link to the hotel on the TSTCI Conference registration on the website. If calling the hotel direct, please make sure they know you are with the TSTCI group so they include you in our room group.  Room rates are $199.00. Be sure to make your reservations by the September 19, 2017 cut-off date. After that date, rooms will be on a space-available basis at the regular hotel rate.  Check-in time is 4:00 p.m.; check-out time is Noon. Overnight self-parking is approximately $10.00/day and valet parking is approximately $25.00/day. 

Discretionary Fund — The TSTCI Board appreciates contributions to the Discretionary Fund — used for important off-budget expenditures such as payment for featured speakers, donations to death memorials, PAC administrative expenses, and more.  The Discretionary Fund is included in the annual independent audit of TSTCI. Since this fund is not used to provide campaign funds to candidates and office holders, corporate contributions are acceptable. Contributions to this fund can be made online when you register for the meeting. Credit card payments (online), as well as corporate or personal checks made payable to the TSTCI Discretionary Fund may be sent to the TSTCI Austin office. 505 W. 12th Street, Suite 206, Austin, TX 78701.)

If you have questions or need assistance with registration for this meeting, please contact Weldon R. Gray, CEO-TSTCI at 903-658-0055, [email protected]; Kari at [email protected] or Pat Holder, TSTCI Event Planner at 512-349-7470. 

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