

Rod Bowar receives NTCA Special Achievement Award in Tampa, FL
Summary of Nomination:
Bowar Power: How One South Dakota Manager Sustains the Small Community He Grew Up In! In May of 1976, at the age of 14, Rod began working part-time for Lloyd and Delores Johnstone, the owners of Kennebec Telephone Company. Even as a part-time employee, the teenage Bowar demonstrated a willingness to work seven days a week and perform any job that needed to be done. The young employee’s work ethic did not go unnoticed. Years later, Lloyd Johnstone
Four members of one family, three father-son duos among members
By Kimberly Kolden
The Daily Republic, Mitchell, SD
July 27, 2006 When a grass and tractor fire ignited last Saturday near Kennebec, four members of the Bowar family helped put out the fire.
With the assistant fire chief, a captain and two other firemen in the family serving on the Kennebec Volunteer Fire Department, fighting fires is a family affair for the Bowars. Other family members also get into the act, bringing the firefighters refreshments when it gets hot.


Special Achievements and Contributions to the Telecommunications Industry through National, State an
With less than one-thousand access lines, Kennebec Telephone Company is one of the smallest local exchange carriers in the state of South Dakota. However, due to Rod’s recognized leadership, Kennebec Telephone Company has been commended by the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission, the South Dakota Governor and Federal Communications Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein as an example of a principal contributor to the local, state and national telecommunications industry. Rod c


Contributions to and Positions Held in Community/Civic Organizations
When factoring in the hours Rod spends managing the operations at Kennebec Telephone Company and the time he invests in his industry association officer duties, it is really astonishing that Rod has any time left in his day. However, looking at Rod’s contributions to the communities of Kennebec and Presho leaves no doubt that serving, maintaining and giving back to those rural communities is also at the very top of Rod’s priority list. Carrying on a family tradition, Rod ser


Rod Bowar receives NTCA Special Achievement Award in Tampa
Rod Bowar In May of 1976, at the age of 14, Rod began working part-time for Lloyd and Delores Johnstone, the owners of Kennebec Telephone Company. Even as a part-time employee, the teenage Bowar demonstrated a willingness to work seven days a week and perform any job that needed to be done. The young employee’s work ethic did not go unnoticed. Years later, Lloyd Johnstone struck a deal with Rod that he would pay for his vocational tech education if, upon graduation, Rod wa


Special Achievements and Contributions to the Telecommunications Industry through National, State an
With less than one-thousand access lines, Kennebec Telephone Company is one of the smallest local exchange carriers in the state of South Dakota. However, due to Rod’s recognized leadership, Kennebec Telephone Company has been commended by the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission, the South Dakota Governor and Federal Communications Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein as an example of a principal contributor to the local, state and national telecommunications industry. Rod c


Contributions to and Positions Held in Community/Civic Organizations
When factoring in the hours Rod spends managing the operations at Kennebec Telephone Company and the time he invests in his industry association officer duties, it is really astonishing that Rod has any time left in his day. However, looking at Rod’s contributions to the communities of Kennebec and Presho leaves no doubt that serving, maintaining and giving back to those rural communities is also at the very top of Rod’s priority list. Carrying on a family tradition, Rod ser