Business Solutions for Winter 2021

6 W I N T E R 2 0 2 1 Michelle L. Corey, BBB St. Louis President and CEO, said, “BBB TORCH Awards recognize companies and charities committed to exceptional service and high ethics. These organizations have truly joined BBB’s mission of advancing marketplace trust in an exemplary way, particularly in this extraordinary year. They are role models for other businesses and nonprofits in the community.” Rising to the Challenge of the Pandemic The pandemic-related challenges of 2020 brought to light just how important communications services are to communities. They also demonstrated the deep commitment of Madison Communications employees. Mary J. Westerhold, Madison Communications Vice President, said, “I think receiving the BBB TORCH Award is recognition for the hard work of our entire staff that goes into keeping our communities connected 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. I am particularly proud of how our staff worked together during the beginning phases of the pandemic. Starting in March 2020—when schools were transitioning to remote learning, companies were developing work-from-home initia- tives, and government facilities were needing additional voice and internet services—our employees were working seven days a week to meet the increase in customer demand. We recognized early on that serving our communities by limiting person-to-person interactions through internet-enabled solu- tions would be a collective effort.” Additional examples cited by Westerhold of how Madison Communications responded to the growing need for internet included: • Assisting partners in local government, health care, educa- tion, and other community anchor institutions with additional service needs. • Partnering with school districts to ensure students in need of connectivity for remote learning with limited resources still had internet free of charge. Our Family’s Foundational Pillars “On behalf of the entire Madison Communications team, I would like to thank the BBB for the TORCH Award. It recognizes organ- izations that build trust through ethical practices with their staff, the community, their approach to marketing, and within their industry. It is a supreme honor to have the BBB acknowledge these foundational pillars that our company strives to meet on a daily basis,” Westerhold said. Inspired by this award and working together as a family, Madison Communications will continue to support the rural communities we serve through significant investments in new fiber broadband technology; upgrades to current communications infrastructure; and donations to schools, charities, and local events. After all, a TORCH is meant to light the way of progress. Better Business Bureau (BBB) Serving Eastern and Southwest Missouri and Southern Illinois honored 10 businesses and two charities in the St. Louis area with BBB TORCH Awards in 2020, and Madison Communications was proud to be among them. Madison Communications Wins BBB TORCH Award It’s an honor to receive recognition for our team’s extraordinary work in 2020 L to R: Stephen M. Schwartz, Vice President; Mary J. Westerhold, Vice President; Leonard J. Schwartz, Vice President; and Kim L. Harber, Senior Vice President