A Monthly Newsletter for the GBT Communities and Patrons

www.gbta.netHelp Desk: 800.432.7965

May 2018 | Vol. 23, No. 5

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St. John OfficePO Box 86 • 602 N US Hwy 281

St. John, KS 67576620.377.5555 • 620.377.5556

Hours:11:00am - 5:00pm

Mon-Fri

Rush Center OfficeP.O. Box 229 • 103 Lincoln

Rush Center, KS 67575800.432.7965 • 785.372.4236

Hours: 7:30am - 5:00pm | Mon-Fri

Ness City Office114 W. Main

Ness City, KS 67560800.966.5186 785.798.3100

Hours:8:00am - 5:00pm

Mon-Fri

Ellis Office101 W. 9th • Ellis, KS 67637

800.966.5183 • 785.726.3200Hours: 11:00am - 5:00pm | Mon-Fri

Larned Office122 W. 5th

Larned, KS 67550800.432.7965 • 620.910.7676

Hours:8:30am - 11:30am &

Noon - 5:00pm Mon-Fri

March ManiaWinners

1953 2018 ConnectionConnection

Youth Tour Winner AnnouncedEvery year the Foundation for Rural Service (FRS) brings over 100 high school students from rural America together for an exciting experience in Washington D.C. This year GBT invited students from our area to apply for this great opportunity. Several applications were submitted, and the lucky student chosen was Cashe McVey,

a Junior from St. John. He will be heading to Washington in June to experience an inside look at the telecommunications industry, learn more about the legislative and governmental process, experience the nation’s capital, visit historic sites, and develop leadership skills. We are excited to sponsor Cashe on this amazing opportunity!

GBT is pleased to announce the winners of the Pick-It March Mania college basketball contest. Out of over 324 participants in the community, Darlene Torrez from Albert earned the most points in the contest and was awarded a $100 GBT Bill Credit. Jacob Reifschneider from La Crosse came in second place and received a $50 GBT Bill Credit, and Rosanna Torres from La Crosse finished in third place and won some Nex-Tech Wireless goodies. We also chose a random winner from all eligible contestants to win a $50 GBT Bill

Credit, and that winner was Bryce Pfannenstiel from Ransom. We also want to congratulate our two Facebook contest winners, Tiffany Overlease and Kristi Butler.

Contest participants were invited to pick

who they predicted to win the NCAA men’s college basketball

championship tournament games, and earned points for each game they picked correctly. The contest was conducted online and sponsored by GBT. The March Mania contest ended April 2nd after the Villanova Wildcats beat the Michigan Wolverines to win the championship game.

GBT Offices will be closed May 28th

Spring is in the air and graduation ceremonies are right around the corner. May is always a busy month, and this newsletter is bursting with information! This month you will find our March Mania winners, including two of our Social Media contest winners. We introduce you to one lucky High School student in the area who recently was chosen to head to Washington DC. And more fun trivia contest information is on page 3, so feel free to try for your chance to win $25. We held our Annual Meeting in late March, and if you were unable to attend, we have a recap along with all the winners that evening, including a special guest that was in attendance.

Have a warm and safe Memorial Day weekend!

BROWNELLScott Amrein 481-2247

BURDETTBrad McCoy 525-6276Jason Selfridge 525-6219

ELLISNathan Felder 726-3025

GARFIELDCindy Hawkins 569-2213

LACROSSECrop Production Services 514-5011

Tabetha Haist-Richard 514-5036Betty Schwartzkopf 514-5033

LEWISRobin Gugins 324-5161Don Schroeder 324-5569Michael Vedette 324-5983

MACKSVILLERenee Snodgrass 320-5005

NESS CITYJames Borger 798-2150

Dennis & Tammy Langer 798-3983Torry Roehl 798-2354

OTISTristen Dean 387-2280Tasha Keith 387-2248

ROZELEverett D Spreier 527-4200

RUSH CENTERMax Masonry LLC 372-4031

TIMKENM E Leidig 355-2306

Directory Updates

2

May

Let GBT help you expand your wifi

to all the rooms in your house!

Certain restrictions apply. *Additional access points may be required.

Free Installation

with 1 year contract.

Smart Wifi

Solution

Smart Wifi

Solution

Smart Wifi

Solution

Offer

expires

May 31st.

Who is the longest standing current employee at GBT and how long have they worked for GBT? *Hint* The answer is listed in this newsletter somewhere!

E-mail us by the 10th of the month at marketing@gbtlive.com with the answer to the trivia question, and you will be entered into a drawing to win a $25 bill credit on your next GBT bill!

GBT TriviaApril’s Trivia Winner:

Yvette Schlegel – Ness CityApril’s Newsletter Trivia Question answer was:

5 General Managers over the last 65 Years! Yvette won

a $25 bill credit from GBT just for playing!

1953 2018

3

On March 26, 2018, our GBT Annual Meeting was held at Pawnee Heights School in Burdett. The meeting started at 7 pm when members heard several reports of the company’s business from 2017. Office Manager Debra Tuzicka gave the financial report, followed by a report from General Manager Beau Rebel. Mr. Rebel discussed several items happening in the industry today and how those will affect GBT and its members. He continued his report with some of the year’s highlights, including the fiber upgrade to the rural Albert and Lewis exchanges. Business

Development Coordinator Kyle Bahr then gave a report on current and future technology.

Congressman Roger Marshall, M.D., provided an update on current events in Washington, D.C.

Mr. Rebel introduced the members of the Board and employees. He presented a 25-year service award plaque to Michele Moran, and recognized Krista Steinert for 20 years of service. Members of the Junior Board were also recognized: Samantha Crawford, Brett Herrman, Jacob Showalter, Angelena Copeland, Blake Bahr, Jenna Hlavaty, and Caleb Karst.

All attendees received a door prize in addition to several drawings. The grand prize winners of up to $500 in retired capital credits were Greg Hinman and Rozel Baptist Church; Roku Stick winners were Duane Meitl, Mutt Delaney, and Eugene Schuster; and the Nex-Tech Wireless gift was won by Holy Trinity Catholic Church.

The meeting concluded with the announcement that Clyde Sutton and Ron Gruber were re-elected to another term as trustees.

We want to thank everyone who attended the 59th GBT Annual

Meeting and helped us celebrate our 65 years in business!

Annual Meeting Recap

Happy

Mother’s

Day

SundayMay 13th, 2018

4

If you have questions or comments about this newsletter or any of our services,

please email us at marketing@gbtlive.comKelly Baalmann, Editor

Kyle Bahr, Editor

Ingredients:1 package Cream Cheese (softened)1 stick of Butter (softened) (Land O’ Lakes works best)1 egg1 package Devil’s Food Cake Mix

Directions:Combine all ingredients. Refrigerate dough for at least an hour. Roll dough into balls. Place on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 10 to 12 minutes.Sprinkle with powdered sugar while still warm Enjoy!

Cake Brownie CookiesSubmitted by Janel Tammen - Timken

Don’t click that link!

If you have a favorite r e c i p e y o u w o u l d like to share to be f e a t u r e d i n a n upcoming newsletter, send it to marketing@gbtlive.com.

Scammers send emails that look like they’re trying to help you because they know you’re more likely to click a link within them if you think you’re protecting yourself. But, beware! In particular, watch for emails that look like they’re coming from large tech companies you likely do business with. The emails say something like, “See the attached invoice for your recent purchase. If you did not authorize this purchase, click on the link below.”

Just like other phony emails, this one is designed to get you to click on a link that takes you to a copycat website where you’re asked to provide personal information that can be used for identity theft. Or it executes a program that gives scammers access to your computer, where they then install ransomware that prevents you from accessing your own files.

Most people have their email set up on a tablet or smartphone, which is where they check the email. When you browse the web on these devices, you might see a pop-up ad or a page warning you about a problem with your device. It might even look like the alert is coming from Apple or Google. It isn’t. These alerts are pop-ups, designed to trick you into calling a phony support number or buying an app that claims to fix the issue. Don’t call the number. Simply navigate away from that page, or close the window or tab, and continue browsing.

Finally, most companies will never ask you over email to provide your Social Security number, mother’s maiden name, credit card number, or similar personal information.

Other tips include: ● Only open attachments if they’re expected, and from someone you know, with an email address you’ve verified. ● Never use an emailed link to access your account. Instead, use a bookmarked URL that you know is valid. ● Use and regularly update security software. ● Regularly back up your files.● Scammers count on your ignorance of how they work. Instead, stay informed and stay safe!

SPRING CLEANING