CRofMeadNov13 by Consumer Report for Carbon Valley, Mead and Erie

of Mead

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Serving Mead, Colorado Since 2013

303.833.5997 ● crofmead@gmail.com POB 962 ● Frederick, CO 80530

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Volume 1 z Issue 11 z November 2013 Serving the Town of Mead and Surrounding Areas. Your Monthly Connection to Community News & Events www.facebook.com/CarbonValleyConsumerReport  Like us for FREE prizes & local updates

Creating Community By Connecting Neighbors "...In Your presence is fullness of joy;..." Psalm 16:11

K2 Communications Local & Engaged

By Heidi Kerr-Schlaefer Being a business owner can be challenging, often times those challenges bring out the best of those willing to take on the risk involved, as is the case of Gary and Lisa Shields and K2 Communications, originally a Mead-based cable television system. Today, K2 Communications offers cable television, high speed internet and digital telephone (VoIP), but when Gary Shields bought the business in February 2002, it wasn’t nearly as advanced as it is today. Gary was born in Colorado, but his family moved away when he was a teenager. In 1999, now with a family of his own, Gary moved back to the state. Employed in the long-haul fiber optics industry, Shields was one of the original employees at 360 Networks. While in business they built 18,000 miles of long-haul fiber optics across the United States.

“When that industry went belly-up in 2001, it left a lot of people in a bad situation around here,” said Gary. One of many individuals laid off from the long-haul fiber optics industry, Gary took his hands-on experience in building networks and began consulting and building fiber optic systems for independently owned telephone companies all over the United States. Gary said, “Through one of those contacts I heard about a cable television system in the Mead area that was in a bankruptcy situation and ten days later I had bought it.” The first few years were rough, but Gary and his wife, Lisa, worked tirelessly to point the business in the right direction. The service initially only offered cable television programming and only carried about 39 analog channels of programming. Gary built his business by putting together a business plan and finding partners in his venture. They upgraded the entire system and built a more technology-based central office. This facility provides K2 Communications with the technology, tools and location necessary to provide a high quality cable programing line-up, high speed internet ranging from 5Mbps – 10 Gbps, and digital (VoIP) telephone services to the local community. The value of services that are offered by K2 Communications rival those of other providers, with the benefit of being locally owned and operated. Today, Gary and Lisa run the day-today operations of K2 Communications, along with an office manager and contracted installation and construction crews. The name, K2 Communications, came from the Shields’ two daughters, Kate, age 18 and Kelly, age 13. “I think the things that set our company apart are customer service and community,” said Gary. Unlike other companies offering the same types of services, the Shields’ see their customers face-to-face on a daily basis. They see them at the grocery store, at sporting events or even at the gas station. Gary and Lisa have a stake in the

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We’re thankful for our ability to enhance your communications.

970-535-6323 • www.k2cable.com 322 Main St., PO Box 232, Mead, CO

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We’re thankful for the opportunity to serve you.

K2Communications

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We’re thankful for your years of loyalty to K2 Communications.

We’re thankful for your continued trust as we move forward.

4322 Highway 66, Longmont (just east of I-25 at exit 243)

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WE’RE THANKFUL TO HAVE CUSTOMERS LIKE YOU!

We’re thankful for the joy of living and working in this community.

community and they are firmly rooted in the area, which has a major impact on how they run K2. Maybe it is their family values or their sense of community, either way as the backbone of K2 Communications, the Shields family has fulfilled a need for the residents and businesses of Mead with a value and rapport that is virtually impossible for that of the competition. “To a large degree, the reason for our success is because we fully invest ourselves in the communities that we serve,” said Gary. Both Gary and Lisa are involved in the community of Mead on many levels. Gary is one of the original members of the Mead Area Chamber of Commerce, and has been involved with the Mead Rotary Club for many years. When Mead High School was established, he served as the booster club president for three years and now serves as a Trustee on the Town of Mead Board. Lisa Shields is the current president of the Mead Middle School PAC. K2 Communications is moving towards expanding its service area by bringing high speed internet and digital telephone service to adjacent communities. The plan is to have these services available wirelessly to residential users and available to area businesses through dedicated fiber optic connections. K2 intends to launch these services in the communities of Firestone, Frederick, Dacono, Platteville and Longmont based on consumer interest. To learn more or to express interest in K2 services being offered in your community, visit www.K2cable.com or call (970) 535-6323.

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