Local Phone, Internet & Cable Provider Celebrates 100 years in Business!
From humble beginnings as the telephone provider for Eatonville, Washington in 1910 to the premier provider of local telecom services in the South Puget Sound; Rainier Connect looks forward to another 100 years of inspired community connections.
TACOMA, WA – July 2, 2010 – Rainier Connect, a neighborhood provider of Internet, TV and phone services in Washington’s South Puget Sound region, is celebrating their 100th year anniversary. As the company moves into their next 100, they want you along for the ride.
Step back in time and imagine you are Pete Christensen (who won the company in a friendly game of Pinochle as the story goes) in 1910. I’m sure he didn’t think then, that winning a hand of cards would lead to a number of very exciting and prosperous things for a small telephone company. By 1954 Arne Haynes (Pete’s grandson) was running the company (then called Mashell Telephone and Telegraph) which employed six people and served 300 customers.
Fast forward 56 years and Rainier Connect, one of Washington’s first telephone companies would convert to dial tone, embrace digital switching and eventually offer future technologies such as high-speed internet and cable television and serve a growing number of customers (over 15,000!) by 2010. All the while remaining a family owned and operated company. Arne’s son Skip took the reins in 1990 and Skip’s son Brian, took control of the company in 2007.
“Community involvement, support and enrichment have been the cornerstone of Rainier Connect’s mission since it was founded back in 1910, and we decided to continue that tradition as part of our anniversary celebration,” said Rainier Connect CEO Brian Haynes. “Our focus is in the community. That goes for business and residential customers alike, we are one big community. Whatever we can do to help our customers, we will be there.
This community focus will be seen in beneficial partnerships with non-profits, fun and engaging referral rewards programs, community block parties and exciting corporate relationships like they share with the Tacoma Rainiers.
Rainier Connect also has exciting new service offerings planned, which they believe, will benefit current and potential customers immensely.
Join Rainier Connect, as they venture into the next exciting and prosperous 100 years of inspired community connections.
About Rainier Connect
A lot has changed since Rainier Connect got the neighborhood talking with locally grown phone service back in 1910. But we’re as fast and responsive as ever, now providing reliable TV, Phone and Internet services to our neighbors throughout the South Puget Sound. For more information on Rainier Connect visit www.rainierconnect.com.
