Serving Our Communities With Advanced, Affordable Technology
Ritter Communications is a leader among regional independent communications providers, offering business, residential and wholesale customers advanced internet, phone, video and cloud services. We invest heavily in the communities we serve by deploying proven, best-in-class infrastructure and technology while coupling it with a world-class customer focused experience. Founded in 1906 and headquartered in Jonesboro, Arkansas, Ritter Communications is committed to growing and evolving to meet the demands of today's ever-connected world. Grain Management, LLC, a leading investor in the communications sector, is the majority owner of the company in partnership with E. Ritter and Company, which also operates Ritter Agribusiness and Ritter Investment Holdings.
We Bring Advanced Technology to the Mid-South! Serving...
Miles of Fiber
Direct Connections to Regional Hubs
Direct Connections to National Hubs
* Ritter Communications serves 4 states in network and 11 states out of network including our partner's networks.
Our "Right by You" pledge is a reflection of how we strive to operate in all areas of our business. We believe the best formula for continued growth and success is doing what is right for our customers, employees and the communities we serve.
ALAN MORSE
Alan Morse joined Ritter Communications in February, 2014 as President and was named Chief Executive Officer in October, 2019.
Alan is a highly accomplished telecommunications executive with an extensive background in strategic planning, sales, marketing, network engineering and operations. Immediately prior to joining Ritter, he was the principal of the Morse Consulting Group, having successfully served as President and CEO of Integrated Mobile, Inc. leading up to its 2012 acquisition.
From 2002 to 2007 Alan was COO for iPCS, Inc., a publicly-traded wireless communications affiliate of Sprint based in Chicago with service areas spanning 15 states. Prior to that, he was COO for Telepacific Communications, Inc., a private equity-backed CLEC providing business internet, telephone and data services in the California and Nevada markets.
Alan is a graduate of The Ohio State University. He's involved in numerous philanthropic organizations, including the American Cancer Society, the Arkansas State University EARIS business incubator program, the Jonesboro Chamber of Commerce and The Ohio State University President's Club.
HEATH SIMPSON
Heath Simpson joined Ritter Communications in March 2020 following a nationwide recruitment campaign utilizing a leading executive search firm. His 25-year career includes extensive financial and operational experience in telecommunications. During his decade at AT&T, Heath was actively involved in industry transformative transactions. He also led corporate development, strategy and financial planning and analysis at Frontier Communications as a senior executive officer, and was previously CFO at BACOM, a privately held telecom infrastructure company.
As CFO, Heath provides executive level leadership to human resources, information technologies, program management and facilities. His responsibilities extend to all aspects of financial management, including planning, capital allocation, risk assessment and mitigation, and reporting in support of Ritter Communications' position as a premier independent broadband internet provider.
A former officer in the Army Reserve, Heath earned his MBA and undergraduate business degrees from Texas Christian University. He is from Dallas and is married with three children. Heath enjoys traveling with his family, playing guitar, and spending time outdoors.
SUSAN BEASLEY
Vice President of Information Technologies, Program Management and Facilities
Susan Beasley joined Ritter Communications as Project Administration Manager in 2015, was promoted to Director of Information Systems and Program Management in 2016 and was again promoted in 2018 to Vice President/Information Technologies, Program Management & Facilities. In her role, Susan supervises Ritter's Information Services team and is the lead project manager for all of the company's fiber construction initiatives.
Susan owns more than 30 years of IT administration experience. Prior to joining Ritter, she spent 14 years at St. Bernards Healthcare, including three years as IT Director. She obtained a Master's Health Informatics and Information Management from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and a B.S. in Management Information Systems/Data Telecommunications from Arkansas State University. Susan is active with a number of charities in Northeast Arkansas and is a board member for the NEA Children's Advocacy Center and committee chair for St. Jude S'travaganza.
GREG SUNDERWOOD
Greg Sunderwood joined Ritter Communications as Director of Network Architecture in 2012. He served as the company's Vice President of Engineering and Products for five years, was promoted to Senior Vice President, Technology in September of 2018 and now serves as Chief Technology Officer. Currently, Greg leads Ritter's Network Engineering, Outside Plant Engineering and Product and Service Development teams and provides executive level leadership with respect to all technology and network related strategies. He boasts over 25 years of experience in telecommunications engineering, with leadership roles in BCTel/Telus, 360networks, Bell Canada and Nortel.
Greg is a native of British Columbia and holds an electrical engineering degree from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. He enjoys spending time outdoors and cheering for the Vancouver Canucks.
JEFF CHAPMAN
Vice President/GM of RightFiber
Jeff Chapman joined Ritter Communications in January, 2021. Chapman brings Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) knowledge and experience to Ritter Communications, with his most recent role as Executive Vice President – Operations for NorthState Communications in High Point, North Carolina. In addition to managing multi-million-dollar fiber deployment projects, Chapman managed a substantial FTTH build at NorthState Communications. Chapman's industry experience also includes roles as CEO of Bridgepoint Communications in Dallas, Executive Vice President of Engineering and Construction for FiberLight in Atlanta, and management experience in sales, network engineering, construction, operations and support at PEG Bandwidth, Covad, New Edge Networks and more.
Chapman leads our RightFiber projects for Ritter Communications' service markets. He oversees all aspects of the sales function, Sales Operations, Sales Engineering, Solutions Delivery, Construction and Operations. He ensures that his team focuses their work in a way that provides our customers with the highest level of customer service. His knowledge paired with his years of management experience provides superb leadership for our RightFiber team.
Chapman has a business administration degree from Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri. Originally from Arkansas, he is married and has two children. Jeff enjoys traveling, DIY projects and being on the water.
SUSAN CHRISTIAN
Vice President of Marketing and Federal Advocacy
Susan Christian joined Ritter Communications in 2005 and has served as Vice President of Marketing since 2008. Susan leads all of the company's communication and advertising efforts, serves as an official spokeswoman for company-related matters, works closely with cable networks regarding negotiations and supervises the "Tubetown" staff, Ritter's local content production team. During her time at Ritter, Susan was previously responsible for managing the company's residential customer care and product development team. In 2018, Susan was named Independent Marketing Executive of the Year by Cablefax, a leading industry publication.
In her Federal Advocacy role, Susan represents Ritter Communications and its customers before lawmakers and their staff in Washington, advocates key public policy positions and is responsible for Ritter's relationship with governmental regulatory agencies and trade associations.
Prior to joining Ritter, Susan spent seven years as Director of Account Services with TRUE Visionary advertising agency in Jonesboro and worked four years as a Marketing Manager for Cott Beverages in Dallas. She is a Jonesboro native and earned a degree in Business Administration/Marketing from Southern Methodist University. Susan is a member of St. Mark's Episcopal Church and serves on the Ernest and Anna Ritter Family Endowment philanthropy committee.
LEXANNE HORTON
Vice President/Controller
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Lexanne Horton was hired as E. Ritter Company's controller in February of 2015. In October 2019, Lexanne was promoted to vice president/controller of Ritter Communications. She oversees accounting, financial planning and analysis, treasury management, billing, risk management and purchasing.
Lexanne holds an MBA from Union University as well as a B.B.A. in accounting from the University of Memphis. Prior to joining Ritter, she spent 24 years in the healthcare industry. She started her career with Deloitte and Touche.
A native of Jackson, Tenn., Lexanne serves on the Board of Directors for CASA of the 2nd Judicial District of Arkansas Court Appointed Special Advocates, an organization that provides support and advocacy for children who are in the foster system, and serves on the Board of Directors and the Workforce Development Committee at the Chamber of Commerce of Jonesboro. Lexanne and her husband Mike have three children and two grandchildren.
KYLE KEITH
Vice President/GM of Enterprise, Wholesale and Cloud
Kyle Keith was named Senior Vice President/General Manager of Enterprise, Wholesale and Cloud Solutions in 2018. Kyle oversees a number of areas, including expansion of the company's business services offerings into new markets, development of our cloud product suite and continuing to grow the company's customer base through its expanding fiber optic network.
Kyle joined Ritter Communications as a Market Sales Manager in 2013 and was promoted to Director of Business Sales in 2014. In that role, Kyle lead Ritter's enterprise sales team and worked to establish new relationships with businesses throughout our territories while also strengthening established ones.
Prior to joining Ritter, Kyle was an account manager at Optus Inc. and worked in sales and marketing for Alltel. Born and raised in Jonesboro, Kyle studied business management at Arkansas State University. He and his wife Lauren have two children, son Jack and daughter Rebecca. Kyle enjoys golf, fishing, and cheering for the Boston Red Sox.
JEFF KULAS
Vice President of Customer Experience
Jeff Kulas joined Ritter Communications as Director of Customer Care in 2015 and was promoted to Vice President of Customer Experience in 2017. Jeff is responsible for coordinating all customer service strategies, methodologies and messaging. In addition, Jeff supervises Ritter's key and business account reps (KARs and BARs), oversees the residential Customer Care team and is responsible for all inbound Customer Care, including phone calls and walk-ins at our retail locations.
Prior to his arrival at Ritter, Jeff spent two years at Concentrix, a business outsourcing provider in Phoenix. There he was the Senior Manager of Sales Operations for Verizon Telematics. Prior to that, he was an Operations Manager with Pace for seven years, on their AT&T account. Jeff attended Western International University and Mesa Community College. The Phoenix-area native enjoys photography and painting and has volunteered with organizations such as the Salvation Army and OneNTen, an organization that helps provide positive role models and support for at-risk teens in Phoenix. Jeff has two sons and two grandchildren.
MARK MCHALE
Vice President of Public Affairs and Community Relations
Mark McHale joined Ritter Communications in January 2022 as Vice President, Public Affairs and Community Relations.
Mark's background in strategic communications, public policy, and media relations will prove to be a valuable asset to Ritter Communications' expansion efforts in the mid-south. His most recent work as the Associate Administrator in the Office of Strategic Communication with the U.S. General Services Administration kept Mark abreast of telecom and technology modernization initiatives across federal and state governments. His technology experience will be vital in supporting Ritter Communications' mission to close the digital divide and connectivity gaps in our rural communities.
As VP of Public Affairs and Community Relations, Mark focuses on establishing and deepening business relationships with public officials and leaders in markets we currently serve and plan to serve. Mark also keeps current on the rapidly changing federal, state, and local regulations, identifies and investigates state/federal funding opportunities, and explores potential public-private partnerships – and coordinates our response in those areas.
Mark is a graduate of Miami University (Oxford, OH) and a native of Cleveland, OH. He and his wife Wendy have two sons, John and Robert. Mark is an avid golfer, reader and sports fan.
BOB MOUSER
Vice President/GM of Hometown Services
Bob Mouser joined Ritter Communications immediately following his college graduation in 1982, and he's been with the company for his entire professional career. He's held various executive positions with Ritter over the years, most recently, vice president of business development. In his current role, Bob oversees all aspects of Ritter Communications' residential services, including construction, market sales, dispatch, installation and repair, service activations and customer care. In addition, he handles legislative and regulatory issues at the state and local levels for the company.
Bob grew up in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, and earned a degree in business administration from Arkansas State University. He and his wife Kim have two children, Rachel and Zac. He lives in Harrison, Arkansas, and enjoys hunting upland birds and turkey as well as fishing the Natural State's numerous lakes and streams.
DANNY SMITH
Danny Smith joined E. Ritter & Company in 2006 and was promoted to director of human resources in 2012. In October 2019, Danny was named vice president of human resources. In this role, Danny is responsible for all human resources policies, programs and services for the organization. Areas of responsibility include talent acquisition, training and development, employee relations, compensation and benefits, employee health and safety, performance management and compliance with all applicable federal, state and local employment laws.
Danny is a native of Tyronza, Arkansas, and lives in Lepanto, Arkansas. He holds a B.S. in business management from Arkansas State University and spent 15 years as an HR manager in the manufacturing industry prior to his arrival at Ritter. Danny and his wife, Carey, have two adult children – son, Chandler, and daughter, Olivia. Danny enjoys spending time with family and is passionate about college football.
TIM ADKINS
Director of Carrier and Wholesale
Tim Adkins joined Ritter Communications as the Director of Carrier and Wholesale in early 2020.
In this role, Tim is responsible for budgeting and forecasting for the entire communications wholesale division, as well as managing carrier sales contracts.
Having over 24 years of experience in telecom, he offers a unique perspective of the telecom industry.
Tim has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Management and Human Relations from Trevecca Nazarene University out of Nashville, Tennessee.
GERALD BARBER
Director of Install & Repair, Maintenance and Construction
Gerald Barber has served as Ritter's Director of Outside Plant Construction since 2011 and has been with the company since 1990. In his current role, Gerald leads the construction teams in Millington, Northeast Arkansas and Tri-County and manages the contractors with whom we work. The construction teams bury and hang aerial cable and transport fiber to support voice, cable TV and internet.
He was born and raised in Oxford, Mississippi and attended the University of Mississippi. Gerald has lived in Brookland, Arkansas for 35 years. He enjoys camping, hunting and working on the farm. He and his wife Janet have one son, Daniel.
PAIGE BOBO
Director of Employee Relations
Paige began her career at Ritter Communications in 2013. A leader on the Human Resources Team for many years, she was promoted to Director of Employee Relations in December 2021.
Prior to joining Ritter, Paige worked in Payroll/Operations at A.I.D. Temporary Services, Inc. for 12 years. She has more than 20 years of experience in Human Resources, and as Director of Employee Relations, Paige is responsible for compensation and benefits, performance management, employee engagement and satisfaction and employee safety as well as all related policies and procedures.
Born and raised in Jonesboro, AR, Paige and her husband Brad have 4 children: Chandler, Kendall, Brody and Stewart. When not at work, Paige enjoys playing golf, traveling (especially to any beach) and spending time with family & friends.
JOSH BRADLEY
Since joining Ritter in 2013, Josh Bradley has been involved with our residential sales team, first as a sales representative and later as manager, prior to being named Director, Sales Operations and Small Business Sales in 2019 and Director of Sales in 2020.
Josh is responsible for establishing relationships with businesses throughout our Central and Southwest Arkansas market territories, as well as being a team leader on bolstering existing client accounts.
RICH BUSBY
Director of Outside Plant Engineering
Rich Busby joined Ritter in 2006 as an engineer specializing in fiber optic communications, including plant design, install supervision, testing, documentation and overall maintenance. He was named Director of Outside Plant Engineering in 2018, and is responsible for leading the daily execution of the Outside Plant Engineering team for projects and deliverables.
He also provides leadership to the OSP Engineering Team by developing and guiding team members and maintaining close working relationships with all partners to support build activities within the network.
Rich has over thirty years of experience in the industry and has a wide range of certifications. He is from Marion, Arkansas and has one daughter.
JERRY FLEENOR
Jerry was appointed Director of Enterprise Sales at Ritter Communications in 2019, where he is responsible for enterprise sales revenue and new market growth. In this role oversees a number of areas, including expansion of the company's business services offerings into new markets, development of our cloud product suite and continuing to grow the company's customer base through its expanding fiber optic network.
He holds various certifications and service credentials from Nortel, NEC, Motorola, Nokia, Cisco, Cradlepoint, Sierra Wireless and Nextivity. Jerry also completed the AXIOM Selling Sciences Program™ (SSP).
His telecom career began with Alltel Communications in 1995, where he held positions ranging from Wireless and Wireline Technician to Enterprise Solutions Service Delivery Manager. Most recently, he was Director of Data Sales for Verizon Wireless Communications.
Jerry earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Technology from the University of Central Arkansas, where he also minored in Business Management.
His hometown is Cabot, where he lives with his wife, Holly and his son Jerry Fleenor, Jr.. An avid outdoorsman, Jerry enjoys hunting and fishing, and is a motorcycle and automotive hobbyist and enthusiast.
TREVOR JINES
Trevor joined Ritter Communications in 2018 as a Small Business Sales Representative. After only 6 months with the organization, Trevor assumed Small Business Sales Manager role and is now the Director of Sales for northeast Arkansas and west Tennessee.
In this role Trevor oversees a number of areas including expansion of the company's business services offerings into new markets, development of our product suite and continuing to grow the company's customer base through its expanding fiber optic network.
Born and raised in Jonesboro, AR, Trevor completed his Bachelors of Business Management and Bachelors of Marketing Management at Arkansas State University.
Trevor and his wife Morgan have a daughter, Kennedy. He enjoys traveling, reading and watching the. St. Louis Cardinals.
CLAY LAVELLE
Clay Lavelle was promoted to Director of Technical Operations in 2017 and helps lead Ritter's installation, repair, plant management and dispatch teams. Clay joined Millington Telephone Company as an Install/Repair Technician in 1984 and has spent his entire career with the company. He's also worked in Outside Plant Operations as a supervisor and manager. Clay played a key role in helping with the transition process when Ritter Communications purchased Millington Telephone in 2012.
A native of Munford, Tennessee, Clay and his wife Krissy have two sons, Easton and Luke. Clay is an Elder at Atoka Evangelical Presbyterian Church and is a board member with the Millington Chamber of Commerce. He completed the Millington Leadership Class in 2014. He's an avid fan of the St. Louis Cardinals and Tennessee Volunteers and enjoys spending time in the outdoors hunting and fishing.
SHANE LERMA
Director of Sales Engineering
Shane Lerma joined Ritter Communications in August of 2019 and now is the Director of Solutions Engineering.
Before joining Ritter Communications, Shane was a Technical Sales Manager at Optus for 13 years. At Optus, Shane was responsible for complex technology sales and engineering.
He was born and raised in North East Arkansas but attended college across the state in North West Arkansas at the University of Arkansas from 1988-1992 – where he obtained a degree in Electrical Engineering.
When Shane isn't working on all things "Ritter", you can probably find him outdoors, hiking with his family – his wife, Paula, and two children, daughter, Kinsey, and son, Asher.
Shane considers himself a recovering "foodie" with a special taste for BBQ!
MARK MARTIN
Director of Network and Service Architecture
Mark Martin joined Ritter Communications in 2002. Throughout the years he has supported the growth of our organization in various engineering and IT roles; he has also held numerous leadership positions. In his current role as Director of Network and Service Architecture, Mark is responsible for standardizing Ritter Communications services and the equipment used to provide those services.
With almost 20 years of service and an array of credentials such as CompTIA, CCNA, Security +, MEF CECP 2.0, Mark brings a wealth of knowledge to the team.
Mark earned his Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Arkansas State University. The Jonesboro native lives here with his wife and their children. He enjoys motorcycles, biking, scuba diving and boating with his family.
CHARLES MCDONALD
Director of Product Development and Cloud Architecture
Charles McDonald joined Ritter Communications as Director of Cloud Solutions Product Development and Solution Engineering in 2018 and was promoted to Director of Product Development and Cloud Architecture in 2021. Charles facilitates the development and lifecycle of all enterprise and residential product lines including Cloud Solutions.
Charles boasts more than 20 years of experience in technology. Prior to taking his current position, Charles worked as a systems engineer with Dell EMC and was a senior solutions engineer at TierPoint. He also worked as a product manager and engineer with Windstream. Charles has also worked as a systems administrator with companies that operate in the financial, healthcare and educational fields. He holds technical certifications from Cisco, Dell EMC, Fortinet, VMware and Splunk, and he's received a number of accolades for his work. In 2004, Charles received the Valor Telecom Circle of Excellence award. He was named Windstream's Top Hosted Solutions Engineer for new logo's in 2015 and Dell EMC's Top District Systems Engineer Performer in Q1 2017.
Charles holds an MBA from Texas A&M-Texarkana and also completed a Bachelors of Business Administration in Info Systems from the university. Charles and his wife Cindy live in Bryant, Ark. with their two sons, Alex and Aaron. Charles is a deacon and Sunday school teacher at Indian Springs Baptist Church and enjoys fishing, hiking and watching his kids play soccer and perform in the band.
Director of Service & Solutions Delivery
Since 2019, Tony McKay has served as Ritter Communications' Director of Service and Solutions Delivery, where he oversees and directs teams responsible for enterprise and small business service order fulfilment and installation.
Tony came to Ritter in 2005 and spent five years as a network operations center (NOC) technician, as well as seven years of leadership in network operations. Tony is certified in both CompTIA A+ and CompTIA Network+. He holds a B.A. in business administration with an IT emphasis from Southern Arkansas University. Tony is a native of Camden, Arkansas, and is a motorcycle enthusiast. He and his wife Sheila have one daughter, Tiffany.
JEFF B. SHIPMAN
Director of Purchasing and Inventory
Jeff B. Shipman joined Ritter Communications in 2012 and serves as the Director of Purchasing & Inventory. Jeff leads the team that manages Ritter's supply chain by purchasing, warehousing and distributing all materials the company uses both internally and externally. Prior to his arrival at Ritter, Jeff held similar roles with Saxon Energy Services, Remington Arms and Timex Corporation.
Jeff is from Searcy, Arkansas, and attended Harding University where he earned a degree in Business Administration/Business Management. He and his wife Laurie have three sons: Landry, Fielding and Foster. When away from work, he can often be found running roads, tracks or trails or kayak fishing on an Ozark stream.
Director of FP&A and Carrier Relations
Heather Terry has been a member of the Ritter Communications team since 2010. She spent her first four years in the accounting department before moving to Carrier Operations in 2014. There, she served as Carrier Sales Manager and soon moved up, becoming Director of Carrier and Wholesale Services. Most recently Heather was promoted to her current position as Director of F&P and Carrier Relations.
Heather is a certified public accountant with a Master of Accounting degree from Arkansas State University.
Heather is a native of Cardwell, Missouri and received her Master of Accounting degree from Arkansas State University. During her time as an undergraduate, she played volleyball for the Red Wolves and still loves hitting the court whenever possible.
VENICE VANWINKLE
Director of Quality Assurance and Compliance
Venice VanWinkle joined Ritter in 2010 and has worked extensively in sales operations prior to being named Director of Quality Assurance and Compliance in 2018. Most recently, she was manager of sales operations and enterprise customer care.
Focused on customer satisfaction, retention and loyalty, Venice serves as a consultant to Department Managers, Directors and Vice Presidents in identifying, devising and implementing processes that enhance the end-customer experience.
Originally from Colton, California Venice attended the University of Redlands in Redland, CA, as well as Black River Technical College in Pocahontas.
She is married to Michael VanWinkle II and has three children: Mazzlin, Massimo and Vincenzo. Venice loves cooking and traveling with her family.
JANE MARIE WOODRUFF
Jane Marie Woodruff became Director of Marketing for Ritter Communications in 2007 and is responsible for leading and supporting the development and execution of marketing strategy for all operations and all classes of products and services, including market research, advertising strategies and execution, sales support, customer retention up-sell strategies and communications.
Jane Marie was born and raised in Jonesboro and holds a degree in marketing from Arkansas State University. She is a member of the Ritter Philanthropy Committee for the Ernest and Anna Ritter Family Endowment Fund and a board member for Connor's Song, a Christian faith-based nonprofit organization that provides charitable and educational support to help meet the needs of underprivileged children and families both in the U.S. and worldwide. Jane Marie and her husband Lee have two sons, Will and Weston.
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