**Update 1/4/24: After this article was published, Great Plains responded to Fierce Telecom with more details on the COO appointment.
Great Plains Communications has appointed Joseph Pellegrini as president and chief operating officer, where he will lead day to day operations and report directly to CEO Todd Foje.
In an announcement Foje said Pellegrini will lend further expertise to play "a key role" in Great Plain's continued growth.
Pellegrini joined the Great Plains executive team in July 2022 as the VP of new market development, and shortly after became the company's chief construction officer for fiber-to-the-home (FTTH), new markets, engineering, deployment and geospatial records.
Before that, he was COO and EVP of Everstream Solutions, and also served in executive and senior management roles at Crown Castle, formerly Lightower and Fibertech Networks.
Pellegrini said as a "customer-first organization," Great Plains will continue striving to execute and grow by delivering quality services and embracing digital transformation. He added, "It’s not just about the product but having an unwavering dedication to enhance every customer’s journey with us, paving the path for upward growth and success."
In the first 90 days in his new role, Pellegrini will work to "further reinforce a strong connection within the internal teams, ensuring all are in sync with goals and communication," a spokesperson told Fierce Telecom.
To facilitate better communication about regional developments, rationale, timelines and targeted marketing strategies, Pellegrini "believes it is advantageous for the Engineering and Construction Departments to be closely interlinked with Service Delivery."
The spokesperson noted that in 2024, Great Plains will focus on densifying their fiber presence in current markets, while expanding into new areas, both urban and rural.
Great Plains is one of the largest privately-owned digital infrastructure providers in the Midwest and is headquartered in Blair, Nebraska. Its 18,000+ mile regional fiber network reaches 13 states: Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Wyoming. In the past few years it acquired some providers to boost its footprint, like USA Communications in 2021 and Wood River Network in January 2022.
Last year, the company launched significant network rollouts across the Midwest, announcing fiber builds in 16 new urban and rural communities in Nebraska. At the time, Foje noted Great Plains uses both public and private funding to support its buildouts. Its private equity partner is Grain Management, a firm that’s invested in a range of telecom companies, the most recent one being Quintillion.
As for public funds, the operator is using both state and federal dollars. In Nebraska it won $10.9 million for eight projects through the state's federal Capital Projects Fund allocation. Its Indiana expansion is supported by a grant from the state’s Next Level Connections (NLC) program, for example.
Great Plains also elected to receive the Federal Communication Commission's Enhanced A-CAM support in Nebraska and Indiana, which collectively will bring the carrier over $34 million each year.