- KLM Telephone
KLM Telephone Company is a rural telecommunications provider based in
Rich Hill, Missouri . Consisting mainly of small, rural, family-run telephone companies it absorbed, it provides local telephone service to 1400 southwestMissouri telephone customers. It is held by the family-run RBJ Corporation.History
Formation & Expansion
KLM Telephone Company began in
1955 as a business investment byKen Kern . He purchased the Rich Hill Telephone Company, which had been owned by The Shopper Family of Rich Hill since1941 .The name "KLM" came to being when Kern asked a college student,
Raleigh Mauser , if he would like to join in on running the venture;James Lamble later joined. Rich Hill Telephone Company was then renamed KLM Telephone Company, representing Kern-Lamble-Mauser. The partners formed a holding company for the telephone company, called KLM Corporation.James Lamble resigned from the company in 1957. Mr. Kern continued to teach until 1962, when he moved to
Rich Hill, MO and assumed the day to day management of the company. Raleigh Mauser sold his shares in the corporation and partnership to Kern in January 1965.Deerfield, MO , nearRichards, MO , was still a mutual exchange in 1971 with magneto service. Some customers within the area petitioned the Missouri Public Service Commission for Bell telephone service because they wanted dial telephone service. Mr. Kern made arrangements to rent someStromberg-Carlsen equipment and plowed cable through the winter of1972 . The Deerfield area was converted to dial within six months. Missouri Union Telephone Company, Deerfield's service provider, was merged into the KLM Telephone Company in1973 .By
1975 , KLM Telephone Company consisted of the merged operations of the following acquired telephone companies/family run operations:
*Rich Hill Telephone Company -1955
*Papinville, MO telephone operations -1956
*Metz, MO andRichards, MO telephone exchanges -1959 - managed as a separate partnership, Missouri Union Telephone Company
*Missouri Union Telephone Company, fully absorbed in1973 On
December 21 ,1987 , all KLM exchanges were converted to digital. Call waiting and touch tone dial finally became available to KLM customers.Ken Kern died on
February 10 ,1990 . His widow Cathy continued to operate KLM Corporation until she sold it to theRBJ Corporation onDecember 23 ,1992 .RBJ Corporation
The Copsey family of Rich Hill run the RBJ Corporation. (RBJ stands for Reese, Bruce and Jennifer.)
Evan Copsey runs the corporation.In
1999 , KLM customers were finally able to choose their long distance providers.Today
KLM Telephone Company operates in
Bates County, Missouri andVernon County, Missouri . Wireless services are offered byAlltel for KLM. Alltel Publishing, Inc. publishes telephone directories for KLM.KLM Telephone Company headquarters are still located in
Rich Hill, MO .External links
* [http://www.klmtel.net KLM Telephone Company]
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