Klamath Falls, OR (November 5^th, 2020) – Today, the Klamath County Economic Development Association (KCEDA) publicly announced that the KRTelecom Group has started new operations in Klamath Falls and is expected to expand substantially in the next few months. Working with partners such as Verizon, Spectrum, and AT&T, KRTelecom offers consulting services to help businesses achieve optimal broadband solutions to data networking. The company leadership represents over 25 years of telecommunications experience and looks to place emphasis on providing cost management services that help companies streamline and enhance their respective processes. KRTelecom has currently hired 6 people but will soon be moving into the 3^rd floor of the former Pine Tree Theater, where they expect to grow to 25-30 employees by Spring of 2021.

KRTelecom Owner/Manager, Karie Vonder Hulls, spoke about the support she has received from groups such as KCEDA and KCC during her expansion, stating, “We are really excited for our business to get started up in Klamath and look forward to have it continue to grow here. If it weren’t for KCEDA, none of this would be possible. They and KCC really gave us the road map and resources to get where we are today.”

In early August of 2020, the start-up was referred to KCEDA, seeking help with site selection options and workforce development assistance. During this time, KCEDA worked with partners at Klamath Community College (KCC) to identify pathways that could help the company form a reliable talent supply chain for its workforce needs. From there, KCC has involved regional partners such as the East Cascades Workforce Board to establish programming that aligns with the company’s needs, presenting funding resources to help the company significantly lower its training costs. In addition to KCEDA and KCC, Shannon Turner for the Federal Trade Act and Penny Newton of the Oregon Employment Department have served as key agency partners in helping the company accelerate its growth in Klamath.

Randy Cox, KCEDA’s CEO, discussed the project’s importance to the organization, by commenting, “This is a special project to KCEDA because it is a great marker of how strong our partnership with KCC has grown over recent years. We continue to get better as a region at addressing developers’ workforce training needs by working with KCC to customize higher ed programming around those needs.” KCEDA Project Manager, Andrew Stork, followed Cox’s remarks by adding, “The company’s decision to grow here demonstrates our market has become more adept at fostering scalable entrepreneurship. For our economy to be its most dynamic, it will need to be a haven for supporting start-ups, and this was a great exercise to help us better accomplish that in the long-term.”

Charles “Chip” Massie, Executive Director of External Programs at KCC, noted that the college has made it a priority to work closely with businesses on talent development, saying, “The community college model has evolved in a way that encourages more direct collaboration between education and industry. In recent years, KCC has crafted the institution’s structure significantly increase effectiveness in supporting industry needs with our programs. This has made the college very proficient at identifying internal and external tools we can use to help a business like KRTelecom with its workforce needs.”

KRTelecom has recently begun monthly Virtual Hiring Fairs, and starting January 5^th, the company will begin conducting a 8-session Sales Development course at KCC.

About the Klamath County Economic Development Association (KCEDA)

Since 1975, KCEDA has reflected the best of private enterprise, responsibility and dedication. Its mission is to provide tailored recruitment and business retention/expansion programs, new opportunities for jobs, and a diversified, value-added industrial base/expanded economic development climate in southern Oregon. To learn more about KCEDA and how they can help you, please visit their website, www.ChooseKlamath.com, or contact their offices using the information below.