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May 16, 2019

OTELCO announces leadership change as CEO plans retirement

OTELCO Courtesy / OTELCO Rob Souza, CEO and director of OTELCO Inc., left, announced that he plans to retire in December. Richard A. Clark has been appointed president of the company and will step up to CEO when Souza retires on Dec. 31.
By Staff
OTELCO Inc. provides wireline telecommunications services in Alabama, Maine, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Hampshire, Vermont and West Virginia.
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OTELCO announced that Richard A. Clark has been appointed president of the company, reporting to Rob Souza, CEO and director of the New Gloucester-based wireline telecommunications company.

In addition, Souza announced he will retire on Dec. 31, at which point Clark will step up to CEO.

Prior to joining Otelco, Clark was executive vice president and chief financial officer of Albany, N.Y.-based TVC Albany Inc., doing business as FirstLight Fiber.

“When Richard joined Otelco as COO in October of last year, he brought a wealth of varied business experience, including five years of telecom experience as CFO of FirstLight Fiber,” Souza said in a news release. 

Over the past seven months, Clark has focused on plant and network operations and will now expand his responsibilities to include marketing, sales, billing and regulatory functions.

“Richard has demonstrated great leadership in addressing the growth of our network, including developing a comprehensive plan to meet the objectives of our company and affirm our commitment to expand and enhance our delivery of broadband services,” Souza said. “He understands our business and how best to apply the continued evolution of technology to meet customer and market requirements. Richard is well prepared to provide strategic guidance and direction to the operation of every aspect of our business.”

Clark said in his new role he was eager to continue working relationships already established with OTELCO.

“The telecommunication industry continues to experience rapid changes,” he said. “Focusing our resources on enhancing broadband services will be a primary objective of the company. High-speed data is a necessity for both consumers and businesses alike and meeting the broadband needs of our customers is a key component of our company’s future.”

About OTELCO

OTELCO Inc. provides wireline telecommunications services in Alabama, Maine, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Hampshire, Vermont and West Virginia. The company’s services include local and long distance telephone, digital high-speed data lines, transport services, network access, cable television and other related services. With approximately 99,000 voice and data access lines, which are collectively referred to as access line equivalents, OTELCO is among the top 25 largest local exchange carriers in the United States based on number of access lines. OTELCO operates 11 incumbent telephone companies serving rural markets, or rural local exchange carriers.

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