“Now is the right time to transition the helm,” said Shlanta, who has served in the role for more than 21 years and said he plans to focus on travel and his family.

Mark Shlanta

Punt will lead a growing telecommunications business in SDN, which supports a variety of large enterprises in the upper Midwest that includes financial institutions, health systems, value-added agriculture organizations, schools, universities, governments, and other telecommunications providers.

Ryan Punt

SDN, through its owners and partners, operates more than 50,000 miles of fiber, supporting hundreds of thousands of customers ranging from consumers to some of the largest companies in the world.

“It’s an honor and privilege to follow Mark. He has led SDN through its transformation into the premier regional telecommunications provider,” Punt said, adding he is looking forward to leading SDN into new markets and the introduction of new services.

One of the new markets for SDN will be the central Black Hills. SDN has been awarded two grants through the United States Department of Agriculture to build fiber-optic facilities and towers.

“Mark’s commitment to SDN Communications, its customers and employees is unparalleled. While Mark will be deeply missed, his impact on the organization and this region will be felt for many years,” said Denny Law, SDN’s board of managers chairman and CEO of Golden West Telecommunications of Wall, South Dakota.

“Ryan has been a significant contributor to SDN’s growth as a member of SDN’s sales team holding a variety of positions of increasing responsibility. In addition, not only has Ryan helped support SDN and its customers, but Ryan has also supported the staff and industry building a strong culture. He will be able to leverage his past contributions as he brings his vision forward.”