Excellence in telecommunication services
By Jillian Chandler
Serving communities for more than five decades, TDS Telecommunications LLC provides 1.2 million connections to high-speed internet, phone, and television entertainment services in nearly 900 rural, suburban and metropolitan communities. And right here in Coeur d’Alene and the surrounding communities, TDS offers 1Gig internet, sophisticated phone services and a new, all-digital TV service in TDS TV+.
As Anita Parisot, associate manager of field marketing for TDS Fiber, says, “Our mission is to be of service to the communities where we do business. Local communities are at our core and will continue to be the foundation of our success.”
Anita was inspired to join the company after hearing her friends, employees of TDS, continually speak highly of the company’s culture and commitment to the communities they serve. “My parents instilled in me that I’m on the planet to be of service to others,” she shares. “I’m able to work for a company that allows me to carry their legacy and help the people in this place I call home.”
TDS demonstrates its mission and commitment to communities in various ways: Annually, every employee is provided 16 hours of paid time off to volunteer; together, more than 50,000 hours have been donated to help the communities they serve; and employees can directly request funds for a charity of their choice, up to $200 annually.
“There are two things I love most [when it comes to my work through TDS Fiber]: working with our nonprofit partners and seeing the impact our partnerships have on the families in North Idaho,” shares Anita. “The trust and autonomy given to me by TDS is something I’ve not experienced before. After COVID hit, our leaders reached out to us asking what was needed in our communities. They asked us to reach out to local nonprofits, food banks and schools to determine where help was needed most. They granted us the latitude to contribute, in resources and people, to those organizations.”
Over the past year, the local TDS team has supported, in both people and resources, The Kootenai County Boys & Girls Club, 3Cs Cancer Charities, The Children’s Village, Camp Journey, Safe Start/NISSA, Safe Passage, Kootenai Humane Society, Rathdrum Community Center, Turkeys & More, St. Vincent de Paul Society, Kootenai Health Foundation and the Post Falls Food Bank.
Last year, TDS was awarded the 2020 Business of the Year by the Kootenai County Boys & Girls Club.
Anita also finds it rewarding to have the opportunity to work with their business customers. “Part of my responsibility is to partner with them to create events and opportunities to grow their businesses,” she says. “This past summer we were able to work alongside the team at Hayden Cinemas to sponsor a series of drive-in movies.” According to Anita, TDS provided resources for the films, allowing the business to reinvest and continue serving the community.
When it comes to the continued success of TDS Fiber, it is the company’s deep knowledge of, and commitment to, their local markets and the communities they serve. “We have a long legacy of providing outstanding telecommunication services to the areas where we do business, hiring great people, and investing in the people and businesses in our markets,” affirms Anita.
One of Anita’s favorite memories of joining TDS was when she attended the Post Falls Chamber Awards event. “After watching me reconnect and hug people I hadn’t seen in a long time, my manager, Kari Gray, said, ‘It looks like you’re home.’ That pretty much sums up how I feel about this place and these people.”
Providing more internet speed, bandwidth and reliability, if you are in the market for the best internet for how you work, live and play, TDS Fiber is for you.
TDS Fiber
2834 North Ramsey Road, Unit 109
Coeur d'Alene, Idaho 83815
855.259.8577