Featuring Shirley Bloomfield, former CEO of NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association
Rural providers succeed because of the people who know the network, the
customers, and the community. What happens when those people retire?
Many rural telecommunications providers operate with deep institutional knowledge concentrated in a relatively small number of long-tenured employees. Technical expertise, customer relationships, operational know-how, and community trust do not transfer automatically. When key people retire or leave, the organization can lose far more than a job title.
Succession planning cannot wait until the retirement party is scheduled.
Join Shirley Bloomfield and Plus One Strategic Communications for a practical, action-oriented session that reframes succession as an ongoing discipline of knowing your talent—not a last-minute org-chart exercise.
You will leave with a clear starting point:
• How to surface the product knowledge, customer insight, and commercial awareness already present (or missing) across your team
• How a targeted employee survey becomes a powerful succession and leadership-development tool
• Practical ways to identify high-potential employees, close critical knowledge gaps, and deliberately grow the next generation of leaders from within
Plus One has spent years helping rural providers map what their people actually know through a structured employee survey designed specifically for this industry. The instrument examines:
• Product and service fluency across roles (fiber, fixed wireless,
DSL/copper, coax, mobile, and more)
• Frontline customer insight and commercial awareness
• Cross-functional sales orientation
• Communication, leadership, and culture signals that either retain
high-potential talent or drive it away
• Training effectiveness and where informal knowledge currently lives
The results give leadership a real-time view of strengths, gaps, and high-potential employees—so succession decisions are informed rather than urgent.
Shirley Bloomfield Former CEO, NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association President, Shirley Connected LLC
Shirley brings unmatched perspective from decades leading NTCA and watching cooperatives and independents navigate leadership transitions, talent constraints, and the increasing complexity of broadband operations. Today she advises boards and CEOs on leadership transitions, succession planning, and executive recruitment as the exclusive executive search partner for NTCA.
For 18 years Plus One has helped rural telecommunications providers strengthen their brands, grow market share, engage stakeholders, and build stronger internal teams. This webinar continues that work by giving providers a practical toolset for knowing—and growing—their talent.
Date: Wednesday, September 2, 2026
Time: 2:00 PM Eastern
Format: Live webinar (recording available to registrants)
Register Now - Reserve Your SpotSpace is limited. Registration is free for rural broadband providers and industry partners.
Questions?
Email Tanya Sullivan and James Mardis at inquiries@plusonestraetgy.com