Northern Arkansas Telephone Company (NATCO), based in Flippin, will celebrate its 75th anniversary with a community event on Thursday, Oct. 22, from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The celebration will take place at the company’s main office, located at 301 E. Main St. in Flippin.

The event will feature refreshments, including hamburgers and hot dogs, along with door prizes and commemorative items for attendees. NATCO will also highlight its technological advancements with demonstrations of its 2.5-gigabit internet service, streaming TV, WiFi, email capabilities, and its customer app, SmartHub. A multimedia presentation documenting the company’s history and milestones will also be on display.

NATCO President and General Manager Steven G. Sanders Jr. expressed gratitude to the community, saying, “It has been a pleasure to connect our community since 1951. It is an honor to continue the work started by my grandfather over 75 years ago. We are thankful to our community for growing with us and invite everyone to join us in celebrating this historic milestone.”

Founded in 1951 by Ray and Mildred “Millie” Sanders and partner Artel Chamberlain, NATCO began as the Flippin Telephone Co., serving 42 customers on shared party lines. Its operations were modest at the time, with a hand-operated switchboard and a single Willys Jeep truck. By 1952, NATCO had expanded its services to Bull Shoals as the local dam was completed. The company released its first phone directory that same year with 71 listings and the motto, “Watch Us Grow.”

In 1955, NATCO became the first commercial telephone company in Arkansas to receive a Rural Electrification Administration loan. This funding supported the company’s growth, leading to upgrades including its first dial system in 1957 and the acquisition of nearby telephone operations like Lead Hill in 1958. By the mid-1960s, NATCO had expanded its reach into Diamond City and other areas of Boone and Marion counties.

Ray Sanders, who dedicated five decades to the telecommunications industry, worked his last day in 1976 before passing leadership on to his son, Dr. Steven Sanders Sr. Dr. Sanders’ tenure oversaw pivotal advancements, including upgrades to digital service in the 1980s and the introduction of internet services to area schools in 1992. NATCO became a local internet service provider in 1999, launched DSL broadband in 2000, and expanded fiber-to-the-home construction in subsequent years.

Under the leadership of Steven Sanders Jr., who became president in 2009, NATCO earned recognition as the region’s first 1-gigabit internet provider in 2016. It has since continued investing in fiber infrastructure, backed by federal and state grants, including $12.7 million from the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program for current projects in Flippin, Pyatt, and Lead Hill.

Today, NATCO serves a 658-square-mile area across Boone and Marion counties, providing high-speed fiber broadband and voice services to homes and businesses. The company remains an independent, family-owned business headquartered across the street from its original office in Flippin.

More information about the 75th-anniversary event is available at natconet.com/75thAnniversary or by calling 800-775-6682.