Vision Net’s 23rd Annual Golf Tournament – A Day of Community, Competition, and Connection

Vision Net celebrated another successful year of camaraderie and community at our 23rd Annual Golf Tournament, bringing together clients, partners, and employees for a day of fun on the course. This long-standing tradition not only highlights our commitment to building strong relationships, but also showcases the spirit of teamwork that defines Vision Net.

A Tradition of Bringing People Together

For more than two decades, our golf tournament has been one of our most anticipated events of the year. It offers a relaxed environment for networking, friendly competition, and strengthening the partnerships that help drive innovation and connectivity across Montana and beyond.

Great Weather, Great People, Great Play

This year’s tournament featured:

The weather cooperated, the atmosphere was upbeat, and the course provided the perfect backdrop for a memorable day.

Thank You to Our Participants and Sponsors

Events like this wouldn’t be possible without the support of our amazing sponsors and participants. Your involvement helps us continue this tradition year after year, and we’re grateful for the relationships we’ve built through this event.

Looking Ahead

As Vision Net continues to grow and support businesses and communities with reliable technology solutions, events like our annual golf tournament remind us of the importance of connection—not just through networks and infrastructure, but through people.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the 23rd Annual Golf Tournament.
We look forward to seeing you at the 24th!

Aurora Apartments Selects Vision Net as Exclusive Provider for High-Speed Internet and Advanced Wi-Fi Services

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

GREAT FALLS, MT – October 12, 2023 – Vision Net, a leading network and telecom services provider headquartered in Great Falls, is excited to announce its strategic partnership with Aurora Apartments, a premier residential complex developed by Farran Realty Partners. Vision Net will serve as the exclusive provider of high-speed internet and Wi-Fi services specially designed for Multi-Dwelling Units (MDUs), delivering unmatched connectivity, and enhancing the resident experience in this unique living space.

Jim McLeod, Managing Partner at Farran Realty Partners, stressed the vital role of high-quality Wi-Fi in today's interconnected world, stating, "Delivering top-notch Wi-Fi was paramount for our vibrant, technology-driven community. Vision Net's exceptional capabilities made them the natural choice to establish a secure and efficient network while staying within our budget."

Vision Net has built a distinguished reputation for its robust network infrastructure and telecom services, with a specific focus on enhancing connectivity for commercial buildings. Rob Worden, CEO of Vision Net, expressed his excitement for the partnership, saying, "We're excited to bring Aurora residents lightning-fast speeds and seamless coverage that matches their expectations. Our solutions align perfectly with Aurora's goal of delivering a modern, connected living experience."

Vision Net transforms the residential experience by granting each resident their private Wi-Fi network, enabling complete control over device prioritization, content filtering, and more. Additionally, their state-of-the-art Network Operations Center (NOC) ensures 24/7 monitoring and support tailored for the unique challenges of a Multi-Dwelling Unit setting.

Jim McLeod further highlighted the benefits for residents, stating, "The ability for residents to move in and instantly access the internet significantly enhances their living experience. Partnering with Vision Net enables us to provide ultra-fast and dependable Wi-Fi throughout Aurora Apartments, backed by exceptional local support."

Michelle Dahl, Vision Net's Account Executive, played a pivotal role in establishing this partnership. McLeod noted, "Working with Michelle was a fantastic experience. Her expertise and responsiveness streamlined the process and made it exceptionally efficient."

This partnership highlights Vision Net's reputation as a trusted network provider, and its commitment to empowering Montana businesses with secure, scalable solutions. As Vision Net continues expanding its footprint, this milestone underscores the company’s dedication to the communities it serves, cementing its position as a leader in the industry.

For more information about Vision Net and our services, click here to contact our team!

About Vision Net

Vision Net, founded in 1995, is a Montana-based telecom company delivering a wide range of cutting-edge communications solutions. With offices in Great Falls, Billings, Helena, and Missoula, Vision Net is committed to providing businesses with the most reliable, secure, and scalable telecom solutions.

About Aurora Apartments

Aurora Apartments is a new premier community constructed by Farran Realty Partners in Great Falls, MT. With thoughtful amenities and design, Aurora offers residents a comfortable, connected lifestyle.

For more on Aurora apartments: https://www.auroragreatfalls.com/

Media Contact:

Thaisa Souza

(406) 467-4720 

Recap of the 21st Annual Customer Appreciation Vision Net Golf Tournament

We recently hosted the 21st Annual Customer Appreciation Vision Net Golf Tournament, and what an incredible day it was! Clients, sponsors, and dedicated staff gathered at the picturesque Briarwood Golf Course for a day filled with camaraderie, friendly competition, and memorable moments. Let's take a swing down memory lane and relive the highlights of this remarkable event!

Perfect Weather and Fantastic Company

Mother Nature blessed us with a picture-perfect day on the green, but it wasn't just the weather that made the day special; it was the amazing company. From clients to sponsors and our hardworking staff, everyone brought their A-game and infused the atmosphere with laughter, excitement, and a true sense of community.

Sponsorship that Elevated the Experience:

Today, we raise our glasses in a toast to our incredible sponsors who took our tournament to new heights.

Arista and Goldfield Telecom sponsored delightful beverages as our Drink Sponsors, adding an extra swing of enjoyment to the day. The drinks were the perfect caddy to the golfing experience, and we're immensely grateful for their generous support.

Our Putting Challenge Sponsor, Calix deserves a hole-in-one thank you for adding an extra layer of excitement and friendly competition to the tournament, making every putt count.

A hearty thank you goes to OSI Global, our Lunch Sponsor, for fueling us up with a scrumptious feast at the conclusion of the tournament. Their generosity and support transformed the post-game meal into a mouthwatering celebration, allowing our participants to savor and recharge after an exceptional round of golf.

We also extend our sincerest gratitude to our remarkable Eagle, Par, and Birdie Sponsors, whose support took our tournament to new heights. Their support made this event a round-of-applause-worthy success.

Looking Ahead


We're already looking forward to the future as we bid farewell to this year's tournament. The success of the 21st Annual Customer Appreciation Vision Net Golf Tournament has inspired us to make the next edition even more exceptional. We can't wait to tee off again, creating unforgettable memories and strengthening our community.

A Heartfelt Thank You


To all our participants, sponsors, and staff, we extend our sincerest thanks for making the 21st Annual Customer Appreciation Vision Net Golf Tournament an unforgettable event. Your support, enthusiasm, and generosity have touched our hearts and reinforced the sense of community that we cherish.

Until we swing into action again,

Vision Net team.

Ed Ulledalen - Client Testimonial

“Working with local providers is a breath of fresh air!" said Ed Ulledalen, who runs a retirement Income Planning Firm, and was surprised by Vision Net's phone system capabilities and excellent customer service.

Ed was not satisfied with their out-of-state provider, and, coincidently, seeing some workers digging trenches near his street, he decided to ask what they were doing.  These workers were trenching for Vision Net to lay fiber.  Ulledalen was thinking at some point it would be nice to upgrade so he filed that in the back of his mind.

Ulledalen kept thinking about those workers and ended up contacting Christina Halverson, Account Executive with Vision Net. Halverson focused on what they needed and closed the deal.  Working with a local provider was very appealing to Ulledalen.

One of the main benefits that his office saw right away was the use of the mobile app. A portable phone system that could grow with their business and keep in touch with clients was paramount in doing business today. No matter where you are at, staying in touch with clients and staff is critical.

"Halverson continues to stay in touch and gives us the confidence we made the right decision."

Ed Ulledalen, Financial Advisor

To learn more about our services and see if we might be a good fit for your business, click here

Kristi Drake - Client Testimonial

Professional, personal, and efficient are three words that Kristi Drake, Executive Director with Billings TrailNet, uses to describe the staff at Vision Net. Reaching out to Vision Net has changed Drake's whole perspective on what a partner in business really means.

When COVID struck, her office closed, and they had to learn how to stay connected while doing business from home. Drake said that she spent hours on the phone with their former telecommunications company, and nobody seemed to have a solution for her.

When Drake finally reached out to Vision Net, she found there was a solution for her team. Even though her office was small, Vision Net put the resources behind her to make it happen. Having service, either through our Unified Communications Mobility App, or access to our team monitoring her business, Drake feels a sense of security knowing her business will operate without a hitch. 

Knowing her customers only have to dial one number and reach her team no matter where they are, is peace of mind. Another benefit that Drakes loves about Vision Net is her account executive, Michelle Dahl. Drake said, “Michelle would call us on a regular basis making sure everything was going ok.” Not only with Michelle, but the Tech team was amazing to work with. “They really wanted to take care of us.” No matter the size of your business, Vision Net is there to partner with and help you grow your business.

“Working with a local provider is like a breath of fresh air. I feel like we are family.”

Kristi Drake- Executive Director, Billings TrailNet

To learn more about our services and see if we might be a good fit for your business, click here

Meet our Account Executive: Christina Halverson

Christina Halverson, one of our Account Executives out of Billings, brings professionalism and expertise to the job. Knowing her clients and what they need drives her to offer the right solutions at the right time.

One of the areas that Halverson prides herself on is listening and understanding what her clients need. Sometimes, they don't know exactly what to ask, but Halverson is great at digging down to find out what their real needs are. After all is said and done, the client is excited to know they have a system designed to work together seamlessly with their business needs.

"Knowing where the pain points are and how Vision Net can come alongside and work with them is critical for the relationship between us." Communication between Christina, her team, and the client is crucial to make sure we get it right. Dealing with a client and their connection to their business is the lifeblood of what they do. If our system fails them, it could affect more than just a happy customer.

Being local builds community and Vision Net understands what our small businesses need. What motivates Halverson is the ability to work in the local market and help them grow while providing amazing customer service.

With offices in Billings, Great Falls, Helena, and Missoula. Our network spans nearly 5,000 miles serving both rural and urban markets in Montana and the region. By leveraging our knowledge and decades of experience, we design the solution that is right for your needs and budget. Please do not hesitate to contact Christina and see how we can help power your business’ success.

Molly Van Binsbergen - Client Testimonial

From the sales process with Christina Halverson to customer service with the NOC, Molly Van Binsbergen, an independent Financial Consultant, is thrilled to be a Vision Net Client and more than pleased with the flexibility the Unified Communications Mobility App provided to her business.

According to Van Binsbergen, Vision Net has helped create the right environment to make sure their clients know how important they are. Mobility has become a necessity in most businesses today, so, being able to pivot during the pandemic was key for the staff and clients.

In Van Binsbergen's own words, the new phones delivered far greater clarity and sound than the previous ones, calls were seamlessly transferred to each person’s chosen device. "The first thing we heard from our clients is how clear the phones were," Molly said. "We didn't know we had a problem until our clients started noticing."

Her favorite UC feature was their desk phones were able to be programmed to ring on their mobile devices, which was excellent with clients. "They didn't know that we weren't even in the office. Not that it mattered to them, but, a lot of our clients don't know our cell numbers, but they recognize the office number. So, if we had to call them back, the office number would appear on their phone. Talk about being high-tech!"

Molly added that having good customer service when needed is "a must"! She praises her interactions with the NOC (Network Operations Center). "When we called the NOC, I thought we would get some tech nerd that didn't know much about customer service. Boy, was I wrong! Not only did they answer professionally, but they also have the knowledge and expertise we were looking for. I never had a bad experience when talking with them. Plus, when there was an outage, not with us, but in the area, they let us know what was going on and continued to update us throughout the outage. To me, that speaks volumes for Vision Net and who they bring on their team."

No matter how large or small your office is, Vision Net will come alongside you and meet your needs.

Molly Van Binsbergen

To learn if the UC Mobility App is the right fit for your business, find more information here.

2021 Vision Net Golf Tournament

On a sunny June 10, Vision Net employees, shareholders, and clients enjoyed an amazing day of golf at Briarwood Country Club for the 19th annual Vision Net Golf Tournament. This annual scramble is a great way to connect, network, and enjoy the gorgeous Billings landscape! Thank you to everyone who attended the tournament; we look forward to seeing you next year!

Mike Kilgore, Josh Jensen, Spencer Frederick, and Jay Edwards of Nemont were the winning team with an impressive score of 59; great job!

Thank You to Our Sponsors.

Eagle: Blackfoot Communications, Border States Supply Chain Solutions, Calix, Ciena, Cole Construction Inc, Duraline, iConnect Montana, KLG Engineering, JKL Associates Inc, High Point Networks, NEMONT, VIAVI

Birdie: ACCENDIAN, Herbely & Associates Consulting Engineering

Par: IntegraOptics, MidRivers Communications, UNITEL

Help your business prepare for the future of events with a robust technology solution

Event professionals will remember 2020 as a year that redefined their industry forever. With new safety concerns came the rise of virtual events. It will take a while to get past the stigma of superspreader events, and businesses will need to work hard to ensure the safety of their in-person events while keeping brand awareness alive with virtual events. It’s fun to speculate what the future may look like, but your business has an event, or several events to run, and you don’t need speculation, you need knowledge of trends and a network to keep your business secure. Learn about event trends businesses can expect, and how to prepare for them to ensure success. Throughout 2020, businesses had to cancel events, leading to revenue loss, lowered client engagement, and decreased brand awareness. Pivoting to a remote option proved to be lucrative for businesses during the early days of the Pandemic and as businesses began to reopen, saw benefits to using a hybrid model to bring more people to their events. This trend shows no sign of slowing down even after masks and social distancing are a thing of the past. The goal for event-focused businesses is securing a good ROI through operational efficiency, integration, and support. Recently, the Billings Depot, with the expertise of Vision Net’s engineering and business development team, quickly adapted to a new remote option for weddings, business meetings, and community events.
Together with the Depot’s team, the Vision Net team moved quickly to create an online, streaming event component to allow the Depot to meet strict local, state, and CDC guidelines so guests could participate remotely. A key aspect of Vision Net’s solution involved updating the building’s infrastructure to include greater bandwidth capacity and higher speeds to stream special events live online. Along with a robust technology solution, the Depot project included a much-needed upgrade to the existing phone system, with Vision Net leveraging our phone solution, Vision Voice, with a hosted VoIP platform and Unified Communications application to ensure the Billings Depot team could stay in contact with each other and customers through voice, video, chat, and content sharing to deliver a high level of customer service. The Billings Depot can now offer training and courses, behind-the-scenes tours, interviews and performances, weddings, conferences, and shows to audiences in-person and remotely, showcasing the space’s elegance and history to an audience beyond the Billings community. From live-tweeting to livestreaming, businesses are leveraging technology solutions to stay ahead of the competition with great success; is your company ready to go virtual?

Vision Net is Montana’s Largest Network, providing comprehensive security solutions

Technology is at the center of change, enabling businesses to transform their operation models and respond nimbly to competitive threats. Every business’ needs are different and to succeed, you need innovative insight, a technology solution, and a secure network. Smart technology solutions will support your business’ success and help you improve employee efficiency aspirations, stay ahead of regulatory mandates, and guard against external cyber threats. Hosted Voice | Vision Net is a premiere provider of Hosted Voice solutions. We built our Hosted Voice platform with multiple layers of redundancy, providing your business with maximum uptime and continuous operation. Your business will have the power and functionality to receive and manage phone calls from anywhere, anytime. If your growing business is ready to improve your operations, your business needs the complete suite of Vision Net’s Hosted Voice. Endpoint | Vision Net’s Endpoint security suite secures devices, or endpoints, such as laptops, tablets, mobile devices, and servers. Our endpoint security systems protect your business’ devices on our cloud-based platform from cybersecurity threats. Evolving from traditional antivirus software to proactive and comprehensive protection, Vision Net’s Endpoint security is your business’ cybersecurity frontline. Over the last decade, the volume and sophistication of cybersecurity threats has steadily grown, and with the average employee connected to at least 5 endpoints, Vision Net remains committed to stay ahead of the trend with proactive tools, including our advanced endpoint security solutions. Microsoft Teams | Your business needs a professional communication suite that provides employees with professional chat and videoconferencing, file storage, and application integration. Vision Net’s Microsoft Teams integration leverages our carrier-grade telephone platform to process the voice side of your Microsoft Teams deployment. Unified Communication Suite for Business | With Vision Net’s Unified Communication Suite, your business’ collaboration, conferencing, and messaging are more immediate and flexible. Vision Net’s UC technology gives your business the accessibility and transparency to keep your team productive. As a premier provider of Unified Communications and Collaboration solutions, Vision Net delivers a mobile, flexible, and reliable voice and video solution seamlessly integrated with productivity applications to simplify your business’ communications and improve efficiency. UC through Vision offers business continuity, diversified workforce, and scalability. Metro Fiber | Supporting our business solutions and technology offering is our metro fiber network. For the last decade, Vision Net has invested in new fiber optic infrastructure throughout Montana to provide small, medium, and large businesses secure and reliable connectivity options. We proactively added several layers of redundancy into our network to ensure your business’ connection stays up and running and that your data is secure. If there is ever a complete outage situation with your main connection, Vision Net proactively detects and seamlessly transfers your traffic to the secondary connection so your business can continue to function, while your competitors wait for their provider to react. As your provider, we can integrate a world-class business solution. Our expertise as Montana’s largest independent network gives us the tools to give your business an agile, robust, and adaptive system within your budget and size. In 2021, stay ahead of threats, disruptions, and your competitors with a complete business solution from Vision Net.