Pioneer Telephone Cooperative’s soon-to-be new general manager Blake Callaham shared updates from the county’s largest employer at last week’s Kingfisher Chamber of Commerce luncheon.

Blake Callaham, who will step into the top job at Pioneer after the retirement of longtime general manager Richard Ruhl in September, was the guest speaker at the chamber’s BIZConnect luncheon Wednesday.

Introduced by chamber Executive Director Shauna Rupp, Callaham shared his lengthy history with Pioneer.

He was born and raised in Frederick, where he began his career with Pioneer in 1998 as a construction lineman.

He spent nearly 15 years in the local operations department where he held various titles including combination technician, local manager and local service administrator throughout southwest and central oklahoma.

Since that time, Callaham served as department manager of records administration/facilities engineering and has spent the last six years serving as division manager of marketing, sales and customer service.

The Pioneer board of trustees voted in January to name him as the cooperative’s fourth general manager and he officially assumes that role Sept. 1.

His various jobs with the cooperative have taken him to Comanche, Tuttle, Newcastle and Blanchard.

As of a few weeks ago, he and Laura, his wife of 25 years, became official residents of Kingfisher.

They have two adult children, Ashlee and Mason, and two grandchildren.

At Wednesday’s luncheon, Callaham discussed Pioneer’s plans to expand and grow into the markets of Woodward, Fairview and Weatherford.

He also discussed general growth plans, including 10,915 miles of fiber optic cable being laid throughout Pioneer’s area of service through western Oklahoma and into Kansas.

He said Pioneer currently employs over 560 people, and has assets in excess of $515 million.

Pioneer hosted the meeting at its Engineering Building second story meeting room, with Cindy Gore, Publication Relations Specialist arranging for the meal that was catered by the Snider family, owners of The Shed restaurant.