We Found the Popcorn!


Socket welcomes home Central MO Honor Flight veteransThe Central Missouri Honor Flight embarked Tuesday, May 7, on its 22nd flight to take local veterans to Washington, D.C. to see the memorials dedicated to their honor.
 
Socket was proud to make a holiday donation in 2012 to send 10 veterans on this Honor Flight. (We thought it was a better way to thank our customers than sending them a tin of popcorn.)
 
Doug Ragland, Socket's director of marketing and consumer sales, joined the crowd to welcome the veterans home early Wednesday morning.
 
"It was a truly inspirational experience," Ragland said. "If you haven't seen 500 motorcycles rumbling through the night on a mission like this, you're missing out."
 
Despite the late hour, several family members, friends and other citizens were in attendance to welcome the veterans back to the Courtyard by Marriott in Columbia. Each was introduced and honored with waving flags and cheers from the crowd while bagpipes played patriotic tunes.
 
"I just viewed this as a way to pay forward the welcome home that I received as a soldier returning home after the first Gulf War," Ragland said. "It's an experience I'll never forget and hope all veterans have."
 
To learn more about the Central Missouri Honor Flight, visit www.centralmissourihonorflight.com.
  

Spring 2013 Adopt-A-Spot Cleanup


team photo
 
adopt a spot trash

Eight of our Socketeers donned vests and gloves yesterday to clean up our Adopt-a-Spot stretch of roadway.

The area near our office (Clark Lane between Paris Rd and the Highway 63 interchange in Columbia) is looking pretty nice now, if we do say so ourselves!

We collected a total of 22 bags of trash from the roadside.

We even considered building a car after finding hub caps, a front bumper and various other auto parts during the cleanup.

Although rain initially delayed our pick-up day, we really lucked out and got to enjoy sunny, 84-degree weather this time around.

Our involvement with local communities wouldn't be possible without a great team of employees, so thanks to everyone who took part!

If you would like to participate in Columbia's Adopt-A-Spot program, it is easy to get involved!

Just visit their website for information on how your company can get involved by adopting a location or email them at volunteer@gocolumbiamo.com for information on how you can get involved with existing Adopt-A-Spot locations. 

Meet Mat Harrison, Programmer!


Mat HarrisonMat Harrison was selected as Socket's You-Make-the-Difference-Award winner for March. His fellow co-workers decided his ability to move things to a state of awesomeness was worthy of recognition.

"Mat is a real asset to the Socket team," said a co-worker who nominated him for the award. "There are so many examples of him taking something and making it more awesome, saving us time and helping us serve our customers better."

Mat joined Socket’s tech support team in October 2004 before moving to the programming department in 2005. If you’ve ever paid your Socket bill online, checked your email using Socket Webmail or used navigation menus on Socket’s website, you've used something that Mat played a role in building or improving. He helps make things run smoothly and keeps us looking good.  

Mat went to high school in Steele, MO (a stone’s throw from both Arkansas AND Tennessee). He earned a degree in systems engineering from the University of Arkansas-Little Rock before moving to Columbia in 2004. In his spare time, he enjoys hanging out with his dog, Rex, playing golf, home brewing and playing video games.

"I love my job because of the variety of projects I work on," said Mat. "It's never boring and I'm consistently refining and expanding upon my expertise."

Congratulations, Mat!

Socket Softball Season Starts With A Win


socket softballFriday, April 19 marked the first game for Socket’s co-ed softball team here in Columbia, MO. The team got off to a great start with a 10-5 win!
 
A few employees expressed interest in starting an employee softball team for the 2013 season, and we decided it was a great idea. The last time Socket had a company team was in 2008, but we are back and ready for action!
 
Our opponent on Friday was short the required number of players, but the Socket team sent two of its own so the game could go on. Our remaining squad of 10 players brought home a win in the fifth inning (the games have one-hour time limits) with some very memorable plays.
 
The highlight of the game was a solo home run hit by Jeff Smith from our accounting department. Everyone on the team had a blast and was happy to have the chance to represent Socket as a team. Catch their next game this Friday, April 26 at 8 p.m. on the purple field at Cosmo Park in Columbia. 

2013 Dream Factory Poker Tournament


dream factory poker columbiaSometimes you’ve got to know when to hold ‘em, and know when to fold ‘em. Perhaps maybe our poker players should’ve folded more often but that didn’t keep them from having a blast at this year’s Dream Factory Poker Tournament.
    
On Friday, April 12, Socket sponsored the event for the second year in a row, which benefits the Central Missouri Dream Factory. The tournament was held at the Knights Of Columbus in Columbia and raised more than $111,000 to grant dreams to chronically and critically ill children in mid-Missouri. Event organizers estimate the funds raised will help fulfill 20 dreams!

We sent six poker players to represent Socket, but we wanted to make sure we sent our best. On April 3 we hosted a mini-tournament of our own at the office after work. None of our poker stars made the final table at the real tournament, but they still had a good time for a good cause – and ate some good food!  

Our players said their favorite part of the event was hearing dream stories from some of the children in attendance and seeing how a dream grant impacted a child and their family. One girl shared her story about receiving 16 spinal taps and being in and out of surgeries repeatedly between the ages of 7-10.

For her dream trip, she visited the American Girl Store in Chicago, where she designed a custom doll and picked out matching outfits for her and her doll with a personal shopper. 

If you are a poker fan, we highly recommend checking out this event next year! 

Helping the Columbia Community


Columbia polar plunge 2013Here at Socket, we like to support local Columbia and mid-Missouri charitable organizations and events. Columbia and its surrounding communities have given so much to us, so we like to give back however we can.
 
One way we do this is by providing free Web hosting and discounted Internet service to Missouri non-profits. Interested organizations can fill out an application to apply for the program.
 
Many of our employees enjoy volunteering for local charities as well. We assemble a road crew every few months to clean up our Adopt-A-Spot location near our office along Clark Lane between I-70 and Paris Rd. We also organize food drives and volunteer nights for the Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri and host blood drives at our office for the American Red Cross.
 
This year, we’ve been having some fun with our local non-profit partners, sponsoring two local Columbia events. The Polar Plunge in Columbia is a fun event for our company, and this was the 4th year we participated. Our office was represented by a team of more than 20 plungers, most of them dressed in costume as their favorite fictional character. It was pretty funny to see everyone jump in Stephens Lake into 34-degree water! This years’ event raised over $100,000 towards the Special Olympics of Missouri! In case you missed the plunge, watch the video of our team below.
 

 
 
We were also a proud sponsor of the True/False Film Festival, a main staple of weekend entertainment here in Columbia. Thousands of movie fans attended the event, which featured dozens of independent films and garnered national attention. This year, the event celebrated its 10th anniversary, and we were happy to be a part of it! 
 
On May 7, we will be sending 10 veterans to Washington D.C. with the Central Missouri Honor Flight. This organization helps local veterans visit the memorials dedicated to their service. Each year as part of our holiday season rituals, we choose a local organization to give back to. Learn more about our plans with the Honor Flight.
 
Keep up with all of our local happenings in Missouri by following our Community Blog, liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter.
 

Meet Adam Shipp, Network Design Specialist


Sometimes, you just know a person is awesome. Even if you can’t put your finger on exactly why. 
 
That’s true when it comes to Adam Shipp, who was chosen as Socket’s You-Make-the-Difference-Award winner for the month of February. A co-worker who nominated Adam for the award said the following:
 
You know the people who, even though you don’t know exactly what they do, you know they are very smart and extremely good at their job? This is Adam Shipp. I can’t think of one thing that Adam can’t do. He’s a key Socketeer, and Socket wouldn’t run as well without him here.
 
Adam has been a Socketeer for almost five years since joining our technical support team in 2008. He now assists with network design for Socket, as well as helping to assemble quotes and orders for Socket's business clients.
 
Adam is originally from the Jefferson City area and has lived in Columbia for the past 10 years. He and his wife recently purchased a home and will be moving soon. In his spare time, he enjoys playing video games and traveling when he gets the chance.

"I love that I can learn something new every day here, and that I work with people who are passionate about their job,” said Adam.

Prepay And Save


Wanna save more than $200? You might be able to if you have Naked DSL Internet and live in Columbia, Sedalia, Moberly, Wentzville, Saint Peters, Mexico, Fulton or O'Fallon.
 
Naked DSL HIgh Speed InternetGet fast Internet for the entire year without the hassle of a monthly bill. Plus, when you prepay for the entire year, we'll knock more than $200 off the price. You pay $450 for what would normally cost more than $650.
 

  • Up to 6 Mbps High-Speed Internet
  • No active telephone service required (a phone jack is needed, however)
  • No monthly bills to pay for an entire year
  • Local tech support, 7 days-a-week
  • Unlimited downloads with no data caps
  • Modem/Wireless router lease included

 
In some parts of Columbia, customers are eligible to upgrade to 10 Mbps for an additional $100.
 
This package is a popular option among many of our customers, especially in Columbia. You might find that the savings and convenience are a good fit for you, too.  
 
Find out what packages are available to your home. 

2013 Columbia Business Showcase


2013 Columbia Business ShowcaseThe 2013 Columbia Business Showcase is underway at the Holiday Inn Executive Center!

This event, hosted each year by the Columbia Chamber Of Commerce, is a great opportunity to catch up with other local businesses and see what's new in the Columbia business community.

The show is held at Holiday Inn Executive Center from 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM and 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM. A breakfast, luncheon and mixer are also held throughout the day.

Come say hi to our business team to learn more about Hosted PBX business phone service. We'll have some sample handsets to take a look at, as well as answer any questions you might have about moving to a hosted phone solution.

We hope to see you at the show!

10th True/False Film Festival Underway


True False Film Festival box office
 

The time has finally come, and the 10th annual True/False Film Festival has officially started!
 
Socket is proud to once again sponsor this event, which features more than 40 films at 9 locations throughout Columbia.
 
We stopped by the box office in downtown Columbia earlier today, and it was pretty packed. We're excited to see so many local residents and out-of-town visitors, and we're certain this year's films and events will not disappoint.
 
If you're planning to attend the festival, head over to www.truefalse.org. There you'll find info on:
·         What films are playing, when and where.
·         How to buy tickets and passes (yes, you may still be able to).
·         Accessories and merchandise available for purchase at the box office.
·         The True/False 5K run to be held this Saturday morning.

Congratulations to True/False on its 10th year, and best wishes for a great event!

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Who is Socket

Founded in 1994, Socket is a Missouri-based telephone and Internet service provider with the largest service area in the state.

Socket is a privately held company that provides families and businesses a choice for local and long-distance phone and Internet service. We combine the highest quality customer service with in-depth technical knowledge.

Our network serves more than 20,000 residents and businesses in more than 400 Missouri cities, and our customers enjoy simple billing and quick, friendly service.
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