Columbia, Mo. - Socket, a Missouri-based telephone and Internet provider, is proud to announce two new additions to its rapidly expanding staff. Nathan Byrum has joined Socket’s inside business sales division and Adam Kunkel is the latest addition to Socket’s programming department.

Byrum was born and raised in the Clinton, Mo. area. He graduated from Central Missouri University in 1999 with a degree in political science. His primary responsibilities will be providing local phone service, high-speed Internet, Web hosting, and conference calling to small businesses. Before joining Socket, Byrum was the independent regional manager at Crescent Processing Company.

“Nathan has the resiliency and resourcefulness people have come to expect from our business representatives,” said Carson Coffman, vice president of marketing and sales. “He’s a quick learner and has had no problem fitting in at our company.”

Kunkel was born and raised in Fayette, Mo. He graduated from the University of Missouri this past May with a degree in information technology. At Socket, Kunkel will be programming and developing a custom in-house sales and management system. Previously, Kunkel worked in the computer science department of the University of Missouri as a peer learning assistant for two years.

“Adam is a smart and innovative programmer,” said Josh Johnson, programming supervisor. “I am fully confident in what he will contribute to our company.”

Founded in 1994, Socket is a Missouri-based telephone and Internet service provider with the largest service coverage in the state. Socket is a privately held company that provides business customers a choice for local and long-distance phone service. It combines the highest quality customer service with in-depth technical knowledge to provide customized phone service packages. Socket also offers high-speed DSL and accelerated dial-up Internet service to both business and residential clients. Socket provides service to more than 20,000 customers in more than 400 cities across Missouri. For additional information, please visit: http://www.socket.net.