Honoring a Legacy; Continuing its Commitments

Powered by purpose: A Communications Legacy Supporting Community

 

Honoring a Legacy, Continuing Its Commitments

What began in 1963 as a charitable initiative created by the Mankato Citizens Telephone Company has evolved through company transitions and name changes, but its mission has remained constant: to invest in the well-being of the region it calls home.

Now, that legacy continues under a new name: the HickoryTech Fund of the Mankato Area Foundation.

Connecting Communities

The original giving program was born from a simple idea—that a local company should give back to the community that helped it grow.

Over the years, as the company became HickoryTech, then Enventis, and eventually Consolidated Communications, this commitment to community support remained strong. Employees played an active role in recommending grants, and the company matched both financial contributions and volunteer hours, reinforcing a culture of involvement.

When Consolidated Communications acquired Enventis in 2014, then-CEO John Finke faced a critical question: how to preserve this local impact even as the company’s headquarters moved elsewhere.

The solution was a partnership with the Mankato Area Foundation (MAF). By transitioning the company’s charitable program into a donor-advised fund at MAF, employees and company leaders could continue supporting grantmaking decisions while benefiting from MAF’s deep understanding of local needs.

“We wanted to find a place that would allow our company and our employees to have an influence on where the money was going and that would continue the legacy of giving in the community,” Finke said at the time.

A New Chapter: The HickoryTech Fund

As of July 1, 2025, the charitable program officially transitioned to the HickoryTech Fund of the Mankato Area Foundation. The new name honors the company’s origins and long-standing presence in Mankato, while reaffirming its commitment to the region.

This change coincides with Consolidated Communications becoming a private company. While the company continues to serve southern Minnesota with fiber services, the fund’s administration and grantmaking are now fully managed by MAF.

Since its inception, nearly $7 million has been distributed to support nonprofit programs across the region.

Now, as the HickoryTech Fund enters this new phase, its purpose remains unchanged. It continues to reflect the values of the company that created it—values of service, generosity, and community connection.

“I feel very privileged to be part of this,” Finke once said. “Not just because of what it’s done in the past, but also for what it will be able to do in the future for this community.”