Nov. 29—After nearly three decades of service, Star Communications stalwart Jeff Nethercutt is retiring.

Nethercutt has served as the executive vice president and general manager of Star and is set for retirement at the beginning of December after 28 years with the company. A retirement ceremony is slated for Tuesday (today) from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Sampson County Agri-Exposition Center, Heritage Hall, located at 414 Warsaw Road, Clinton.

"I would like to thank everyone that has been a part of my journey over the course of my career," Nethercutt stated. "It has been an honor to be a part of the rural telecommunications industry providing broadband to rural America."

Nethercutt was named to the position of assistant general manager in late 2016 and assumed those responsibilities at the beginning of 2017. He was promoted to the company's executive vice president and general manager in summer 2017 following the retirement of the longtime face of Star, Lyman Horne.

Nethercutt began working with Star in 1995, and has held titles of revenue manager, director of revenue and vice president of corporate affairs over the years prior to his management roles.

Assistant General Manager Donna Bullard has been tapped to move into the executive vice president and general manager position upon Nethercutt's exit. She has worked at Star for more than 24 years, serving in various capacities throughout the company.

Star Telephone Membership Corporation, headquartered in Clinton, N.C. is a member-owned non-profit cooperative providing telephone, internet, and video services in the rural parts of five Southeastern North Carolina counties.

In 1959, the Cape Fear Telephone and Cumberland-Sampson Telephone cooperatives merged to form Star Telephone Membership Cooperative, a member-owned nonprofit governed by a board of directors. In 2014, the Star family of companies merged into Star Communications, which today serves customers in Sampson, Bladen, Duplin, Columbus and Cumberland counties.

"I'm not looking to reinvent the wheel," Nethercutt stated just prior to taking the reins in 2017. "I want to build upon the foundation that has been here since 1959 when this company was founded."

More than five years later, Nethercutt departs having strengthened that foundation significantly.

At the end of 2019, Star officials announced that a $3.3 million GREAT (Growing Rural Economics with Access to Technology) grant would bring faster Internet service to more than 400 addresses in Sampson and Bladen counties thanks to the award to Star Communications.

Gov. Roy Cooper and the North Carolina General Assembly reached a deal in mid-December 2019 to spend $30 million for GREAT. As one of 11 recipients, Star was selected to expand broadband expansion in the undeserved areas within the City of Clinton through StarVision, Inc., a subsidiary and the Abbottsburg area of Bladen County.

The grant was to expand high speed Internet service for more than 1,400 addresses in Bladen County and 442 places in Sampson County, with Star Communications to provide $1.4 million in matching funds for these projects — resulting in a total investment of $4.7 million for the communities.

At the time of the grant receipt, Nethercutt said Star officials were extremely pleased to be able to make the investment in broadband infrastructure for both counties.

"Our customers expect and deserve the increased broadband speeds and enhanced telecommunications services that this grant will make possible," Nethercutt stated.

That goal was furthered with another grant award at the end of 2021.

At the end of 2021, Star Communications announced its mission to advance communities and extend its fiber footprint had taken another giant step forward. A $2.3 million USDA Community Connect Grant was received to construct approximately 120 miles of infrastructure to build a Fiber-to-the-Premise network, impacting 1,800 residences and 15 businesses in northern Sampson County.

The project was scheduled for completion by 2024.

"Fiber is no longer considered a desire, but a necessity. It helps advance communications, rural economic development and improves the lives of those that have access," Nethercutt stated at the time. "That is why Star and its Board of Directors have intently focused on gaining access to grant funding to improve the lives of our members and customers. Fiber helps in creating new career opportunities and enables citizens to learn, work, and access telemedicine and entertainment from home."

He credited USDA and other state and federal entities with helping to deliver "these forward-thinking services to our area."

He also credited Star officials for their leadership, credit he echoed on the occasion of his retirement. That support has not just materialized in the extension of broadband service, but has meant a great deal of support given in community projects across Star's service area.

Just a small part of that, last year Star Communications, a member of CarolinaLink, the North Carolina's Broadband Cooperative Coalition, announced a $500,000 commitment and 10-year partnership with UNC Children's Hospital to support rural virtual health programs across the state. Through the years, partnerships in and beyond Sampson have been plentiful.

Nethercutt said that is a testament to those who make up the heart of Star.

"I want to extend my appreciation and thanks to my Board of Directors, my coworkers and especially my family for their unwavering support," Nethercutt stated. "Star Communications is positioned to accomplish great things in the years to come."

Editor Chris Berendt can be reached at 910-592-8137 ext. 2587.