Honoring Our Founder
TDS celebrates the 100th birthday of our founder and chairman emeritus,
LeRoy (Roy) T. Carlson. His vision, leadership, values and business principles
set the foundation for the company that TDS is today. Roy’s belief in delivering
exceptional customer service and the latest technology, and his unwavering
commitment to the nation’s rural and suburban communities, are still the focus of
our businesses; they provide the basis on which TDS will continue to grow our
businesses to serve the needs of our customers, associates and shareholders.
“Roy always has faith that ways will be found to accomplish the objectives. He places great confidence in people, and as a result, they accomplish things that they thought might not be possible.” – LeRoy T. (Ted) Carlson, Jr., President and CEO – TDS
“A deep-rooted conviction of mine has always been that the customer is king.” –LeRoy Carlson, 1989, TDS: The First Twenty Years
“The concept I had in mind was simple: bring together a group of small, primarily rural, telephone companies whose skills, strengths and assets could be shared by all.” – LeRoy Carlson, 1989, TDS: The First Twenty Years
“The key to harnessing the business power and potential of communications technology is to respect and understand the people who use, develop and support it.” – LeRoy Carlson, 2002 KPMG Illinois High Tech Awards ceremony
“The people who live in these rural and suburban areas should have the same and equal access to the full range of technological advances available today as those enjoyed by people who live in urban areas.” – LeRoy Carlson, 1979, TDS Annual Report