Capturing MTA's history

EOWYN LeMAY IVEY-Frontiersman reporter

MAT-SU -- When linemen were trying to extend phone service up the Susitna Valley years ago, they came to a wide river crossing and faced a dilemma -- how to get the cable to the other side. They tried to cast it across with a fishing pole. They tried tying it to rocks and throwing them across. None of this worked. Then they found out there was a homeowner in the area who had a crossbow, and their problem was solved. They fired an arrow, with a line attached, to the other side and then used it to string the cable across.

It was a long way from the wireless phones and Internet access of today's Matanuska Telephone Association, and just one example of the unique history filmmaker Russ Weston is striving to capture in his documentary about the company as it celebrates its 50th anniversary. Tentatively dubbed "Connecting the Community for 50 years," the half-hour documentary is set to debut at MTA's annual meeting at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 18, at Raven Hall on the Alaska State Fairgrounds.

"It's something the company has been considering for some time, because we've got some rich history," said Jackie Whitstine, public relations manager for MTA. When the co-op's 50-year anniversary neared, Whitstine said it became clear that now was the time to pursue the project.

"We look forward to people being able to watch it," Whitstine said. "It's really amazing when you step back and look at what has changed … The folks who have been interviewed by him have had such a good time reflecting on the change the company has seen and gone through."

MTA was incorporated in 1953 with about 200 member-owners and five employees. Today, the co-op has nearly 250 employees and 60,000 access lines. With MTA at the switchboard during the past 50 years, the Valley has gone from party lines to voice mail and Internet access.

"You think about it -- it's a huge milestone," MTA CEO Greg Berberich said, "especially in today's world of mergers and acquisitions, companies coming and going." The fact that MTA, as a member-owned, community co-op, has survived and thrived in this climate is something to be proud of, Berberich said.

"I felt it was criminal that we hadn't documented the history of this place," he said. "It really is unique. It's been such an incredible family and a big piece of the community … I wanted to get it down, and to be able to do it on film is even more exciting."

Weston, who works from his home studio in Peters Creek, is in the process of sorting through historical photographs from MTA and 40 to 50 hours of interviews with linemen, switchboard operators and CEOs such as Berberich and Max Clements, who many describe as one of the company's most influential leaders.

During these interviews, Weston said, it became clear that even as technology and growth has changed MTA, one thing has remained constant -- how much people care about the company. The filmmaker said it is an aspect of this project that distinguishes it from some of the work he has done for larger companies such as Coca-Cola and Tyson Foods.

"Normally the board and CEOs at these companies are very stoic and set in their ways," Weston said. "You very rarely hear them talk in terms of 'family.'"

But at MTA, the atmosphere is different, he said.

"The people have a very unique cohesiveness," Weston said. "I heard the terms, 'This is a family to me,' many times."

Weston said while the co-op, like all families, has had its share of strife, he was impressed by people's passion. When he interviewed Max Clements, for example, he said it was apparent the retired CEO still has strong emotional ties to the company.

"Even to this day, he misses it," Weston said. And today's leader of MTA, facing different challenges, seems to have a similar dedication.

"You could tell, Greg is a very passionate CEO," Weston said.

But just as much as Weston is interested in MTA's movers and shakers, the filmmaker also seems drawn to the small stories that give life to history. One woman, for example, described how she worked for MTA during the old switchboard days. Unfamiliar with the process, she was asked to open the switch for the hotel for the night. Asking around, she discovered that involved using a toothpick to prop open the hotel's switch so emergency calls for the local telephone and electric co-ops would be picked up during the night by the hotel operator.

"When it is real people, telling their stories, it's been my experience that people seem to be more interested," Weston said of the documentary. "I hope everyone enjoys it."

In addition to debuting the documentary at the upcoming annual meeting, MTA hopes to arrange to air it on television.