Our History
Howard and Eva Ellis acquired Haviland Telephone Company (now Haviland Broadband) in 1949. In the decades since, expansions and enhanced services have been added bringing the total subscribers to over 3000. One thing that has remained steadily constant through all the changes is the companies’ emphasis on family and community.
As you can see, we work together, we play together, we have fun together.
In the beginning, the Ellis family farming operation supported Haviland Telephone Company, until REA financing became available. Howard and Eva Ellis worked long, hard hours for many years to not only keep the business running but to continually upgrade and improve the quality of service. The Ellis children, Charles, Norma and Robert became active in the company in one capacity or another starting in 1949.
Howard Ellis was killed in a car accident in 1982 at the age of 74, having been very actively involved in the company’s activities right up to the last day. He was well-known throughout the industry and has been sorely missed by his colleagues, his community, and his family. Eva joined Howard in death in 2005, six days after her 99th birthday. She was a locally renowned artist, painting many of the covers for the annual Haviland Telephone book and kept active in the community throughout her life. Their children Norma and Charles remained involved with the company until their passings in 2009 and 2019, respectively. Robert continues to keep up with the company and is actively involved in the community to this day.
In December of 1991, Haviland Telephone sold to Universal Service Corp. of Irving, Texas. September 26, 1994, The Lynch Corporation acquired Haviland Telephone. The Lynch Corporation is a diversified company with subsidiaries in multimedia, service and manufacturing. Mark Wade of Haviland serves as VP of Operations for all of Lynch Corporation Kansas companies including JBN Telephone and Giant Communications, both headquartered in Holton, KS.
Since the Ellis family purchased the company in 1949, Haviland Broadband (then Haviland Telephone Company) has been serving the people of South Central Kansas, looking towards the future to ensure our customers have the latest technology available to them. In 2004, Haviland Broadband invested several million dollars into our buried facilities. In several key distribution routes, copper cable was replaced with fiber optic cable, improving the quality of voice service and giving us the infrastructure to provide customers virtually unlimited bandwidth for faster Internet connections. As a result, Haviland Broadband is the leader in providing upper-tier download speeds to rural customers in South Central Kansas. Over the past 25 years, Haviland has expanded its Business I.T. operations, diversifying its service area beyond the traditional footprint.
In 2009, Haviland Broadband established wireless internet service – GMAXX – within the community of Greensburg when its communication infrastructure was severely compromised after the 2007 tornado. Haviland Broadband expanded these services to Coldwater in 2011.
In 2019, Haviland Broadband made major changes to its offerings. A fiber service was initiated in the city of Greensburg and a data-only offering was made available. In celebration of our 70th anniversary, and in recognition of the importance broadband services played in the future of our business and our communities, Haviland Telephone began doing business as Haviland Broadband in September 2019.
We’ve been connecting communities through reliable telephone and internet services for decades. As technology evolved, so did the needs of our customers. Businesses today rely on more than just connectivity—they need secure, efficient IT systems to thrive. Expanding into Managed Services (MSP) felt like the next logical step in our journey, allowing us to offer comprehensive technology solutions alongside our trusted communication services. Now, we can help ensure your technology works seamlessly, securely, and strategically to support your growth whether you’re within our telephone and broadband service area or not.