Take a Break with Karen: Meet Ken Johnson, the CEO of Wahkiakum West

Welcome back to another episode of "Take a Break with Karen," proudly sponsored by Wahkiakum West! 🌲🎙️ In today’s episode, Karen invites you to pull up a chair and get to know a fresh face along the Columbia Coast: Ken Johnson, the new CEO of Wahkiakum West (formerly Wahkiakum Telephone Company). Ken brings an adventurous, entrepreneurial spirit to our rural region. After spending his first 49 years on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border and six years in the grueling heat of Las Vegas, Ken and his wife Heather (along with their majestic 17-hand Dressage and Andalusian horses) have officially made the Pacific Northwest their home—and they couldn't be happier trading shoveling snow or desert windstorms for our beautiful, green rain. Karen and Ken dive into the aggressive, yet measured, expansion efforts currently reshaping how our community stays connected, detailing: 🚀 Playing Offense on Broadband: Moving past traditional landlines to rapidly expand high-speed fiber optics into Skamokawa, Cathlamet, and a pilot program over in Long Beach. 📺 The Return of Local TV: Why Wahkiakum West is launching a brand-new cable TV service featuring local-flavor programming (like this very show!) to build a visual "yearbook" for the community. 🛠️ The Advanced Tech Teams: How installers like Mark and the company’s first female full-blown installer, Casey, are working tirelessly to ensure network upgrades are done right before final hookups. 🤝 The "Team Captain" Leadership Style: Ken explains why he views himself as a captain on the floor rather than a coach, willing to do everything from re-arranging file cabinets to taking midnight engineering calls to keep local trust alive. From competing against national NASDAQ giant providers by offering genuine, face-to-face family service to bridging the gap between Pacific and Wahkiakum counties, Ken is proving that the future of local communications is bright, linear, and completely transparent. A massive thank you to Wahkiakum West for keeping our coastal communities connected and continuing to sponsor these essential local conversations! Are you excited about the new fiber optic and cable TV options coming to our neck of the woods? Let us know in the comments below! 👇 🌐 Connect With Our Sponsor Wahkiakum West: Keeping the Columbia Coast connected with high-speed internet, voice services, and local community support. Learn more about their services here: https://wwest.net 🏛️ Visit the Appelo Archives Center To step back in time and see how regional communications evolved from the very first local switchboards to modern fiber, stop by the Appelo Archives Center in Naselle, Washington. 🔔 Support the Channel If you want to see more neighborhood spotlights, exclusive interviews, and authentic stories from the Columbia Coast, make sure to Like, Comment, and Subscribe! Hit the notification bell so you never miss an episode of Take a Break with Karen. #WahkiakumWest #TakeABreakWithKaren #KenJohnson #BroadbandExpansion #FiberOptics #RuralInternet #ColumbiaCoast #RosburgWA #SmallTownTech #CommunityFirst #PNWLiving