Our History

1955     Ken Kern started KLM Telephone Company by purchasing the Rich Hill Telephone Company, which started in 1941.

1972     The Deerfield, Missouri, area was converted to dial service.

1973     Missouri Union Telephone Company, Deerfield’s service provider, was merged into the KLM Telephone Company.

1975     KLM Telephone Company consisted of the merged operations of the acquired telephone companies/family run operations:

• Rich Hill Telephone Company – 1955
• Papinvill, Missouri, Telephone Operations – 1956
• Metz and Richards, Missouri, telephone exchanges – 1959
• Missouri Union Telephone Company – 1973

1987     All KLM exchanges were converted to digital, allowing call waiting and touch tone dial to finally become available to KLM customers.

1992     KLM Corporation was sold the RBJ Corporation owned by the Copsey family of Rich Hill, Missouri.

1999     KLM customers were able to choose their long distance providers.

2007     RBJ Corporation was purchased by American Broadband.