Ritter Communications CEO Alan Morse on December 20 announced the promotion of Heath Simpson to president and chief operating officer (COO) of the company, and Lexanne Horton to the role of chief financial officer (CFO), as part of a reorganization "to better serve the company in advancing its business goals," as stated by a press release.
Ritter CEO Morse commented:
“The business unit management structure we adopted in 2015 has served us well and has helped position us for the successes we’ve achieved in meeting many of our key objectives. To ensure we continue to improve our operational efficiency, customer experience and competitive positioning, we’ve adopted a new functional management structure.”
Simpson joined Ritter Communications in 2020 as CFO. Since then, his purview grew to oversee essential functions of the company beyond areas of finance. As president and COO, Simpson will direct the company’s activities in finance, information technology, project management, customer experience, field operations, facilities and human resources.
Morse added:
“I’ve worked very closely with Heath over the past three years. His wisdom, temperament and focus on the customer, the community and our employees make him the right choice for this new leadership position.”
Horton has been with the company since 2015 and served as its vice president/controller since 2019. In her new CFO role, Horton oversees all of the company's accounting, financial planning and analysis, treasury management, billing, risk management, supply chain management and purchasing activities.
Morse said:
“Lexanne has performed exceptionally, possessing the knowledge, skills and abilities to succeed in the CFO role for years to come."
Additional promotions
Additional promotions at Ritter Communications related to the company reorganization include Susan Christian to the role of chief marketing officer (CMO), and Kyle Keith to the position of chief revenue officer (CRO).
Christian, the longest-serving member of the company’s senior leadership team with a tenure spanning 17 years, will add public affairs to her existing responsibilities leading all of the provider's marketing and communications efforts.
As CRO, Keith is responsible for all market development, sales, revenue generation and customer retention across all customer types and product suites.
Rounding out the company’s C-Suite team is Greg Sunderwood, who will continue in his current capacity as chief technology officer (CTO), managing all network and engineering operations.
Headquartered in Jonesboro, Arkansas, Ritter Communications is the largest privately held telecommunications service provider exclusively serving the Mid-South U.S. region, offering broadband fiber, telecom, video, cloud and data center services. The company has grown rapidly over the years, investing millions recently in technology infrastructure, and is now serving 115 communities and more than 46,000 customers in Arkansas, Texas, Missouri and Tennessee.