Kurt David Bleich - District 3

My name is Kurt Bleich. I am a life-long resident of Moniteau County and live on my family’s cattle farm. I have three children, one of which graduates high school this year.  I’m excited to be a District 3 candidate for Co-Mo’s Board of Directors.
 

I graduated from California High School and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Information Systems from Columbia College.
 

I own and operate Command 1, LLC, which provides two-way radio solutions to public safety agencies, schools, and businesses.   Over the last 18 years it has grown to support several 911 centers, police and fire departments, schools and manufacturing facilities all over Missouri. 
 

Many of our customers are Commissioners, City Councils, or Emergency Services Boards of Directors.  Meeting with them and providing information they need to make decisions regarding system maintenance and upgrades is valuable experience. I think that insight and the experience running a small business will be very beneficial if I am elected to the Co-Mo Board of directors. 
 

Prior to starting my business, I worked in IT as a Database Administrator for the State Department of Health and University of Missouri System. The systems I install and maintain today in my business are also IT intensive. I believe that experience will give me valuable insight into the broadband services side of the organization. Having broadband connectivity available is such an enabling factor for those trying to work from home or utilizing remote learning. I believe it is an extremely important critical infrastructure that many of our members depend on as much as they do the electrical service.
 

In addition to my IT work and business, I was appointed the Moniteau County Emergency Management Director from 2003-2013. I also volunteered with both Calfornia Rural and California City Fire departments for a combined total of over 14 years in the fire service.  I responded to hundreds of emergency calls and was involved with numerous grants to get our county agency’s radios replaced, obtaining a mobile command post and new fire apparatus. I retired from the California City Fire Department in 2021 as Captain and Training Officer.  I continue to enjoy working with public safety agencies through my business.
 

I believe it is important to constantly invest in new tools and technology to keep up with the new demands and changes to how our members use Co-Mo’s services. I also believe it is equally important to invest in our crews and support staff to ensure services can be delivered reliably and restored when outages occur. 
 

I’m excited to have the opportunity to serve the Cooperative and its members. I appreciate your consideration for the Board of Directors.