How broadband businesses can turn AI into a road map for success

On this episode of Connected Nation, we talk with the representative from Vantage Point Solutions who took the main stage at Calix ConnecXions 2025 in front of 3,000 attendees.  Find out what she told the crowd about using AI and preparing for the future. 

Recommended links:
Jacki Miskimins, Director of Communications & Engagement

Vantage Point Solutions

Vantage Point Solutions website

AsOne Ministries website

Corn Palace website

Chapters

• 1:58 Taking the Calix stage
• 5:35 Being proactive with AI
• 7:42 What is Vantage Point Solutions?
• 13:49 Jacki's background with AsOne Ministries
• 19:58 What it's like to be Director of Communications and Engagement
• 21:08 The future of Vantage Point

Transcript

Jessica Denson (00:07):

On this episode of Connected Nation, we wrap up our coverage from Calix Connexions 2025, which took place in Las Vegas, Nevada, and mid-October. On this episode, we talk with the representative from Vantage Point Solutions, who was just on the main stage in front of 3,000 people, find out what she had to tell everybody about using AI and preparing for the future. Plus we talk about why the company was formed and how it's helping others approach business in a unique way. I'm Jessica Denson, and this is Connected Nation.

I'm at Calix Connexions 2025. And, um, a woman, Jacki, miss Kimmons, do I say it right? You've got it right. Jack Kim Cummins with Vantage Point Solutions, uh, just walked up to my table and that is for a very good reason because yesterday when I was sitting at lunch, I got in right at the tail end of lunch yesterday.

(01:09):

I was so hungry and I was sat down at this very table with two young, two gentlemen. I was gonna say young gentlemen, I don't know if that's fair. <laugh>. We can flatter on. It's okay. We're we're sitting across from you. We started chatting and they were with VantagePoint. 

And, um, we had such a great conversation. We talked about books and we talked about podcasts, and we talked about this podcast and they said, you need to talk to Jackie. Ah, and now here you are. So thank you so much for, for coming up to me and joining up me today. 'cause I really wanna talk more about VantagePoint. Um,

Jacki Miskimins (01:38):

Welcome. I am so happy that they sent me your direction. Jessica, I've enjoyed our conversation already and I know we're just getting started, so thank you so much for the invitation.

Jessica Denson (01:45):

Yeah, we, we've already talked clothes and <laugh>. Just wait

Jacki Miskimins (01:48):

Until we get on shoes. We can still have to cover jewelry. I mean, it's fast friends.

Jessica Denson (01:52):

For sure. This podcast is changing to a fashion podcast. Let's begin now. No, I'm kidding. Audience. Anyway, um, so, uh, Jackie, uh, VantagePoint Solutions, you were on the main stage today, um, at cx, which, when you say main stage, that's not, that's no joke. Oh, I've been there. There's like 3000 people watching you.

Jacki Miskimins (02:10):

There are, and, uh, you can't actually see them all because the spotlights are in your eyes a little bit so you can kind of see the first couple rows of faces. And a huge thanks to, uh, cex for putting the partner program and giving them that main stage presence. 

They've done such a great job of really staking out a leadership role in, uh, helping all of their customers access and, uh, connect with all of the other, uh, players here in the market. So, really appreciated that and was very, very proud, very honored to represent the parting community that

Jessica Denson (02:37):

Way. And you said that your phone was blowing up afterwards, <laugh>, everybody was supporting and excited about

Jacki Miskimins (02:42):

What you did. It was, but I mean, that's this industry, right? Everybody is so supportive and so encouraging. And, uh, the number of folks that I had, you know, joking about like, wow, gonna get your autograph. I mean, like, yeah, love you guys too, right? But it's, that's just so indicative of this industry, how supportive and, uh, integrated everybody is.

Jessica Denson (03:00):

That's wonderful. So let's talk about what you talked about on there. I know you were saying things like, um, turning new geography into a roadmap. Yes. I wrote down some little, 'cause we did a little bit of pre-interviewing here, <laugh>. So talk about what you presented on stage.

Jacki Miskimins (03:15):

Yeah. Um, with artificial intelligence, which has been a major focus of connections this year, um, it's not just a collection of technologies. It's really a tectonic shift. And with so many other things that have happened in our industry, right? You have, um, the FCC is now requiring broadband labels. Okay? So you find broadband labels, okay? 

Now, environmental permitting is harder. Okay? So we will offer environmental permitting services, um, you know, something happens and then we can solve it. Something happens and we can solve it. Artificial intelligence isn't like that. This is a complete game changer. And not to play too much off of the, the calx theme, but it's their theme for a reason. It is a game changer. And I think of it as a tectonic shift. It, the, the floor underneath us is moving. 

Yeah. Because this isn't just technologies. It is how things will, uh, get done. This will impact your people, this will impact your businesses. This will impact the markets that we're serving. Um, well now how do you get through that new geography?

Jessica Denson (04:13):

Yeah.

Jacki Miskimins (04:13):

And so the comments that I made on stage were that turning that new landscape into a roadmap requires you to have a destination, right? Mm-hmm <affirmative>. Uh, you can turn left, turn right, turn left, turn right. But unless you actually have a direction, you know, you're trying to go, all you're doing is spinning your wheels, literally. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. 

And, uh, so that's what we talked about, the importance of carving out what is your vision? Not thinking about use cases, but thinking about outcomes. What is it that your, that your business is going to be? Uh, how are, what is it that you are accomplishing? How are things going to work? Once you have that vision for what that needs to be mm-hmm <affirmative>. Now you can start working backwards into tactically what needs to change, and then where do we start? 

So now all of a sudden, your turn right, turn left, turn right, turn left is going to get you somewhere. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. And that was the part that I was able to speak on some of the other partners that were up there. Then also talked about some of that doing right. The turning it into action and what does that mean on the ground, uh, and then ultimately taking that to your go to market strategy as well. 

So overall, it was just a great narrative that we were able to share up there of the way that partners can support broadband providers in this brave new world.

(05:19):

Mm-hmm <affirmative>.

(05:19):

It's

Jessica Denson (05:19):

Really something at connection. We talk about the fact that you can't do this with one industry or one group or by yourself. It is such a, an industry that needs all these different types of people who are skilled in different types of ways Yes. To come together. And I love that you're talking about being proactive rather than reactive when it comes to ai. 

Especially Yes. Because AI can be a scary thing that you're like, oh, I gotta get in on this. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. Because if I'm not in on it, I'm lost. But just doing that willy-nilly is not a good idea. Right.

Jacki Miskimins (05:51):

And it's that having a direction, having a vision. Um, you know, I, I love what you said there, just kind of jumping in and doing one of the stories that I told or, or shared, I should say. Um, years and years ago in a college class, this got brought up to me <laugh>, uh, the scene from through the looking glass, which is Alice in Wonderland. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. 

Where Alice is running next to the Red Queen, and they're going through this forest and they're running and they're running, but the forest is standing still. And Alice says to the red queen, oh, well we must be getting somewhere. You know, are we almost there? Are we almost there? And the red queen says, oh no, around here, you have to run this fast just to stay in place. If you wanna get somewhere new, you have to run much faster than this.

(06:31):

And when we think about the way that AI is changing the landscape and redefining our geographies here, it's also accelerating the forest. The forest is now moving faster. That's very true. And we have to speed up all the work that people have been doing, how hard we've been working, how much we've been innovating, how much we've been optimizing. 

That got us to this point, that there was a speaker after, uh, who was just fantastic. Um, and she made the comment that speed is the new moat. You have to move faster. And that's something that, um, it just really crystallized for me. This artificial intelligence is changing the speed at which we have to move. You've gotta put one foot in front of the other. You cannot wait for somebody else to lead the way. And then you follow.

Jessica Denson (07:15):

Yeah.

Jacki Miskimins (07:16):

That's,

Jessica Denson (07:16):

It's, it's so true. We've been using, um, you know, some of the company I've talked to this weekend have been using our, looking at AI or machine learning and stuff they call machine learning. They're like, really? That's the precursor to ai, um, for years

Jacki Miskimins (07:31):

Mm-hmm <affirmative>.

Jessica Denson (07:31):

And so if we're not at least trying to keep up Yeah. Everything's will fall apart for businesses. 'cause they really need to. So I, I'm, I'm pausing 'cause I want to go back to the beginning for vantage point. Um, vantage point was, was formed in 2002. 2002. Yes. Talk about why, because it's, it's pretty, it's a pretty, um, um, altruistic reason why, uh, the group started. Right? Yeah.

Jacki Miskimins (07:57):

Thank you. Um, you know, VantagePoint is my fifth favorite thing to talk about after my kids. And then a nonprofit that I'm passionate about. Uh, VantagePoint was founded in 2002 by six individuals who had actually come off from a different engineering and consulting firm. And at that previous, uh, institution, there had just been a lot of changes in management. And these six individuals didn't like the way that clients were being treated. 

They didn't like the way that employees were being treated. Um, and they believed that they could do something different and they could do something that would be better. And so they broke off, uh, and started VantagePoint on July 30th, 2002, with the explicit mission to, uh, put employees and clients first. And that has been something that we've been committed to since July 30th, 2002. 

Uh, and originally they called the company VantagePoint because they offered engineering consulting and outside plant all under the same roof.

(08:48):

Mm-hmm <affirmative>. And that gave them a unique perspective or vantage point <laugh> on being able to see, I love it. 360 degrees of the operation. And you think back to 2002, we were trying to convince people that you were eventually going to need more than one megabit per second service. 

<laugh>. Right. And our CEO, Larry Thompson would get laughed out of the room. Like, people will never need this much data. They're never gonna need that much bandwidth. Well, now flash forward, right? And this is October, 2025, nobody can survive on one meg surface anymore. Um, but we had that operation or that we had that 360 degrees of insight as we've grown as a company over the last, you know, 23 years now, um, we've expanded. 

It's not just engineering, consulting, outside plant. We've continued to build on additional services, additional areas of expertise to continue serving our clients as they get more sophisticated.

(09:41):

And as the business landscape, uh, continues to change. And so, um, you know, when I think I mentioned regulatory permitting, all of a sudden environmental clearances got harder, right? Mm-hmm <affirmative>. And the permits and the stakes got higher. Okay. So we brought in, you know, environmental resources in-house. I have, we have two paleontologists on staff, which is like, wow, my favorite trivia question about, about VantagePoint, and I call the whole group Theologists. 

We have, uh, archeologists, we have biologists, we have paleontologists. Oh wow. I just love 'em <laugh>. Um, but that's been in response to what the industry needed. They needed us to have those resources. Um, and you

Jessica Denson (10:19):

Must have interesting conversations. Oh, it, with people from all those different kinds of backgrounds come together, like different points of views that you would never even expect.

Jacki Miskimins (10:28):

Yes. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. And this is one of my favorite things about VantagePoint, is we have all these different areas of expertise, right? Um, I think of us as an engineering consulting platform of resources, both in guidance and problem solving, but also in the staffing support to help you execute. Um, but it's all integrated. It doesn't exist in silos. And so we can support companies and cooperatives as an entire entity, not just one department by one department, by one department. Uh, and so that's the history of vantage point, right?

We always wanted to have that 360 degree view so we could support the entire organization. And now that we're in this, uh, new, you know, this new world with artificial intelligence, we still have that 360 degree perspective. So I am, I'm really excited for what that's gonna mean for the transformation we can help our clients pursue.

Jessica Denson (11:15):

And do you work, talk about your client base? Yeah. Is it mostly telecom, broadband, or is there all across different industries?

Jacki Miskimins (11:23):

We work with several, uh, I call 'em our critical industries, which are broadband, um, power or energy. Um, and then we have actually a group that works with financial institutions like, uh, banks and credit unions and money service businesses, uhhuh and then other, uh, types of businesses. We call it our enterprise unit. Um, but the, you think about the industries that are often sort of invisible to the world, right? 

Nobody, how many of us, you know, you tell them that you work at a broadband service provider or broadband experience provider. Listen what you mean, and they don't know what you mean. Right? Right. No, I'm trying to explain that We do the engineering for this type of company that no one's ever thought about. And I'd like to think of those as our invisible industries. And that's who VantagePoint really, uh, is able to support.

(12:02):

But they're the industries that kind of keep the world turning a little bit here in America. So, uh, very, very pleased and proud to serve those. However, our roots have always been in rural telecom, um, and we have expanded into those other areas over time. Uh, I've always described our growth in sort of three different directions, um, developing new services for our existing clients because their needs were changing, offering those same services to new types of clients because other people needed that expertise. 

And then also just a geographic spread over time. Uh, we're headquartered in Mitchell, South Dakota, uh, and as a former convention and visitors bureau director, I have to tell you, that is the home of the world's only corn palace.

Jessica Denson (12:40):

Uh, only what palace?

Jacki Miskimins (12:42):

The world's only corn Palace <laugh>. Okay. You gotta Google it.

Jessica Denson (12:45):

Yeah. I'll have to look that up.

Jacki Miskimins (12:46):

Everybody can Google it. Palace. Yeah. Look up vantage point solutions. And then, you know, corn Palace, two separate Google searches here. But, um, and so we're headquartered there, uh, in Eastern South Dakota. Um, and we have 12 other offices, uh, across the country, and we work in every state. Um, but so that's been that geographic spread headquartered there, though a lot of our, um, when we were early in 2002, a lot of the folks that we would work with were your rural telephone company, primarily in the upper Midwest,

(13:14):

Uhhuh <affirmative>. But over time, that has spread out. We work with all different types of providers, a number of electric co-ops, um, municipal systems. It's really, um, advantageous right now because we have the broadband engineering and consulting side and the power engineering and consulting side. And so something we're really excited about is how those two are converging. 

Um, for, for those utility systems that offer both. Um, we're doing a lot of like smart grid and automation and, um, grid resiliency over on that side. But within the broadband sphere, yes, we kind of do just about everything and just about anywhere.

Jessica Denson (13:48):

That's awesome. So let's talk a little bit about you and your background. I always do this, so don't, don't, don't feel weird about, I tell, I I make every single guest talk a little bit about themselves.

Jacki Miskimins (13:59):

Sure.

Jessica Denson (14:00):

Um, you said that bandage point is about the fifth thing that you like, talk about. I take it you have four kids.

Jacki Miskimins (14:06):

I've got three kids. Three kids. And then number four, uh, belongs to a nonprofit that I'm, uh, just really an enthusiastic supporter of. I have no official role with them. Um, but it's called as one ministries. Mm-hmm. Uh, and they do work to support economic or to end, um, economic, uh, relational and spiritual poverty in underserved communities in Uganda over in Africa. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. 

Uh, and I got introduced to their, uh, to their organization several years ago. Um, and they're doing all the right things for all of the right reasons in all of the right ways. And I, I, I tell people, if you ask me about the work that they're doing in Uganda, you're gonna have to buckle limb because I won't stop talking about it. It's really phenomenal, the impact that they're having, the changes that they're able to make, the work that they're doing, and the lives that they're touching.

(14:52):

Um, so I've been able to go over to Uganda with as one, uh, five times. I've brought my three children, <laugh>, uh, and my husband. I brought my mother twice. Um, and then I've traveled honestly with, uh, with several Vantage point colleagues as well. Um, and Vantage Point has done some work, uh, there as part of as one too. So as in trying to connect or what, what is it that you are doing when you go there? 

Um, when you travel with, as one, they call them an immersion trip. And you, a lot of nonprofits, especially those that are faith-based, um, they'll talk about a mission trip and you're going there to accomplish something Uhhuh <affirmative>. But as one really tries to steer away from the transactional nature of, you know, um, Americans showed up and they gave us something for free and then they left,

(15:33):

Right? They really want to work to empower the local communities, but with Ugandans empowering Ugandans. And so Westerners, we get to show up and support that and help build capacity, but it is very much the Ugandans doing the work. That's fantastic. It's, it's amazing. See, this is why it's my fourth favorite thing to talk about <laugh>. 

Um, and so they're in, oh my goodness, I think we, I think we just broke ground on our ninth community. But they have a five part model. And in each, uh, in each community, they will build, um, a, a school, a healthcare clinic, two small businesses and a training farm. Now, you think about rural Uganda and many, many, many of the people that live there, they're subsistence farmers. I mean, they eat what they grow and they sell what they can. And, and so if on the training farm piece, if you can increase their agricultural output, you have directly impacted their income. 

There's a market for anything you can grow. So the more that you can grow, the more that you can sell. And it raises the boat. The small businesses are very much responsive to the individual community and what is needed there, what makes sense there. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. Uh, and that provides both, um, economic development in terms of, uh, you know, dollar velocity or Ugandan schilling velocity,

(16:45):

Uhhuh, but also job training for a lot of the locals. They have a, almost a vocational school built into those businesses as well. And then the healthcare clinic and the school are both, again, responsive to the individual community. So if the community already has a great primary school, as one will build a secondary school. If you already have a great secondary school, but you don't have a great primary school, we'll take the pressure off and build the primary. 

And so it's very responsive to the community to what their specific needs are. Yeah. So it's a five part model because we know what we're doing. We, I talk about 'em like a we, but as one and the leadership there, they know what they're doing and, uh, they go, um, they describe it as they go to where God is already working and, um, add to it. And so, uh, it, it's incredibly inspiring to be over there. Um, it was the trip of a lifetime to take my children and allow them to see this great, uh, this great, um, development that is happening there. 

This amazing culture. I have friends over in Uganda. Um, I'm Thank you for asking me about it because I, I truly, I love talking about it so much. I'm Well, what a, they're so inspiring.

Jessica Denson (17:45):

Great. Also, what a great lesson for, for kids to see that doing mission with rather than two or four, you know? I love that. Yeah. Like working with each other. Yes. And what a great lesson for them. How old are your kiddos?

Jacki Miskimins (17:56):

Uh, we've got nine, 11, and 13. Yeah. That's a girl, boy, girl. And they are just the coolest <laugh>. I I actually texted my oldest this morning, um, 'cause right before I walked onto Calx main stage. I mean, it's, it's a production, right? It it really is. Yeah. Because that's what Calix connections attendees deserve. 

They deserve for you to really kind of have, have your, you know, have your act together. Uhhuh. And I texted my daughter right before I went on stage. My oldest, she plays competitive tennis, and she will play up to her competition, but she'll also play down to her competition. And I texted her that she was my inspiration this morning because I wanted to play up to the expectation and the ecosystem here that KX has put on. Um, and it's, they're just the coolest people that I know. Um, I'm, I love them. They're awesome. I'm inspired by them. I'm so lucky to be their mother.

Jessica Denson (18:45):

How does your husband feel about being

Jacki Miskimins (18:46):

Six <laugh> <laugh>? Just teasing. That's a whole other story. Uh, my husband and I got married 117 days after we met.

(18:55):

Oh,

(18:55):

What? So that might be a different podcast, right? Oh, when we get to the shoes and the jewelry. But, uh, and we met on a blind date at my dentist 30th anniversary party, held at the world's only corn palace and got married three months later, <laugh>.

Jessica Denson (19:07):

Wow. And how long have you been married now?

Jacki Miskimins (19:09):

Uh, 15 and a half

Jessica Denson (19:10):

Years. Well, it worked. Yes. That's an incredible story.

Jacki Miskimins (19:13):

He balances me very, very well. He's definitely my rock. What does he do? He actually also works at Vantage Point and some of our fiber planning group. And, you know, you think about people who like to go to work and do a good job and then not think about it. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. Uh, and he fits that model really well, which balances me, who wakes up at three o'clock in the morning, worried about typos.

Jessica Denson (19:31):

Yeah. And, you know, the job I relate to that I was like, oh, did I leave that, that letter off? I know, oh, how could I miss that? You know, I am with you. And it's like twice a year, but those two times a year, you're like, uh,

Jacki Miskimins (19:43):

It feels like the end of the world. Yes. And I cannot believe the email went out before I changed that subject line. Yes.

Jessica Denson (19:48):

Yes. And the whole world thinks I suck <laugh>. Yeah. Oh, can relate. Can relate. It's totally, it's, it's a comms marketing Yeah. Comms director thing. Since I, I never shared your title. Your official title is Director of Communication and Engagement.

Jacki Miskimins (20:02):

I like that. I love all the syllables. Yeah. Yes, all the syllables. Um, when I first joined Janet VantagePoint, my title was actually Director of Marketing Uhhuh. But two years ago we started again in response to what our clients needed and what they were asking us for Uhhuh. Uh, we started a marketing services team. So basically an in-house marketing agency that could help empower our businesses. Awesome. 

Um, our director of that group is a, she's a friend of mine. She's a wonderful, a woman, a great professional named Ruby hiin. And, uh, so all of a sudden we had a director of marketing services and a director of marketing. And you know, this, when you work in communications, your number one goal is always clarity. Right? And so, okay, one of us needs to, needs to adjust here, change

(20:42):

That,

(20:42):

Uh, and when in doubt adds syllables. That's practically my life motto. And so, uh, director of communication and engagement,

Jessica Denson (20:48):

Also, there is a difference despite what people might think between communications and marketing, they're, I agree. They're, they're two different sides of the same coin. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. Very, and both need each other. Absolutely. But one has to do with more with paid media versus earned media and all these things we could go into, which I feel like you could <laugh> <laugh> for sure. 

For sure. But, um, so for vantage point, what, where do you see things going the next year? Five years are, since you talked about having a game plan, what, what, what can you tell us without giving away your proprietary information

Jacki Miskimins (21:19):

Course? No. Yeah, I appreciate that. Well, definitely on, you know, some of our other, our non broadband markets. Um, really excited on the, uh, on the, in the power space to be promoting, I take that back, promoting ISS the wrong word to be developing. And really, um, leading some of the smart grid and automation development. Um, if you start looking up statistics around grid resiliency, you get a little nervous about how we are doing. And it's not necessarily, um, at the feet of these electric, uh, providers, right? 

These cooperatives, these public utility districts, they're doing what they can do. Um, but there are some, some real issues there that, um, are exciting to be part of the solution for, and really empowering that. So that's one thing we're really, really excited about in the broadband, uh, space. This world never stops changing, right? Mm-hmm <affirmative>. Um, obviously in the next year, the next couple years, bead is gonna change, uh, the landscape for everybody at the same time that AI is here shaking things up as well. 

And so those are two areas that, um, that definitely have our attention that we wanna make sure people are served well. Um, and then we are always on the lookout for, again, being that platform of a resource. What else do people need? And what is the industry looking to us for? And, um, always, always, always being responsive.

Jessica Denson (22:39):

Alright, Jackie, I'm gonna work with your last name here. Jackie. Miss Kimmons.

Jacki Miskimins (22:43):

Yeah, you

Jessica Denson (22:43):

Got it. Miss Kimmons with VantagePoint Solutions. She's the director of Communication and Engagement. All those syllables in, thank you so much. I've enjoyed talking with you so much.

Jacki Miskimins (22:53):

This is wonderful. Thank you so much, Jessica. I've sincerely enjoyed our conversation.

Jessica Denson (23:02):

That wraps up our coverage from Calix Connexions 2025. Thank you for listening. As always. I'm Jessica Denson and this is Connected Nation.