We are excited to welcome Broadband Services Coordinator Luke Burkhart to the Paulding Putnam team! 
Luke brings over 30 years of experience in internet and communications—and he's a Paulding Putnam Electric member!
Here's a fun Q&A with Luke to help our members get to know the newest member of our Paulding Putnam family.
Tell us a bit about your family and where you're from.
"I've spent nearly my entire life in primarily the Ottoville and Fort Jennings areas, with all but two years in Auglaize County in Wapakoneta. I met my wife, April, on a blind date in November 2002.
After a whirlwind six-week courtship, we got engaged that Christmas and married in April 2004. Together, we have three children: Lillian, 20, Ella, 18, and Wyatt, 16. Our family includes two pitbull puppies, Kyra, 8, and Sophie, 4.
We reside on a two-acre homestead between Wetzel and Ottoville, just inside Van Wert County. There, we run a small operation providing fresh produce, eggs, breads, and other goods to our community, fostering connections through our shared love of sustainable living."
Why did you want to work at Paulding Putnam?
"My passion for the internet and communications industry began in the late 1990s, starting on the operations side before transitioning to the vendor side for the past 18+ years. I traveled extensively nationwide, collaborating with various broadband companies and cooperatives during that time. These experiences deepened my admiration for the cooperative model’s unique culture and commitment to its members.
As a long-time member of Ottoville Mutual and, since 2017, a member of Paulding Putnam after moving to our current home, I’ve personally experienced the cooperative difference in electric service as well. This solidified my enthusiasm for the cooperative world. When I learned that Paulding Putnam was expanding into fiber services, I saw a unique opportunity to contribute my over 20 years of internet and broadband industry expertise to an organization I deeply respect.
After months of patience and prayer, I’m thrilled to be here, ready to serve with the Paulding Putnam family and help deliver the cooperative difference to our members and the communities we serve in fiber broadband services."
Tell us about your work history.
"Before joining the team at PP, I served as an Account Executive at ISPN, LLC in Lenexa, Kansas, for over two years. In this role, I traveled across the country, collaborating with sales, marketing, and operations teams to deliver support solutions that created win-win outcomes for broadband providers, their customers, and ISPN. My focus was on maximizing the customer experience, ensuring all parties benefited from tailored, effective solutions.
While at ISPN, I had the privilege of meeting incredible people in the broadband industry, building on the relationships I had cultivated in my previous role at Com Net, Inc. (CNI). At CNI, I spent 16 years in a similar sales position, fostering strong client connections and driving business growth through technology solutions.
My career in the internet and broadband industry began on the Operations side of the internet back in September 1997 during my senior year at Ottoville High School when I accepted a part-time job helping on the support side for the local Bright.net office in Fort Jennings, serving Putnam, Van Wert, and Allen counties. Starting with dial-up internet, I progressed through the evolution of ISDN, Fixed Wireless, and DSL technologies, gaining deep operational expertise. In November 2006, I transitioned to Com Net, Inc., where I further honed my sales and client relations skills.
Returning to my roots in operations at PP feels like a natural fit. I deeply value the relationships I’ve built over the past two decades and am excited to nurture existing connections while forging new ones with the PP team and its members."
What will you be doing here at Paulding Putnam?
"As the Broadband Services Coordinator, I'll be supporting day-to-day broadband operations - scheduling fiber installs, managing business accounts, and coordinating with vendors and field techs.
As I settle into the role, my goals include:
- Growing my knowledge of the electric side of Paulding Putnam to complement my telecom background.
- Finalizing integration between our vendor partners and streamlining service orders.
- Setting data-driven goals aligned with our broadband rollout.
- Strengthening relationships with vendors, members, and business partners — starting with events like Member Appreciation Day."
What are you looking forward to?
"I’m thrilled to return to my roots in operations and excited about the opportunities ahead at PPEC. I look forward to contributing to a deployment that will bring high-speed fiber broadband to our communities, providing new options for those without access and offering choice to those currently limited to a single provider. My focus is to be an integral part of the PP team to deliver exceptional services and customer experiences, as we have historically with the PP electric services and the PP fiber broadband offerings. Options empower our communities, and I’m committed to ensuring no one feels constrained by a lack of choices or reliance on a single provider."
What are some of your hobbies and interests outside of work?
- "Homesteading – ducks, chickens (meat and eggs), baking fresh artisan breads, etc..
- Soccer Officiating for USSF and OHSAA
- Travel – everything from hiking in the forests and mountains of Alaska and Tennessee to strolling along the beaches of North Carolina and Florida."
A fun fact about you?
"A fun fact about me is that I am a board member of Christians in Communications. Christians in Communications started out as Christians in Cable and then rebranded to Christians in Communications a few years back. I have been involved for a couple of years and volunteered at Prayer Breakfasts and other CIC events when I could attend. It is through CIC that I have had the privilege in life to meet and share testimonies with not just many fellow Christian brothers and sisters in the communications space but also, on occasion, some more well-known people like Kevin Sorbo, Karen Abercrombie, and last year, Ricky Skaggs. Some great experiences indeed, but the true joy I find in being a part of CIC is the creation of opportunities for Christians to have dedicated time for fellowship and prayer in conjunction with Internet/Communications industry events."
A favorite quote or motto that inspires you or that you like to live by?
"When someone asks how you are doing, I like to use this:
Living the Dream… because dreaming to live sucks… or dreaming to live is no way to live at all. 😉
This perspective reminds me that, no matter how challenging life may seem, my struggles are often first-world problems compared to the hardships faced by our brothers and sisters overseas and even in some areas in the USA. I choose to embrace every moment, living the dream rather than dreaming to live, knowing we have just one life on this earth before returning home. My goal is to make every moment count, uplifting others and spreading positivity with every breath I’m given, to help make the world a brighter place."
Anything else you would like to add?
"2 quick items:
- My oldest Daughter, Lillian, recently got engaged, and April and I are excited for her and the future ahead for her and her fiancé, Adam.
- After over 28 years in the vendor space and collaborating with cooperatives nationwide, I am deeply honored and blessed to join the PPEC family and contribute directly to our cooperative mission. I’m thrilled to bring my experience to this role, particularly in supporting our fiber broadband deployment, which will enhance connectivity and opportunities for our members and communities. Thank you, PPEC, for this opportunity to serve and make a meaningful impact together for our members and the communities that we serve."