Company Information

Baca Valley Telephone located in Des Moines, New Mexico

Baca Valley Telephone Company, Inc., headquartered in Des Moines, New Mexico, was founded by Paul J. Briesh, Sr. who began his career in the telephone industry with Western States Telephone Company in 1962.

In 1973, Paul started negotiations with Mountain Bell to acquire the Laughlin Telephone Cooperative, located in Capulin, New Mexico. The Co-op consisted of forty-five subscribers, a Magneto Switch, and nearly 100 miles of open wire.

The purchase was finalized and the new company was incorporated under the name of Baca Valley Telephone Company, Inc. on February 4, 1974. In 1975, Paul negotiated the purchase of the Mountain Bell Central Office Switch in Des Moines, New Mexico.

The sale was approved and the Briesh family moved from Arizona to Des Moines. During the next three years, the Briesh family spent many hours maintaining the old switches and lines while working to obtain an REA loan. Their goal was to expand the company's customer base in northeastern New Mexico.

The Briesh boys drove to Utah and tore down ten miles of aerial cable. They rolled it onto empty reels, drove back to Des Moines and then re-hung it on an existing open-wire toll line from Des Moines to Capulin. With this cable installed, Capulin and Des Moines residents were able to enjoy two or four party dial service.

Paul Sr. died suddenly of a heart attack on August 7, 1979. With the help of their friends and the assistance of the telephone engineers and employees who had worked for Paul Sr., the Briesh family managed to keep the company together. The REA loan was approved in November, 1979, and that fall Baca Valley Telephone Company purchased Maxwell Telephone Company.

With the REA loan in hand, the company proceeded with the building of a new headquarters facility, burying hundreds of miles of cable and installing two new switches in Des Moines and Maxwell.

Today, Baca Valley Telephone Company has a service area covering more than 2,600 square miles. In addition to residential service in the Des Moines and Maxwell exchanges, we provide local Internet access, business telephone systems, security systems, two-way radios, and network cabling throughout northeastern New Mexico and southeastern Colorado.

Employee Directory

Paul Briesh, Jr. Vice-President & General Manager 02/04/1974
Peggy Briesh Assistant General Manager 09/02/1980
Stephanie Osborn Senior Customer Service Representative 08/01/1995
Jennifer Roark Special Projects 08/01/1995
Helene Burmeister Accounting 06/15/2004
Janelle Schear Accounting 03/02/2020
Jordan Wingo Customer Service Representative 11/02/2021
Jennifer Pflum NOC Technician 06/28/2008
Martin Muse NOC Technician 10/07/2010
Leah Wheeler Special Projects 01/04/2023
Zach Osborn Security Systems Specialist 03/03/2007
Tami Stogsdill Outside Plant Maint/Purchasing 08/07/1995
Kevin Towndrow Outside Plant Technician 12/14/2011
Jody Roark Outside Plant Technician 09/20/2015
Andrew Tapia Outside Plant Technician 07/01/2023
Mike Johnson Information Systems Specialist 06/12/2023
Scott Warner Information Systems Specialist 06/11/2007
Jennifer Thompson Housekeeping 09/11/2009
Jacob Thompson Housekeeping 12/09/2014

Hours of Operation

Business Office
Open Monday - Friday
8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Closed from 12:00 to 1:00

ARRA

ARRA

Board of Directors

  • Annelle E. Briesh,
    President
  • Paul J. Briesh, Jr.,
    Vice President
  • Marjorie Y. Briesh,
    Secretary/Treasurer
  • Sheryl A. Hume,
    Director
  • Katherine R. McCluskey,
    Director
  • David M. Briesh,
    Advisory Director

Call Us

575.278.2101 (Des Moines)
575.375.2101 (Maxwell)
575.245.2101 (Raton)
1.888.682.2101 (Toll Free)