Daniel P. Friesen formed IdeaTek Systems Inc. in 1999 with only $250. He initially built the company by working as its sole employee while earning an A.A. in Computer Systems Support and a B.A. in Business Administration with a major in Management Information Systems from Wichita State University. By 2014, Friesen had grown the company to over 65 employees in rural Buhler, Kansas, with a population of only 1,250 residents (Buhler), at which time it focused on rural fiber optic transport services consisting of over 2,200 miles of fiber optic routes and mobile wireless small cells. He led the company as its CEO and President for nearly 15 years and personally managed most of the fiber optic deployments. He also managed the sales and engineering relationships for IdeaTek’s biggest customer, Verizon Wireless.