Southern Tier Network Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
274516734
IRS 990 coverage
2018–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Corning, NY, USA
Phone
6079625092
Rating
81
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Economic Development

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$6,886,405
Expenses
$6,847,065
Assets
$34,468,234
Liabilities
$24,818,192

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

19 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JEFFREY GASPER (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER)

Highest reported compensation

  • JEFFREY GASPER (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER): $331,211 total reported compensation
  • PATRICK MILLER (DIRECTOR OF BROADBAND SERV): $189,215 total reported compensation
  • BENJAMIN RYDZEWSKI (OPERATIONS MANAGER): $144,899 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Through public/private partnerships, the southern tier network (stn) strives to enrich the quality of life in regions we serve by providing high speed broadband connections via a quality open access model.

What it reported doing in 2025

Stn is a not-for-profit, open access optical fiber network that was created in january 2011 through public/private partnerships. The network was built to support the needs of public safety, improve broadband access in the rural areas, increase competition and the level of telecommunications services throughout the region, and create a globally competitive advantage for job creation in the southern tier region. The network is working with service providers to bring fiber to their cell towers, which will improve services for consumers in our region and which also brings the fiber out into the rural and underserved areas of the counties. The resource is being marketed for local and regional economic development, as well as public safety, education, municipal government, and health care.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 62% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and liabilities are high compared with assets.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 82
  • Transparency & Controls: 70
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 42
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 91.9%; rating input score 92
  • Program expense ratio: 91.9%; rating input score 92
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 0.6%; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 5.03; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.72; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 11.5%; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 15.5% per year; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 15% per year; rating input score 100; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 8% per year; rating input score 100; 49th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 91.9% of revenue deployed · 91.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 14 of 14 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $6.3M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $331K · 19 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $9.2M reported
  • Consistency: 32 of 32 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 8 filing years from 2018 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 filed money-flow records
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 29/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 10/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 29/100.