Cheri Beranek

A founding member of Clearfield, Inc., Cheri Beranek is considered a communications visionary. Her extensive leadership experience and unique management style combined to deliver outstanding corporate performance.

Under her direction, Clearfield has recorded 12 consecutive years of profitability. Today, Clearfield is a multinational business with more than 250 employees and over 800 customers.

Earlier and throughout her career, Ms. Beranek held a variety of executive-level positions with emerging high-growth technology companies, including Americable, Transition Networks, Tricord Systems, and Digi International. She also has extensive non-profit experience including: the City of Fargo, the Metropolitan Planning Commission of Fargo/Moorhead, and North Dakota State University.

In addition to being a published author and public speaker at industry events, Ms. Beranek has been recognized with numerous awards and honors, including the 2016 Minnesota Technology Executive of the Year by Tech.MN, 2016 Female Executive of the Year in New York City by the International Stevie Awards, 2012 Women in Wireline from Fierce Telecom, 2012 regional finalist for Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year, Stevie Awards for Business in 2011 as a finalist for Best Executive for non-services businesses and the 2009 Turn-Around of the Year, as well as the Twin Cities Business Journal’s Industry Leader Award in 2009 and Women to Watch award in 2004. Under her leadership, Clearfield was named to the prestigious Forbes Annual List of America’s Best Small Companies in both 2013 and 2014.