Everett started his career with Dobson Telephone Company, the family-owned rural telephone service provider started by his grandfather in 1936, serving several markets in rural Oklahoma. This influenced his path forward and in the late 1980s he led the company to enter the rural wireless lotteries. In 1989 Dobson Communications Corporation (DCC) was formed, with its subsidiary Dobson Cellular winning three rural cellular markets.
After being named the President and COO of DCC, Everett steered the company through its significant expansion in Oklahoma and Texas. He had a vision for rural cellular providers that was rare among his peers – to develop rural markets in close proximity to larger urban and suburban areas controlled by the major carriers, and then work cooperatively on roaming arrangements that would best serve both carriers and customers.
Dobson Cellular expanded to several states, continuing to focus on rural markets. It became the largest independent rural wireless provider in the country, the ninth-largest provider of wireless services in the U.S., and the largest wireless provider in Alaska. It also provided Cellular One services in the U.S., acquiring the rights to the Cellular One name from Alltel in 2005. Three years later the brand name Cellular One was sold to Trilogy Partnership. In November 2007, while Everett was its Executive Chairman, DCC was sold to AT&T. At the time of the sale, the company was operating in 17 states, producing $1.6 billion in revenue, and had 3,000 employees and 1.6 million subscribers.
Everett graduated with a bachelor’s degree in economics from Southwestern Oklahoma State University. He served on the CTIA board for many years. Currently, Everett serves as Executive Chairman of the Board for Dobson Fiber. He is a minority owner of the Oklahoma City Thunder NBA team and serves on their Board of Directors. Everett also serves on the boards of The Dobson Family Foundation, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, and Breeders’ Cup and is a Trustee for the Keeneland Association. Everett and his wife, Jeanetta, split their time between Kentucky and Oklahoma.
Inducted into the Wireless Hall of Fame 2024.