Cablefax The Magazine - April 2017 - 27

REGIONALS
Q&A
The biggest innovation in cable over the last
year? The adoption and incorporation of OTT players into
the cable companies' set top box, e.g. Netflix launching on
Xfinity's X1. OTT competition will only make the industry
stronger.
What are the top three qualities you look for in a
hire? Intelligence, confidence and the ability to overcome
setbacks.
How do you celebrate your birthday? I don't-I
have never been a fan of birthday celebrations. Conversely
my wife celebrates birthday weeks (not just one day). She
probably has the better perspective.
TRIPLICATE
Kevin Casey
President, Northeast Division
Comcast Cable
Years in Cable: 25+
Education: Business Science
Degree, Electronic Technology,
Hesser College
Bill Connors
Central Division President
Comcast Cable
Years in Cable: 36
Education: BCN, University of
Florida
Steve White
President, West Division
Comcast Cable
Years in Cable: 21
Education: Indiana University
Comcast's business in 39 states
and D.C. fall under the respective
purview of these three seasoned company chiefs. More
than $47 billion in annual revenue sits on their sturdy
shoulders. Casey is responsible for operations across 14
northeastern states from Maine through Virginia and D.C.,
with 24,000 employees serving almost 8 million customers.
Connors leads all residential and business services
operations for more than 20 million combined video,
high-speed Internet and voice customers throughout the
17 states that comprise the Central Division. And White
sits atop operations in the West Division. What's on their
collective minds? Customer experience, faster Internet,
increased VOD and broadband services, among other
ventures.
WOW-ZA!
Steven Cochran
CEO & President
WOW!
Years in Cable: 22
Education: BA, Economics,
University of Illinois; Master's of
Accounting Science, University
of Illinois
One Word that Best Describes Me: Resilient
Under Cochran's leadership, WOW!-which provides
Cablefax: The Magazine
service in 20 markets, primarily in the Midwest and
Southeast-has undergone changes throughout the past
year. A trio of executives, all of whom report to Cochran,
received new titles and, more recently, WOW! filed with
the US Securities and Exchange Commission to become
a publicly traded company. Cochran's calm and quiet
demeanor reassures employees and customers alike. He
has a knack for seeing the future and then building the
right plan to get there.
Q&A
What inspires you most about this industry? The
ability to constantly evolve to the meet the changing needs
and desires of our customers.
The best thing about fast broadband is ... It makes
life easier and more fun.
What are the top three qualities you look for in a
hire? Smart. Can Do Attitude. Cultural Fit.
How long is your morning commute? 7 minutes
Favorite Saturday morning cartoon from your
childhood? " Speed Racer "
Best way to spend a Saturday night: Church and
dinner with my wife
New favorite binge: " Man in the High Castle "
COLLINSPORT
Tim Collins
SVP, Heartland Region
Comcast Cable
Years in Cable: 35
Education: BBA, University
of Michigan, Stephen M. Ross
School of Business; JD, Wayne
State University Law School
Collins serves as the top executive responsible for sales
and marketing, operations, network development and
customer service for 1.7 million customers in nearly 800
communities across four states. Last year his leadership
helped the Heartland Region grow revenue and cash flow
while improving net adds across video, data, voice and
home security. Collins led the effort to uniformly deliver an
excellent experience for customers, improving the region's
on-time appointment rate to more than 98 percent. As
2017 continues, he'll lead the region as a host of new services
are introduced, including Xfinity On Campus, Cloud
DVR, DOCSIS 3.1, and outdoor WiFi networks.
COACH CROWLEY
John Crowley
SVP, Greater Chicago Region
Comcast Cable
Years in Cable: 35
Education: BA, Colby College;
MBA, Southern New Hampshire
University
One Word that Best Describes
Me: Coach
Under Crowley's leadership, the Chicago region had an
extremely successful year. The Xfinity WiFi network grew
to more than 1.3 million hotspots, allowing customers to
access content on the go. Also, a new Internet service
that delivers speeds of up to 1 Gbps via existing wireless
April 2017
infrastructure was launched and customer satisfaction
improved as evidenced by a reduction in service cancellations.
Crowley's success can be attributed to his lengthy
time spent in the telecom profession. He began his career
working as a direct sales representative.
Q&A
What inspires you most about this industry? It
is always innovating and changing and that keeps me
excited
Which TV family is most like your own? The Heck
family from " The Middle "
What product or service could you not live
without? My X1 DVR....simply the best product in the
market today.
Last show I watched not on my network: " Billions "
Best way to spend a Saturday night: Dinner and a
movie with my wife.
FREYER TUCK
Jeff Freyer
VP, Twin Cities Region
Comcast Cable
Years in Cable: 10
Education: Bachelor's, University
of South Carolina; Master of
Science, Statistics, University of
Tennessee.
Freyer is responsible for all Comcast operations in Minnesota,
Wisconsin, Missouri and Kansas. He leads nearly
2,400 employees and serves more than 700,000 customers
with video, high-speed, Internet, digital phone service
and home security products. Recently, Comcast revealed it
was more than doubling the speed of its Performance 25
Xfinity Internet tier for current consumers in the Twin Cities
area. Freyer said the increase reflects Comcast's continued
commitment to bring faster speeds to customers.
FAMILY FRIENDLY
Robert Gessner
President
MCTV
Years in Cable: 38
Education: BBA,
College of William
and Mary
One Word that
Best Describes
Me: Steady
Gessner is continuing
a family tradition as
MCTV's president.
The cable company, formerly known as Massillon Cable TV
and founded by his parents in 1965, serves customers in
two Northeast Ohio systems as well as at Massillon Cable
Communications, an ISP that serves 38,000 homes and
businesses in a six county area. With a laser focus on delivering
for the 47,000 customers MCTV serves annually,
Gessner was re-elected ACA board chair in July.
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Cablefax The Magazine - April 2017

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