Cablefax The Magazine - July 2012 - 26

2012 Top Ops Awards
Wave Broadband
INDEPENDENT OPERATOR OF THE YEAR
Expansive glass windows blanket the top fl oor of Wave Broadband's
Kirkland, WA, headquarters, offering breathtaking views
of beautiful Lake Washington and the Seattle skyline. It's the
kind of scenery that most C-level executives work their entire
careers to enjoy from corner offi ces. But at Wave Broadband,
it's reserved for an even more important group of employees:
The customer service and support staffs. " The best view is the
call center, " says Wave Broadband CEO Steve Weed. " That's
kind of symbolic of what we did when we started the company.
We wanted to have happy, knowledgeable support employees
talking to our customers. "
That was 10 years ago, and in that time, Wave has acquired
dozens of systems, turned them around and supercharged
growth that thrives amid aggressive competition.
" We're just trying to drive customer satisfaction, " says Weed.
" You've got to make sure you're continuing to improve your
products. " Says CMO Arah Peck: " The most important information
we get every day is just hearing what the customers
are saying, and that's how we hear about issues and go even
further to improve the service. " In fact, it's not uncommon for
CSRs to recount a customer anecdote to upper management
in the elevator. " It happens all the time, and it's very useful, "
says COO Steve Friedman.
Wave's obsession with the customer experience has helped
it retain subs as it has expanded and upgraded service to some
325,000 residential and business customers residing in Washington,
Oregon and California's Sacramento and San Francisco
areas. " It's really hard to do that without screwing it up, " Weed
Wave Broadband's Management Team: Arah Peck (CMO), Steve
Friedman (COO), Steve Weed (CEO), and Wayne Schattenkerk (CFO) on
the deck of Wave's Kirkland, WA, Customer Service Center.
says. " We've integrated a dozen acquisitions now. We've made
mistakes. We're not perfect. But we're really good at doing that
without disrupting the customer base. "
Also helpful is Wave's consistently strong balance sheet
and access to capital. And 2012 in particular has been a
triumphant year, with Oak Hill Capital and GI Partners acquiring
from Sandler Capital Management its stake in parent
WaveDivision. Just last summer, Wave bought Broadstripe's
WA and OR properties, which reach more than 103K homes.
And already the company has launched its products across
75% of Broadstripe's geography-an incredible feat when
you consider the complex integration and upgrades involved.
None of this happens in a vacuum. " What I've found very
Fast Facts
✦ Working with nonprofit " Adopt-a-Classroom, " Wave Broadband
has adopted several, focusing on classrooms in schools where
over 75% of the students come from low-income households.
✦ COO Steve Friedman sits on the board of the American
Cable Association.
✦ Wave Broadband has 19 service offices in WA, OR and CA.
rewarding is the team, " says Friedman, saving his deepest
praise for those often-overlooked middle managers. " They're
the ones developing the people who are interacting directly
with the customers. " Even the back-offi ce staff has bought
into the customer service mantra, partly because managers
constantly convey how what they do affects the customers
and ultimately their own success. " They now understand how
that contributes to customer satisfaction, and they're totally
focused on achieving that, " says CFO Wayne Schattenkerk.
So what's next? Weed notes the company's whopping 40%
per year growth rate in commercial services over the last three
years and says he sees much more room to run. " We just
doubled down with a new partner, " he says. " So we're in this
for a whole 'nother round of growth. That's the exciting thing. "
What does he hope to someday leave behind? " The legacy is
that this is an MSO in which the employees and management
are rightfully very proud, " he says. And so are we. ✴
- Michael Grebb
26
cablefaxmag.com
July 2012
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Cablefax The Magazine - July 2012

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