Suddenlink FYI

 

On Independence Day 2007, fire destroyed the Suddenlink office in Batesville, Ark.

Employees perservered, and yesterday — just over a year later — along with customers and local officials, they celebrated the opening of their new-and-improved digs.

COO Tom McMillin congratulated the team on their accomplishments. The text of his note follows, after the fold.

The city of Georgetown, Texas, has a rich, 160-year history. Located about two dozens miles north of Austin, Texas’ state capitol, Georgetown was established in 1848 as a trading center for area farmers.

Until recently, it remained a relatively small town, but according to Suddenlink employees who work in the area – including long-time resident Lou Alsteen, the dispatch supervisor for the company’s Georgetown system – the city’s growth has exploded in the last five years.

That growth has been driven by two factors: a deluge of retirees moving in from other parts of the country and an influx of high-tech jobs in the graphic arts, computer manufacturing, and consumer electronics industries. (Two of Samsung’s advanced semiconductor plants are located only 20 miles south of Georgetown, while Dell’s world headquarters complex is less than 10 miles south.)

Georgetown has also seen corresponding growth in amenities for its expanding population. Alsteen recalls a day when Georgetown had one general store. “Now we have two large shopping malls with two more in the works,” he said, “plus new high schools, restaurants, theaters and plans for a state-of-the-art convention center.”

Robert LeCour – the Georgetown system manager who moved there a year ago – is impressed with the area’s growth, but he’s also impressed with the city’s efforts to maintain the historic character of the town and the natural beauty surrounding it.

Suddenlink will build a new $3.5 million regional call center near Parkersburg, W. Va., with completion expected in October. Suddenlink currently operates a call center in Parkersburg, but it has outgrown that facility.

Dave Bach, Suddenlink’s Atlantic Regional Vice President, said, “We certainly had many options to build this facility in other parts of the state, or other states for that matter. However, Wood County is the right fit for many reasons, but first and foremost is the exceptional work force already in place.”

Suddenlink’s growth is great news for the Parkersburg area, and the company made a wise choice to continue to invest in West Virginia’s work force,” said West Virginia U. S. Senator Jay Rockefeller. “As so many companies have come to appreciate, West Virginia workers are unmatched in productivity and dedicated customer service.”

In addition to building the new 18,000-square-foot facility, Suddenlink expects to increase the call center’s full-time employment from 188 to 221, an increase of 33 employees. “These are good paying jobs with full benefits,” Bach said. The regional call center will serve Suddenlink’s 240,000 video, Internet and phone customers in a five-state area centered in West Virginia.

“We are pleased that Suddenlink has chosen to stay, and grow, in West Virginia,” said Governor Joe Manchin. “It is a positive reflection on the dedication and productive work ethic of our work force.”

The facility will be one of five call centers the company operates. Suddenlink is the largest cable broadband company in the state and provides video, high-speed Internet and phone service throughout most of its West Virginia footprint.

Wood County Commission President Bob Tebay said, “The Commission certainly appreciates having Suddenlink as a significant employer and values their long term commitment to the area.”

Drive 15 miles due north from Lake Tahoe 15 on State Route 89 – or about 100 miles northeast of Sacramento along Interstate 80 – and you’ll find Truckee, California, nestled in the heart of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, boasting some of the most breathtaking scenery, fastest ski slopes, and best golf courses anywhere in the Continental U.S.

Truckee traces its history to a Paiute Indian chief who helped thousands of people traveling west through Northern California in the mid-1800’s. The chief’s name apparently sounded like “Tro-kay” to emigrants, and they subsequently changed it to something that, presumably, was easier for them to pronounce.

In the category of semi-old news, nearly all of Suddenlink’s largest markets were named to Forbes magazine’s list of 179 “Best Small Places for Business and Careers,” published last month.

The Suddenlink cities and their ranking on the Forbes‘ list were:

Local entrepreneurs introduced cable to Charleston, W. Va., in 1967. At the time, they had four employees and offered five channels for $5 a month.

From that humble beginning, the Charleston cable system is now owned by Suddenlink and offers a full array of advanced TV, Internet, and phone services. Approximately 700 dedicated employees work in the sytem, maintaining more than 8,000 miles of cable lines and equipment and serving more than 200,000 customers in four states: Kentucky, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia.

Suddenlink acquired this flagship cable system from Charter Communications on July 1, 2006 — a purchase that made Suddenlink the largest company of its kind in W. Va. (Beyond Charleston, the cable system also serves several of the state’s other major cities, including Beckley, Logan, Princeton, and Parkersburg.)

Suddenlink-served Mountain Home, Ark., took top honors on Outdoor Life “Best Places to Live” list. The magazine ranks the top towns for hunters and anglers to live in its April 2008 issue, on newsstands March 20. The magazine used extensive data to score 200 towns on available sporting opportunities and quality of life. For complete details on all 200 towns, check here. Or, to learn more about the magazine’s view of Mountain Home, check here.

Fifteen years ago, CBS’ award-winning news show, 60 Minutes, profiled Branson, Mo. –- a town of a few thousand people nestled in the Ozark Mountains, on the shore of Lake Taneycomo, a few-minutes drive from the Missouri-Arkansas border, Table Rock and Bull Shoals Lakes.

Why would the nationally revered 60 Minutes care about this tiny, remote corner of the world? Because sometimes the most obscure news is the most compelling news of all.

The gist of the 60 Minutes story was that this quiet, unassuming town had — over the course of roughly 25 years and for no immediately apparent reason — attracted a number of prominent shows and theaters, backed by some of the day’s biggest names in country-western music: names like Roy Clark and Mickey Gilley.

And that was, literally, just the beginning.