CableFAX: 32. Building Growth: Jerry Kent
Jerry Kent
Title: CEO, Suddenlink
Last Year: #27
Age: Much older after stocks collapsed
Ed: Washington U, BS Business Admin, MBA (& 25 years of telecom wars)
Why Him? Kent’s been through a lot this year — from hurricanes that battered systems to a retrans fight that saw a LIN TV station pulled for months in Austin, TX. Yet he’s continued to successfully migrate customers and systems from acquired properties to Suddenlink, a new-to-the-Top-10 cable op. This year it completed a 957-mile fiber ring in West TX for HD channels, VOD and other services, claiming it was the largest such construction in N America started in ’07. Another milestone was the introduction of digital voice. Suddenlink has some 170K subs, up from just 30K in early ’07. And the triple-play bundle is available to about 80% of its footprint.
Proud Moment: Newspaper readers in 12 markets voted Suddenlink’s high-speed Internet "best," including Russellville, AR, where it’s received the distinction for 7 straight years, and Amarillo, TX, where it’s been touted for 5 straight.
Year Ahead: 
Following fiber buildouts, Suddenlink will continue beefing up its HD lineup.
Favorite Restaurant: Il Mulino, NY
In ’09 I Resolve: To improve my golf game (I’ve failed this for several years)
Fave Part of Job: Not being public!
Best Business Advice Received: In choosing your business partners, be as careful as you are in choosing a spouse.
Trait You Most Admire: Honesty
Sports Team: St. Louis Cardinals
AM
