Pipeline Profile: Bob Foote

SCTE member since 1989 Title: Regional Vice President, Arris/Telewire Supply Broadband Background: Aside from his duties at Arris, Foote chairs the SCTE Membership Committee, represents Region 12 on the national board and serves on board of the Society’s New England Chapter. The SCTE, as a whole, gained 1,300 new members last year. The New England Chapter placed first in the 2004 Member Get a Member campaign and was named 2005 Large Chapter of the Year. In recognition of his efforts, Foote was named 2005 Member of the Year. Congrats again the Member of the Year award. How high does that rank among your many achievements? Receiving the Member of the Year award was quite an honor. It is definitely a highlight of my work in the SCTE and in the cable industry. The list of past Members of the Year is very impressive. I am truly humbled to be included in such a group. How did you become so passionate about the SCTE? My passion for the SCTE began many years ago. It was primarily due to the training that was (or, I should say, was not) available to me and my peers early in my career. The SCTE was the touchstone for training in information in the quickly changing broadband industry. Being involved with the SCTE gave me so much; it was natural to want to give to the SCTE in return. How can other chapters achieve the same kind of success as your New England chapter? The New England Chapter was not always in the shape it’s in today. Early in my involvement, the chapter was in disarray. I would advise other chapters to recruit dedicated board members willing to work hard toward achieving success. With these dedicated board members, planning to succeed is critical. Sit down and map out your short- and long-term goals for the chapter. Then, of course, follow your plan. As a regional VP for Arris/TeleWire Supply, do you see a trend for more or fewer SKUs that MSOs want to purchase? How many distinct products are in your inventory? Arris/TeleWire Supply has positioned itself to be a one-stop shop of quality components used in the broadband industry. As we move deeper into telephone, video on demand and HDTV deployments, new products are continually being introduced. While we remove obsolete items, these new products take their place. We have our products arranged in eight major categories such as outside plant and customer connect equipment, for example. In each of these categories, there are literally hundreds of items. Cable’s growth in voice has caught some analysts by surprise, as was noted in a recent Arris Web event. Did you see it coming? ARRIS has built a portfolio of products that fit nicely in this exploding market. Whether it has been the earlier constant bit rate telephone or today’s VoIP, we have been continually predicting growth over these product lines. I have been seeing these predictions for several years now. Rather than ask "did I see it coming," I would rather say, "It’s about time." What else does the industry need to do to continue this ramping up of service? Arris will continue to improve on the products offered today as well as develop new products to fit challenges identified along the way, such as commercial business market opportunities. The MSOs will need to stay diligent in their plant readiness before deployment of telephone and continue diligent oversight after deployment. The SCTE and other training entities will need to adequately train the field personnel to maintain these networks. The SCTE will also need to continue on its successful path of setting standards in the industry, and CableLabs will need to continue to certify products to those standards. You also represent Region 12 on the SCTE Board of Directors. What are your goals for the Society in the coming year? Due to term limits, this is my sixth and final year as SCTE Region 12 director. As I am finishing up this final term, I want to ensure that the Region’s and the Society’s interests are looked after. I am hoping that whoever assumes the position as Region 12 director brings the same passion and dedication that I have tried to deliver. During this year, the most important initiative is increasing membership. Also, I will continue to work to make sure the Society is delivering to the membership all it can in helping with each individual’s professional development. The Board is also in the final stages of creating the new SCTE Foundation. You also chair the Board’s Membership Committee. What plans do you have to increase those numbers? Although we have our annual Member-get-a-Member campaign, which is underway now, we are always looking for ways to link our services with those in the industry that can benefit from them. We have such a diverse membership; we have to continually look at ways to better address the needs of each membership segment. We have several initiatives either underway or soon to be introduced. These include the efforts of the Professional Development Committee in certifications and training. Our online presence is continuing to grow with a new and improved Web page, our Infoscope search engine and our webinars, and the Membership Committee is putting the finishing touches on some affinity programs, which will offer our members discounts on various consumer products. The main theme is to continue to increase the value of being a member. This increase of value has to include both the individual member as well as their employer.