July 1, 2010

2010 Top OPS Awards: Community Service Award: MetroCast

There are golf tournaments aplenty in cable. The 90 employees of MetroCast’s Belmont system in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire, about 20 minutes from Concord, think their yearly mid-September tournament is different from most.

It’s always sold out by July, but more important, "there’s a spark at this tournament. You can feel it," says Jodie Gallant, MetroCast’s New England Regional Marketing Manager. The spark she’s referring to springs from cable’s willingness to take care of its community. It’s also the spark of youth, the spark of one youth in particular. The tournament began 12 years ago as a response to a tragedy.

The Lakes Region is a haven for hikers and boaters. From May to September, when vacationers abound, MetroCast’s Belmont system reaches its peak of 70K subs. It was during 1998’s high season when Robbie Mills, 14, was following a trail, heading to a local swimming area. He was riding a BMX bicycle he’d bought with money earned from a summer job. Two boys, several years older than Robbie, wanted the bike. They killed him to get it.

The connection to cable is that Robbie’s mother, Wendy, was a long-time cable employee of Community TV.

A few months later, after Harron Communications, doing business as MetroCast, purchased Community, GM Terry Hicks and others proposed establishing the Robbie Mills Memorial Golf Tournament. The proceeds were to go to the Mills family. The first Tournament was held in September 1999.

This isn’t the end of the story. Not even close. The Tournament has grown tremendously. It’s raised more than $175,000. But it’s where the money has gone that makes this an even better story. Among the beneficiaries are numerous local causes, including the Boys and Girls Clubs. And there’s an effort to build a safe biking and walking trail near where Robbie was murdered. Since Robbie, like many kids his age, loved sports, it was decided a hefty chunk of the money should help build and maintain the Robbie Mills Sports Complex.

But Robbie’s life has touched more than local causes. In 2007 Harron Chairman/CEO Jim Bruder founded the MetroCast Foundation to facilitate donations for the Tournament from programming and vendor partners. As a result, donations have almost doubled. And when a MetroCast customer service rep’s son, PFC Nicholas Cournoyer, lost his life in Iraq, a donation for scholarships was sent by the MetroCast Foundation. This past spring when a MetroCast employee in a Connecticut system lost his stepson, Lance Corporal Tyler Griffin, in Afghanistan, a donation was made to the Semper Fi Fund. Eventually all 9 systems will get involved in the Foundation, Gallant says. But Robbie started it all.

"The neat thing is that [Robbie] kind of gets to live on through these donations," says ACA’s COO Rob Shema. Long may he do so.

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