14. EsserTainMent

Pat Esser
Title: CEO, Cox Communications
Age: 49
Years in Industry: 27

Dallas Clement
Title: SVP, strategy and development, Cox Communications
Age: 41
Years in Industry: 16
Years left in the industry: “Who knows?!”

Why them? First of all, we couldn’t ignore the brass at a company that was just named the best place to work in cable by sister pub CableWorld, now could we? Pat Esser continues to impress us with his accessibility. Despite Cox’s private status, he still holds conference calls with Wall Street analysts, and more often than not, his engaging presentations (like the one he gave during a UBS call in August) help the entire cable industry make its case. Dallas Clement, meanwhile, continues to be one of the industry’s best strategists, working to develop new businesses and keeping the triple-play humming. Clement’s also the point person on the Sprint jv, and we can’t wait to see what he does with wireless. If Cox is as much ahead there as it was with telephony years ago, we can look forward to great things. - MG

Pat Esser

Defining career moment: “Accepting the Director of Ad Sales position with Cox Media (then CableRep Advertising) in Atlanta was pivotal. The move also put me in the right place to learn about other aspects of the business, as well as to build relationships and share opportunities with others. Put me on a path to this great job I have today.”
Biggest surprise for cable in 2006: “I think a lot of industry-watchers were surprised at how well we (cable) have done this year. At Cox, even our Basic Cable business is growing.”
Top personal achievement of 2006: “Lady Luck dropped my golf ball into a hole from 140 yards away… my first hole-in-one!”
Most embarrassing cable moment: “I’ve had a few embarrassing moments; one that seems to make sense in retrospect was falling off of a telephone pole in front of my supervisor in my early pole-climbing days at Cox. I found myself in Marketing three weeks later…”

Dallas Clement

I knew the cable industry was for me when: “It gave me a job.”
Biggest cable surprise of 2006: “SpectrumCo’s AWS auction results.”
Top personal achievement in 2006: “I Survived.”
In my free time, I like to: “Coach, tease, mentor, teach, father, read to, play with and ski with my four daughters.”
Favorite city: Sarasota, Florida
Three things I would take with me to a deserted island: “My wife, good book and good drinks.”
Favorite piece of tech: Cell phone/PDA

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