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Jim Barthold
Veteran engineer Alex Best will retire as EVP-engineering of Cox Communications Dec. 31. That doesn't mean he'll vanish.
"I've agreed to consult with Cox," he says. "I've agreed to be on several technical advisory committees. And I've been asked to be on several boards - but I haven't agreed yet. My wife said, `You aren't retiring. You're just changing jobs.'"
His retirement is Best's first job change since 1986, when he left a 20-year career with Scientific-Atlanta in order to oversee Cox's engineering functions.
"I'll tell you, as an old cable guy, times have changed," Best says. "Technologies have changed, and it's getting to be a very complex business, moving into technologies that just weren't my forte."
Ever modest, Best declines to take credit for Cox's leadership position in merged telecommunications offerings - much less helping change the face of the entire cable industry.
"It's a very bright group of young people who are now coming up in the cable industry and know in detail the IP format and the MPEG compression and SONET and all those new terms that I've had to learn over the last few years just to stay abreast of what's going on," he says.
Chris Bowick, SVP-technology development, will assume the title SVP-engineering/CTO Jan. 1. Bowick joined Cox in 1998 from Jones Intercable, where he was group VP-technology/CTO.
"I'm leaving it in good hands with Chris," says Best, noting Bowick was always slated to take over when Best retired.
The position will offer challenges Best never dreamed of 14 years ago.
"We want to be the preferred provider of video, voice and data services to both residential and business customers," he says. "You no longer can be a plain-old cable operator. If that's your vision, then you're headed for going out of business."
Going out of the business he's been in all these years won't be easy for Best.
"I've told several people my biggest fear is waking up on a cold January morning, and it's raining, and I don't have anything to do," he says. "If I was retiring and had absolutely no plans to stay active on a part-time basis, I would absolutely miss it."
No chance of that.
"Maybe I'll end up working two days a week or so," he says with a sigh. "That makes it much more palatable."
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