July 29, 2019

BOYCOM Vision President Patricia Jo Boyers Elected Chairman of ACA Connects and Cable ONE COO Mike Bowker Elected Vice Chairman

Executive Committee Members and Board Election Results Also Announced

For Immediate Release
Contact: Ted Hearn
(202) 713-0826
[email protected]

CHICAGO, July 29, 2019 – ACA Connects today announced a new leadership team to head the organization over the next year at least, following balloting by the ACA Connects Board of Directors and the rank-and-file membership present here for the 14th Independent Show.

Patricia Jo Boyers, President of BOYCOM Vision, was elected Chairman and Mike Bowker, COO of Cable ONE, was elected Vice Chairman. Boyers moves up from ACA Connects Vice Chairman, a position she’s held since July, 2014. Boyers owns and operates a small, rural cable company with her husband, Steve, in Poplar Bluff, Mo., a venture they began 27 years ago and today serves about 3,000 customers.

“It is a distinct honor to serve as Chairman of ACA Connects,” Boyers said. “This is an exciting time for independent video and broadband providers. Our members are committed to investing in their broadband networks and serving as technology leaders in small and medium-sized communities across America.”

Bowker, an ACA Connects Board member since January 2018, is responsible for overseeing the daily operations, technology and residential and business channels of Cable ONE’s Sparklight and Clearwave brands. With corporate headquarters based in Phoenix, Sparklight and Clearwave together serve more than 800,000 residential and business customers in 21 states.

“I look forward to working with Patty Boyers and the entire ACA Connects team to ensure that that we can make the necessary investments in broadband and help close the digital divide in rural America,” Bowker said.

ACA Connects President and CEO Matthew M. Polka announced the new leadership team and other election results at today’s annual meeting of ACA Connects members.

“On behalf of all ACA Connects members, I’d like to congratulate both Patty and Mike on being named to these top posts within the organization. It’s a pivotal time for our members and we will need their vision and commitment more than ever,” Polka said.

Boyers and Bowker were elected by the ACA Connects Board of Directors for a period of one year, the time remaining in the unexpired portion of Boyers’ Vice Chairmanship and the unexpired term of ACA Connects Chairman Robert Gessner.

Elected ACA Connects Chairman in 2014, Gessner stepped down from his position in concert with his decision in April to retire as President of MCTV in Massillon, Oh., after a long and prestigious career atop a communications firm started by his cable pioneer father, the late Richard (Dick) Winfield Gessner.

Polka also announced that the following individuals were elected to three-year terms on the ACA Connects Board:

·    Leslie Brown, SVP & General Counsel, Atlantic Broadband (Mass.)

·    John Conrad, VP Legal, Liberty Latin America (Co.)

·    Dave Heimbach, EVP and COO, Shentel (Va.)

·    Drew Petersen, Senior VP Of Corporate Affairs,TDS (Wisc.)

·    Bob Wieand, Controller, Service Electric Cablevision (Pa.).

The following Board members will serve on the ACA Connects Executive Committee with Boyers and Bowker, Polka said:

·    Bob Gessner, MCTV (Immediate Past Chairman)

·    Bob Wieand, Service Electric Cablevision, (Treasurer)

·    Drew Petersen, TDS

·    Tom Larsen, SVP, Government & Public Relations, Mediacom

“I want to thank all the Board of Directors for contributing their time, energy and wisdom. Their insights and recommendations are imperative to the success of our advocacy in Washington, D.C.” Polka said.

About ACA Connects: America’s Communications Association – Based in Pittsburgh, ACA Connects is a trade organization representing more than 700 smaller and medium-sized, independent companies that provide broadband, phone and video services to nearly 8 million customers primarily located in rural and smaller suburban markets across America. Through active participation in the regulatory and legislative process in Washington, D.C., ACA Connects’ members work together to advance the interests of their customers and ensure the future competitiveness and viability of their business. For more information, visit: https://acaconnects.org