Advanced Radio Telecom -- ART -- Names CEO Industry Veteran, Wharton B. Rivers, Jr., Selected to Lead ART in Exploding Broadband Market
BELLEVUE, Wash., Nov 6, 2000 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Advanced Radio Telecom Corp. (ART) (Nasdaq: ARTT chart, msgs) a leading broadband wireless Internet Protocol (IP) access services provider, today announced that industry veteran, Wharton "Zie" Rivers will join the company as chief executive officer.
"We're delighted to announce that Mr. Rivers has accepted the position of CEO," said Richard T. Liebhaber, Chairman of ART. "The board felt it was crucial that ART find the right person to lead the company. We are confident that Zie is that person."
Liebhaber added that Robert S. McCambridge, ART's president and chief operating officer, will remain with the company in his existing capacity.
"Bob McCambridge has done an outstanding job for the company this year, wearing many different hats," said Liebhaber. "He has more than tripled our spectrum coverage, our core asset, and successfully deployed our next generation broadband networks in multiple markets. The combination of Zie and Bob will be invaluable as the company continues to successfully implement its business plan."
Rivers has more than a decade of experience in executive management roles for some of the most prominent telecommunications companies in the U.S. Most recently, Rivers was president of Cable & Wireless North America. Prior to that, he held executive positions with Ameritech and MCI. His experience spans sales, marketing and finance, as well as voice, data and Internet network construction, management, services and operations.
As president of Cable & Wireless North America, Rivers was responsible for a business organization with approximately 3,300 employees and over $1 billion in revenues. At Ameritech, Rivers served as president of Network Services, a $4+ billion operation with more than 30,000 employees. During his seven years at MCI, Rivers held various management positions in carrier management, network services delivery, finance and marketing.
Rivers also completed a distinguished 20-year career as an Army officer, having served in a variety of command and high-level staff positions, culminating in his assignment as a strategic policy specialist for the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the Pentagon. He holds a Masters degree in International Relations from Boston University, a Bachelor of Arts from Columbia College (Columbia, MO) and completed advanced graduate study and research as a National Security fellow at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
"I am very excited to join Advanced Radio Telecom at this stage in its development," Rivers said. "The company offers a compelling opportunity to bring the benefits of broadband technology to business customers in key markets. ART has assembled a first-rate team of professionals who have worked hard in developing and now deploying a highly reliable and cost-effective network. We will utilize this network to deliver an array of value-enhancing products and services for our customers." |
