John Saeman

Former president-CEO, Daniels & Associates, 2005 Cable Hall of Fame

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…but I start to look around, to do some brainstorming and see this thing called cable television… I said, ‘Here’s a reasonably new industry’… we decided that we had a business and it was worth continuing.

John V. Saeman, Jr., was born August 29, 1936, in Madison, WI, and raised in nearby farming community of Cross Plains. His dad and brother were involved with the Saeman Lumber Company which had been started by Saeman’s grandfather in 1876 and remains a family business today. While his journeys have taken him far from home, Saeman has remained true to the rock-solid American values he learned in his youth.

After graduating from Loras College in Dubuque, IA, Saeman served in the United States Marine Corps. He then moved to Los Angeles, where he was introduced to the world of telecommunications when he took a sales position with Subscription Television (STV), a joint venture between the Reuben H. Donnelley Corporation and Lear Siegler. STV was the nation’s first provider of Pay per View programming over co-axial cable. This 3 channel system featuring movies, sports and cultural programs operated in Southern and Northern California. In 1965, he moved to Denver and began his association with Bill Daniels. In 1972, he was named president of the brokerage division and in 1974, president and CEO of all Daniels companies.

In his early years with Daniels & Associates, Saeman worked in all facets of the company with system operating responsibilities in California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington State. Saeman also brokered cable systems to the Times Mirror Company, King Broadcasting, the Seattle Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, The Tribune Corp., and many others.

His key merger while in California was his marriage to his wife Carolyn, who for more than 40 years has been his best friend and partner. They have three children: John, Craig and Catherine, and are devoted to their 14 grandchildren. In 1988, John and Carol founded Medallion Enterprises, LLC, an investment and management company located in Denver.

Saeman is a member of the Cable TV Pioneers and served as chairman of the National Cable Television Association from 1982-83 and as chairman of CSPAN from 1981-82. He has received numerous awards, including the NCTA Distinguished Vanguard Award in 1985, the Golden Cable ACE Award in 1992 and is honored to be inducted in the Cable Television Hall of Fame. Pope John Paul II named him a “Knight of St. Gregory,” a rare honor conferred for distinguished service to the religious and social mission of the Catholic Church around the world.

With their business association successfully concluded, Saeman’s friendship with Bill Daniels deepened. The two shared much in common: patriotism, service in the military, a business ethic shaped by strong values and hard work, a concern for others reflected in personal philanthropy, and a stubborn unwillingness to compromise.

Bill Daniels spent the final years of his life carefully defining his goals in the articles of incorporation of the foundation that would bear his name. When he died in 2000, his $1 billion estate transferred to the Daniels Fund, which operates the Daniels Scholarship Program and the Daniels Fund Grants Program in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.

Saeman serves as chairman of the board of the Daniels Fund, and is dedicated to honoring Daniels’s intent and personal style of giving. In a few short years, the Fund has made an extraordinary difference in the lives of countless individuals.

Saeman and Daniels shared a deep friendship with Msgr. C.B. Woodrich (Father Woody), known as the “Patron Saint of Denver’s Homeless.” As a group, they led the effort to build Samaritan House, which provides shelter, food, medical and job services to homeless individuals and families.

Through the Seeds of Hope Charitable Trust, John and Carol support tuition assistance for low-income parents of all faiths seeking to give their children the benefit of a Catholic education, and through the Life Education Fund and other pro-life efforts, they provide alternatives to women in crisis pregnancies seeking to keep their babies. As the chairman of the development committee of the Papal Foundation, Saeman helps support charitable and educational efforts in some of the world’s poorest nations.

Recognized as one of Colorado’s business leaders, Saeman is dedicated to his faith, his family and to helping those in need.

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Gibbs Jones

C5 Emeritus
Owner (Spartanburg)

ARCpoint Labs

Gibbs is a customer experience executive with over 25 years of customer experience leadership and expertise in the design, optimization and implementation of customer contact operations. Gibbs has combined skill in the human and technology side of customer contact operations, including the procurement and installation of ACD equipment, workforce management and CRM systems. He has directed the start-up of multiple customer contact operations, with industry expertise in consumer electronics, communications, retail, manufacturing, financial services, banking, and direct sales.

Gibbs has over ten years experience in the Cable Industry. Most recently Gibbs was the Senior Vice President of Customer Experience for Suddenlink Communications. Gibbs worked with Suddenlink’s six regional senior vice presidents and the managers of its customer-contact call centers in Arizona, Missouri, North Carolina, Texas and West Virginia to measure and improve Customer Satisfaction through transactional and relationship Net Promoter Programs and JD Power Research Studies.

Gibbs was also responsible for the company’s social media strategy where he made sure Suddenlink was active in the major social networking channels and found new ways to improve customer loyalty in this space.

Currently Gibbs owns two ARCpoint Labs locations. ARCpoint is a leader in the B to C and B to B drug and alcohol testing industry. Additionally, Gibbs has a consulting practice that helps companies improve their customer experience.

Gibbs is a Certified Net Promoter® Associate and has been a speaker at various conferences and is frequently called upon to discuss considerations related to measuring and improving the customer experience, exceptional contact center management, and optimizing the employee experience.

 

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