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Gary McCollum

Cox’s GM Is Representative Of Company’s Diversity Record

By Rosaland Tyler

Associate Editor

New Journal & Guide

   Cox Communications General Manager Gary McCollum can quickly tell you why the cable company has won the Diversity Inc. award for the third year in a row, as well as why it’s ranked No. 10 for African American employees.
   “To best serve our customers, we must mirror our communities,” said McCollum, who was born in Richmond, Va. His mother died of breast cancer when he was 10, leaving him with his five siblings and father; but she also left with him a memory of her high expectations for him.
    Long before McCollum joined Cox Communications in 1989 as a manager trainee in Hartford, Conn., he remembered what his mom used to say, “Even if you’ve got to sweep the street, be the best street sweeper there is.”
    He kept her advice in mind as he graduated from college, then excelled as an officer in the U. S. Army, rising through the ranks to serve in military intelligence and as an Army Ranger.
“It’s gratifying to work for a company where I can bring my whole self to work,” McCollum said, pointing to his background which has included numerous challenges and multiple successes. “Everyone at Cox, particularly in the Hampton Roads area, understands that inclusiveness and the promotion of diversity are critical to our ongoing success,” he explained.
    In his private time, McCollum uses his own money and personal time to help others overcome challenges similar to those he has faced. “My mom and dad were of the belief that we do need each other. We are all connected,” he said. “We are connected so that we can help someone else.”
    So that’s one reason why he funds a $100,000 scholarship at Norfolk State University called AIM High, which means Achievers Inspired to Move High.

   Plus, he serves on the board of visitors at NSU as a member of the research and technology committee.
A licensed minister, he has won several awards including a 2002 award from the Fairfax County NAACP, and the prestigious Vanguard Award for Cable Operations Management from the National Cable Telecommunication Association.

Posted May 14, 2008

   The point is he gets it. Challenges and crushing personal losses never have the final say in a person’s life. “I remember reacting very negatively to my mom’s passing away,” he said in a 2003 interview in the Washington Business Journal, during the time he had been promoted to the position of vice president and regional manager in Northern Virginia. Prior to that, he’d served as vice president and general manager for Cox Communications in Northern Virginia.
“I did take it hard,” he continued, speaking of his mother’s passing. “But I think I was able to channel that. I was convinced that everything I did, I was going to do it the best. I didn’t just stay in school; I got straight A’s in school. When I went into the military, I joined the best military group, the Army Ranger, special operations.
   “Typically junior officers are recruited to go into Fortune 500 companies,” he continued. “I’d get those letters all the time, and I’d throw them away.”
    But he did not throw the letter from Cox away. And by the time he was hired by Atlanta-based Cox in June 1989, he’d already received offers from 10 of the 12 companies that had interviewed him.
   “I bring my faith to work,” said McCollum, a keynote speaker at a high-tech prayer breakfast, years later (2004) in Washington, D.C. His faith anchors him, in other words, as he faces new challenges. It guides him through problem solving. “I stay stable and content and patient,” he explained. “It’s not a compartmentalized type of faith.
“We have a great company that provides many great products and services. A company that has tried to create a culture where people can love coming to work. It is so gratifying to work for a company where I bring my entire self to work,” he said.
   “We are very serious about diversity and inclusion. We have been around for more than 100 years and a great company has to change with the communities around it.”

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