Cox Communications, the Wood River Valley's largest cable and Internet provider, has promoted its local operations director, Dan Wherry, to a position outside the state.
Wherry will now be directing business support for Cox's central region: Arkansas, Kansas, Nebraska and Idaho, doing so out of Cox's main office in Omaha, Neb. Cox is the nation's third largest cable provider.
Wherry, 42, has managed Cox operations here for two and a half years, starting in the Wood River Valley more than five years ago as manager of technical operations.
"It's never an easy decision to leave Sun Valley," he said.
That goes for Wherry's replacement, Guy Cherp, as well. Cherp oversaw Cox's valleywide operations from 2006 to 2009, but moved to Omaha to become vice president of Cox Business.
"Sun Valley has always been a special place to us," said the 39-year-old, whose wife graduated from high school here. "It's home."
For that reason, he said, he jumped at the opportunity to move his wife and three young children back here.
Cherp and Wherry said the personnel switch, which will be made final in summer after a transition phase, wouldn't affect customers in any way. Cherp said Cox would continue to grow in the valley, though.
"We're going to build on some of the recent accomplishments," he said, referring to this winter's switch from analog to digital cable TV transmissions in the valley.
He said all valley customers are now on the digital system, which requires TVs to use a cable box. Cox provides two free cable boxes per household. The switch has freed up bandwidth for Video on Demand, "substantially better picture quality" and more, Cherp said.
"We will now launch a whole slew of high-definition programs," Cherp said.
He said Cox would also push forward in providing services specifically tailored to businesses, such as fiber optics connections. Fiber optics can be used instead of the standard Internet/cable connection, but Cox only offers it to businesses.
"Fiber optics isn't simply an Internet connection but a connection between many parts," Wherry said.
He said it allows satellite offices to be linked into one system for their computers and phones, and also allows much more bandwidth.
"It's existing here and capable of bringing on many more customers," he said.
Trevon Milliard: tmilliard@mtexpress.com
Guy Cherp will replace Dan Wherry as Cox’s local operations manager. Photo courtesy of Cox Communications
