SureWest Communications said COO Fred Arcuri is retiring after 36 years in the business.
Scott Barber, vice president of operations for the last eight years, will assume the COO position upon Arcuri’s retirement on April 15.
“Fred’s contribution to the organization is immeasurable,” said SureWest President and CEO Steve Oldham. “He led the transformation of SureWest throughout the last 15 years from a local telephone provider in Roseville, Calif., to a diversified triple-play communications company serving the northern California and Kansas City regions. He has served on numerous community boards, supported local foundations and started a scholarship foundation during his career. His positive impact on the communities SureWest serves will not be forgotten.”
Arcuri started in 1975 as a telephone lineman with Roseville Telephone Co., but, as the company said, he “decided to move indoors after climbing telephone poles every day for 10 years.”
He rose through the ranks of the company that would later rename itself SureWest, as a traffic engineer and a data engineer, progressing from supervisor to manager before becoming director of product services and marketing.
Following the Telecom Act of 1996, he became the director of emerging businesses. He contributed to the launch of the company’s broadband business. Following the acquisition of fiber-to-the-home triple-play provider WINfirst in 2002, Arcuri took part in the negotiations for SureWest’s cable license with local municipalities, which resulted in new and significant diversification of the company.
In 2008, Arcuri helped direct the research and activity for SureWest’s successful Kansas City market acquisition. He led the company through its implementation of the new assets, working closely with operations in both regions to find and create efficiencies between the two networks.
An avid community ambassador, Arcuri has served on boards such as the United States Telecom Association, California Telephone Association, Lighthouse Family Crisis Counseling Center and Lincoln Chamber of Commerce. He is a senior fellow in the American Leadership Forum and founder of the Sylvia Besana Scholarship Fund.
“Fred has made a significant impact on the Sacramento region and the telecommunications industry through his role in helping lead SureWest through its successful transformation into a cutting-edge, growth-oriented broadband provider,” said California’s 3rd District Congressman Dan Lungren. “SureWest is a great success story, utilizing innovation and capital investment in our region to support its long-term growth plans and paving the way as a local independently operated business.”
Matt Mahood, president and CEO of the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, said: “I have known Fred for over nine years now. He is one of the first people I met when I came to Sacramento. A person and business leader of his caliber does not come around often. I have had the honor of working with him and observing his work from afar for several years, and his regional insight and industry knowledge have always been an asset to the greater Sacramento area. His engagement, involvement and leadership will be missed. I wish him the best in his retirement.”