Western Wireless became the second John Stanton bet to hit it big. In 2001, the mobile-phone mogul sold Voicestream Wireless to Deutsche Telekom near the top of the market for $30 billion. This January, he agreed to sell the smaller Western Wireless to Alltel for $4 billion, a deal that's expected to close in summer 2005. Western Wireless, which sells its service primarily under the Cellular One brand to about 1.2 million customers, soared by building mobile phone operations in rural America -- spots the big carriers largely ignored. But the company decided to sell just as the industry enters a heavy period of consolidation.
All figures are for the most recent available 12 months.
* Latest available data for the 12-month period ended Dec. 31, Jan. 31, Feb. 29, Mar. 31, or Apr. 30. For companies that do not report quarterly, the most recent annual data were used.
Data provided by Standard & Poor's Compustat, BusinessWeek
Western Wireless Corporation provides rural wireless communications services in the United States. It provides voice and data services to both businesses and consumers in approximately 88 rural service areas and 19 metropolitan service areas. The company offers picture mail, wireless Web, conference calling, data services, directory assistance with hands-free dialing, call forwarding, call waiting, voice message storage and retrieval, caller ID, short messaging service, and no-answer transfer. Western Wireless also provides data services under Hello2 family of products, as well as delivers a range of wireless Internet-related services. In addition, it offers wireless local voice and data services to residential customers. As of December 31, 2004, the company offered wireless services under the CellularONE and Western Wireless brand names to approximately 1.4 million subscribers in the Western United States. Western Wireless is also licensed to provide wireless communications services in seven countries, including Austria, Ireland, Slovenia, Bolivia, Haiti, Ghana, and Georgia. The company was organized in 1994 and is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington.
No. of Employees
2,495
Data provided by
John W. Stanton
Bio
John W. Stanton has been Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Western Wireless Corp. since 1992. In 1992, Mr. Stanton served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Pacific Northwest Cellular and Chairman for General Cellular Corporation and Wireless Corporation, each a predecessor of Western Wireless. Mr. Stanton served as Chief Operating Officer of McCaw Cellular from 1985 to 1988. Mr. Stanton served as Chairman of T-Mobile USA, Inc. (formerly, VoiceStream Wireless Corporation) from 1994 to 2002 and Chief Executive Officer from February 1998 to March 2003. He served as Chairman of Telocator from 1986 to 1995 and is Chairman Emeritus of the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association. From 1983 to 1991, Mr. Stanton served in various capacities with McCaw, as Vice-Chairman of the Board of McCaw Cellular Communications, Inc. from 1988 to 1991. Mr. Stanton has been an Independent Non-Executive Director of Hutchison Telecommunications International Ltd., since August 23, 2004. He has been a Director of VoiceStream Wireless Corp. since February 1998. He has been a Director of Western Wireless Corp. and predecessors since 1992 and is a Member of the T-Mobile International Group, the mobile telecommunications subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom AG. He has been a Director of Advanced Digital Information Corp., (ADIC) since 1989, which includes five years prior to its acquisition by Interpoint in 1994. He has been a Director of 360networks Inc., since May 2000. He has been a Director of Columbia Sportswear Co., since July 1997 and Chairs the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committees and Member of Audit Committee. He also serves as a Director of Microcell Telecommunications, Inc. He serves as a Trustee of Whitman College, a private college. He served as a Director of McCaw Cellular Communications, Inc. from 1987 to 1994. He served as a Director of LIN Broadcasting from 1990 to 1994, during which time it was a publicly traded company. He served as a Director of Interpoint from 1988 until its acquisition by Crane Co., in October 1996. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from Whitman College and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. T-Mobile USA became a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom AG in May 2001 and is also a former subsidiary of Western Wireless Corp.
Harvard Business School (MBA), Whitman College (BA)
* Latest available fiscal year
** The sum of the net value of options exercised and held in the latest available fiscal year
Key Executives
John W. Stanton, Donald Guthrie, Theresa E. Gillespie, Mikal J. Thomsen, Eric Hertz, M. Wayne Wisehart, Bradley J. Horwitz, Gerald J. Baker, Jeffrey A. Christianson, Thorpe M. Kelly, Jr., Scott A. Soley
Board Members
John W. Stanton, Theresa E. Gillespie, Mikal J. Thomsen, John L. Bunce, Jr., Mitchell R. Cohen, Daniel J. Evans, Jonathan M. Nelson, Peggy V. Phillips, Peter H. van Oppen
