A Florida-based cable company is plugging into Chattanooga’s economy by hooking up businesses.
Comcast has outsourced its commercial account activation service to Cable Television Installation Services Inc., said Comcast general manager Valerie Gillespie.
“With our addition of telephone service, we needed to focus on residential accounts because commercial business is volatile,” she said. “We brought in this contractor to make sure we stay on top.”
St. Petersburg, Fla.-based CTIS has seven technicians and seven trucks in Chattanooga to connect commercial customers, said Mark Green, the local manager. The company has been in business for 20 years and operates in 13 locations in Florida, Asheville, N.C., Knoxville and now Chattanooga.
CTIS will connect only commercial accounts for Comcast in Chattanooga, Mr. Green said, although the company handles commercial, residential and multifamily unit connections in other markets.
CTIS opened a local office in February, he said, and handles about 20 jobs a day. CTIS’ trucks are marked with Comcast’s logo, he said.
The company rented a 2,840-square-foot building at 4002 Industry Drive, at the corner of Highway 153 and Bonny Oaks Drive, said landlord Stief Counts, owner of The Counts Co. general contractors.
Jeff Jennings of NAI Charter Real Estate Corp. and Jelena Butler of Hudson Cos. brokered the deal.
Comcast will continue to use its own staff for residential accounts, Ms. Gillespie said. The company has added more than 50 residential technicians in the past year, and more than 70 percent of all its service is handled by in-house technicians, she said.
The commercial connection technicians were reassigned to residential accounts, she said. Comcast will continue to provide maintenance to its commercial customers, she said.
Comcast has seen more than 20 percent overall net growth by offering telephone service and video on demand, with 400,000 video streams a week, Ms. Gillespie said. The company has 45 percent penetration in the commercial market here, she said.
EPB wants to offer cable TV service and plans to issue $230 million in bonds, backed by city government, to pay for part of a so-called smart grid and other capital improvements to the electric system.
A Davidson County chancellor is expected to hear several motions Friday in a cable industry lawsuit seeking to stop EPB from offering cable service.
BY THE NUMBERS
7: Number of both CTIS trucks and technicians in Chattanooga
50: Number of residential technicians added by Comcast
45: Percent market share by Comcast in local commercial market
