Charter Communications, which just announced a $55 billion deal to buy Time Warner Cable, has been based in Connecticut for just a few years.
If the early morning news reports of the massive Charter/Time Warner deal seemed a little confused about the geography, there’s a reason. Until three years ago, Charter was headquartered in St. Louis. In fact, its Missouri workforce of about 3,000 employees still dwarfs that in Connecticut -- less than 600.
But the company now calls Stamford home, after a 2012 incentive deal from the state of Connecticut made it one of Governor Dannel Malloy’s “Next Five” companies.
Charter’s top executives, CEO Tom Rutledge, Chief Operating Officer John Bickham, and Chief Financial Officer Christopher Winfrey now work out of Stamford. The three were formerly New York based, and reportedly never moved to St. Louis after joining Charter in 2012, the same year the Stamford deal was struck.
According to the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, Charter met its goal of creating 200 jobs in Stamford early, and the $6.5 million loan the state provided for the move has now been forgiven.
If the deal to buy New York-based Time Warner is approved, Charter would become the second largest cable company in the nation, behind Comcast.
