About Cable Services Company, Inc.

Cable Services Company Founder - John B. Roskowski

     John B. Roskowski began his cable career in 1952 because his brother-in-law answered an ad seeking cable installers without telling him.  When the system - Williamsport (PA) Jerrold Cable Television - called, Roskowski took the job. After all, he says, it was better than what he was doing.

    "I had just gotten back from Korea," says Roskowski, a former Marine. "I had no focus and really had no idea what I wanted to do."  Taking that job changed Roskowski's life. For the next 16 years, Roskowski remained at Williamsport Cable, eventually becoming president of the system when it was owned by Eugene Klein's National General Corp. Along the way, Roskowski experienced one of the most fascinating chapters of this industry's development.

    For Williamsport was a hotbed of competitive activity, supporting at one time three different systems, backed by some of the industry's most important leaders - people such as Jerrold Electronics founder Milt Shapp and the late cable pioneer Ray Schneider. During his time there, Roskowski not only learned the business from the ground up, he laid the groundwork for his own business. More important, he learned how critical good service is - a fundamental he has applied time and time again throughout his 37-year cable career - a career that today finds him as president of Williamsport-based Cable Service Company Inc.  Granted, in 1964 when Roskowski founded the firm, he didn't think it would take off the way it did. In fact, Cable Services was created as a sidelight while Roskowski served as chief engineer for Williamsport Cable.  "The system was being rebuilt and it didn't have its own resources so we would help in the construction," he says about his venture. Soon, other area systems called on Roskowski and his Cable Services Co. crews for their rebuilds.

   Still, back in the mid-60's, Roskowski's first allegiance was to Williamsport Cable, and he found himself on a management track when he helped negotiate the purchase of Williamsport Cable's competitor for parent National General. "After we bought the system I was named regional manager, and then I was promoted to president by Eugene Klein. We got along very well."

    But National General made what Roskowski still believes was an error once it bought its competitor - National General raised subscriber rates. "I had a severe disagreement with them, but it happened anyway," Roskowski says. The bottom line: Williamsport Cable was overbuilt - again - and lost about 30 percent of its 18,000-subscriber base, Klein was so dissatisfied that he eventually sold the system to the overbuilders, backed, ironically, by Shapp, who was an original founder of Williamsport Cable.  "Mr. Klein offered me a job but I didn't want it," says Roskowski. So, in 1968, he devoted his entire efforts to Cable Services Co., confident that continued construction would fuel the growth of the company. Instead, Roskowski and Cable Services ran headlong into the FCC's 1969 construction freeze, which prohibited major-market cable construction for five bleak years.

    "We only had four people employed so we were able to keep the company going. We got little jobs - but enough so that we were able to weather the freeze and go on from there."

    Cable Services now employs more than 125 people, serving three distinct markets - cable distribution, construction and business telephone installation via its TelaFlex Communications unit.

    But even if Cable Services' composition has changed, competitive forces have not. The cable

distribution market is dominated by Anixter Communications and Midwest CATV, but Roskowski

believes there are niches for companies like his to serve.

    Why? "I have one word that guides my philosophy," he says. "Service. I am a firm believer that

if you give your customers good service, price is not as important. We back up everything we sell.

If you want something we will get it there tomorrow."

    Roskowski, 60, still sees a long future ahead for Cable Services, even if he decided to retire and

devote himself to his family and his hobbies.  "We're fortunate that we have a good, young crew

that will keep Cable Services going. We also are lucky that we have some very loyal customers.

We have proven that we can do business."