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Scott Ford quote box Sunday, Jun 22, 2008 Arkansas News Bureau On what it was like being a private company: "I'm disappointed it didn't last longer." "... when compared against other companies in the TPG and Goldman Sachs portfolio around the country, around the world really, this team came back and was an A-plus grade. In fact, we were told we were the premier operating business in any of the portfolios." On selling the company to TPG Capital and GS Capital Partners: "We did the right thing last year and you can look at the markets. They just, you could feel it starting to fall apart and our board made a decision to push through and get that sale done. They absolutely made the right decision and I think history showed that to be true." On decisions made regarding the Alltel-Verizon merger: "History will have to be the judge of that over time." "I have all sorts of mixed emotions and mixed thoughts, but just from a pure analytical sense, what they did was very, very smart." On the FCC's decision not to set aside a piece of the 700 Mhz wireless spectrum for non-national companies: "It didn't surprise me, and from a public interest perspective, I can't tell you that it was wrong for the FCC to make it all national licenses." On the auction's rules: "When the rules came out that showed AT&T and Verizon ... lovingly we call them the twins; when the twins were going to be able to bid for all of it and we were going to have to fight with both twins on all fronts at all times for any spectrum we bought, we knew we weren't going to be in it but for 24 hours." "We knew we weren't going to be able to run with them." On continuing to operate knowing the Verizon deal will close by year's end: "It's a real group of professionals, and it's really the ultimate test of an employee base. It's easy to manage and do your job when things are going good and you're the buyer. How do you do when things are tough ... because it feels like we lost." "It's a miserable experience, but you've got to get on with it and you've got to do what you've got to do the next day, and this group knows how to do that, and my hat's off to them because they are." On obstacles to bringing capital to the state to take advantage of the Alltel work force: "This is not the most capital-friendly state in the union. We have to basically spot most of the states around us 7 percent just off the top of the bat. I'm not complaining, I pay my state taxes, I'm going to pay them, I'm going to stay right here, and I'm going to pay them until the day I die. I'm O.K. with it. But we can't be just blind to the fact that people that aren't from here look at that and go, 'I can live in Tennessee or Texas or Florida and I don't have to pay 7 percent income tax and if I move to Arkansas I do? Mmm, I think I'll take my capital to Dallas.'" |
