Rich Jennings: draw to business from childhood, Chicago native sees growth in Comcast's business services.

• Author: Bronikowski, Lynn
• Position: EXECUTIVE EDGE

Rich Jennings' first job in the telecomm industry was in 1993 with Time Warner - starting a small system in Southern California that offered 30 channels and HBO.

"I don't think anybody at that time could imagine what could be done with the technology'," said Jennings, who last January was named Comcast regional vice president of the Mile High Region.

Today, he oversees 3,500 employees at a company that offers 250 channels, phone and Internet services and earlier this year rolled out Comcast Metro Ethernet for medium to large businesses. It's a world that occasionally catches him watching HBO's "Game of Thrones" on his iTouch.

"I watch in airports all the time," said Jennings, 43, who earned a marketing degree from the University of Notre Dame, attending on an academic scholarship. "To be able to take that technology with you and stream HBO onto my hand-held device is really kind of cool."

Jennings, who was with Time Warner for 13 years before joining Comcast in 2005. said the industry's biggest challenge is the economy.

"We've been very resilient through the economic challenges mainly because a lot of people will not go out. Whether it's going to the movies or on trips - they'll stay home. And when they stay home, that tends to help us," Jennings said. "At the same time, they may look to skinny down some of the bells and whistles they've got. Our objective is to create experiences and products that people really feel they want."

Along with the challenges come opportunities, which Jennings said are on the commercial side of the company.

"This is the part of the business that we are putting our efforts in," he said, noting that during the second quarter, Comcast's commercial-service business saw a 42 percent increase in revenue growth.

A native of Chicago, Jennings says he didn't grow up on the best side of town, "but as a kid, you really don't know what your surroundings are like. You just go outside and have fun.

"I had great parents who even though we...