River City Six – Craig Dreibelbis

Meet Craig Dreibelbis, director of sales operations for Cox Business (www.cox.com/business).

Tell us a little about your business.

Cox Business is a division of Cox Communications, the third largest telecommunications provider in the United States. Cox Communications is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1993, Cox Communications began offering telecommunication services to businesses, which eventually grew into Cox Business. Currently, Cox Business is focused on offering video, data, data transport, security, Wi-Fi and managed solution services to small, midmarket, large local and wholesale companies.

What has been your most important achievement professionally?

Where I’m at in my career. I have always worked diligently to maximize opportunities as they present themselves. Cox is a great company to work for and I’ve not taken that for granted. I was able to get in the door through Cox Media. The relationships and reputation I built there enabled me to move over to Cox Business, and subsequently to be promoted to my current position. I look forward to continued growth within Cox for years to come.

Tell us a little about your family.

I have been married to my beautiful wife, Robbin, for 18 years. Our son Caleb will be turning 16 next month. He is active in robotics and baseball. Our daughter, Reagan, is 12 and keeps busy with basketball, softball and tackle football.

What is the most unique or interesting thing about you that most people probably don’t know?

I almost joined the FBI right before coming to Cox. After passing my written and verbal test, I just needed to pass the physical test and I would have been sent to Quantico. Ultimately, I made the decision to accept a position at Cox instead and have enjoyed working for the company for the last 15 years.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

I had a leader who taught me to never say “No” when a person is asking for something. Even if you know that the request cannot be done, tell the person, “Let me look into it and see what can be done.” Sometimes the answer does end up being “No” but the extra time allows for framing up a more thorough explanation of the reasons why. Other times, an alternative approach surfaces and the answer ends up being “Yes.” Regardless of the outcome, the relationship is strengthened because of it.

If you could choose only one descriptive word to be remembered as, what would it be?

Trustworthy. No matter if it is my team, my peers or my customers, they trust that I will do the right thing.

If you could have a super power, what would it be?

To automatically be an expert at everything I do.

If you could choose any other profession to be successful in, what would it be?

A custom home builder.

What local non-profit organization(s) are you passionate about or involved with, and are there any special reasons why?

Junior Achievement. Teaching young people the knowledge and skills to succeed economically and to make the right academic decisions is so important.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

Pitch Pizzeria. There’s a nice rooftop patio and you have to like a place that can pull off putting an egg on a pizza.

If our readers would like to contact you, how should they do so?

Phone: (402) 934-0843; Email: craig.dreibelbis@cox.com; Website: www.cox.com/business.