Wittwer to lead TDS Telecom starting Jan. 1

Wittwer to lead TDS Telecom starting Jan. 1

Update: read the first exclusive interview with David Wittwer as CEO of TDS Telecom
Madison, Wis. – The new year will officially begin a new era of leadership at TDS Telecom, as Dave Wittwer takes over for retiring chief executive James Barr on Jan. 1, the company announced.
Wittwer, 45, will become president and CEO of TDS Telecommunications Corp., which includes TDS Telecom and its subsidiary, TDS Metrocom.
He will be taking over during a period his predecessor has described as revolutionary, rather than evolutionary, in the telecommunications business.
Wittwer said the future of telecommunications involves providing voice, broadband, and video products to consumers. As a result, he said TDS is transitioning from a traditional telephone company to an Internet and entertainment provider in the markets it serves.
He has been the company’s chief operating officer since the spring of 2006, when Barr’s retirement was announced. He became part of the company’s executive team in 1997 as president of its Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier operation, and later served as its chief financial officer.
Wittwer has been with TDS since 1983, when he joined the company as an external auditor.
Barr has served as the company’s chief executive for the past 17 years.
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