Shentel hands CEO reins to Ed McKay

French said this transition is “a direct result of a thoughtful and deliberate CEO succession plan that the Board and I developed several years ago.”

Deep telecom knowledge

McKay brings extensive experience operating fiber, cable, and traditional telecom networks to Shentel’s CEO role.

A 25-year-plus industry veteran, McKay joined Shentel in 2004. He has been leading the company’s integrated broadband business, including the Shentel and Glo Fiber brands.

Earlier, he served as SVP of engineering and operations. In that role, he played a key role in the growth and success of Shentel's former wireless business, led the expansion of the fiber network supporting the company’s cable and traditional wireline business, and was responsible for delivering on Shentel’s broadband Fiber First growth strategy for Glo Fiber.

McKay began his telecommunications industry career in 1996, including previous management positions at UUNET and Verizon. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia, where he earned master’s and bachelor’s degrees in electrical engineering. He represents the Company on the Board of ACA Connects.

As Shentel’s new President and CEO, McKay will continue to focus on building on what he says is a “strong foundation we've established for fiber growth.”

“We still have significant work ahead of us to drive customer growth and complete the construction phase of Glo Fiber, and I'm confident in our team's ability to deliver strong results and create lasting value for both our customers and our shareholders,” McKay said.

Accelerated fiber focus

Naming McKay as CEO comes at a time when Shentel is accelerating its consumer and commercial fiber focus.

During the second quarter, Shentel added 5,700 new Glo Fiber subscribers and over 16,000 new Glo Fiber passings. Glo Fiber revenues grew 40.5% over the same period in 2024 to $19.8 million.

The service provider is complementing its organic build strategy with targeted acquisitions, including Horizon and, more recently, WideOpen Blacksburg. Its move to acquire WideOpen Blacksburg coincides with its plans to expand Glo Fiber service in Blacksburg, Virginia.

Likewise, Shentel’s commercial fiber business reported $200,000 in monthly recurring revenue sales bookings.

Given the company’s fiber momentum, French said this “is a great time to undertake this transition.”

“We are executing well on our fiber-first strategy and are now seeing accelerating growth generated by our network expansion,” he said. “Having worked closely with Ed since he joined our organization in 2004, he is the right person for me to hand the Chief Executive leadership responsibilities to and to guide our organization through the next phase of our growth. Ed has played a key role in our most significant transactions and initiatives over the past years, and his experience and expertise are well-suited to lead the continued execution of our growth strategy.”

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