New Cox building is $14-million investment in Acadiana

LAFAYETTE (Mar. 5) — Just a mile from its existing “head end” facility – the nucleus of its network of 56,000 miles of glass fiber supporting Acadiana – sits the new, $14-million home of Cox Acadiana at 1906 Eraste Landry Rd.

On February 25, the facility opened to serve new and existing regional customers. As a central hub for 300 Cox Acadiana employees, it houses various operations including a local call center for sales and technical support, customer service, Cox Business, Cox Media, engineering, construction, and people services.

Economic impact
At 55,000 square feet, the new building may be the most visually apparent example of Cox's investment in the region. Of the total investment, 96 percent – $13,278,653 as of Feb. 13 – was spent directly with Acadiana businesses, including all fixtures, furniture and equipment and professional services including design, engineering and construction.

The construction outlay is only a part of the capital investment Cox directly provides to Acadiana each year. A 2006 study by Dr. Anthony J. Greco, professor of economics at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, credited Cox with a $288 million impact on the local economy from its business activity, including $55 million in household earnings above and beyond its own payroll and contract labor expenses. Now two years later, Cox conservatively estimates its yearlong economic impact to Acadiana too exceed $300 million across six parishes. Overall, Cox Acadiana has more than 350 employees with a combined payroll of more than $11 million, excluding benefits.

Cox Acadiana has dedicated more than $500 million to introduce innovative products, enhance service and improve its existing infrastructure, including its robust fiber network, which spans 775 linear miles in six parishes. Currently, more than 125 Acadiana Cox Business customers are using this Fiber to the Premises (FTTP) network for telephone and Internet service. Cox delivers telephone, video and Internet service to nearly 6,000 businesses in the same six-parish area, comprised of Acadia, Iberia, Lafayette, St. Martin, St. Mary and Vermilion through its fiber technology.

Design
Cox worked with contractors at The Lemoine Company in Lafayette to design a working environment that would be accommodating to employees and friendly to the environment.

A unique feature of the building includes multiple “quiet rooms” and other conversation rooms adjacent to employee workspaces. These soundproof rooms are available for employees to relax and unwind during breaks in the workday. All of the office furniture, provided by local Knoll distributor IDI, was selected with ergonomics in mind.

Cox, which recently launched the company-wide initiative “Cox Conserves,” has taken the opportunity to implement several “green” practices. The building is constructed primarily of concrete masonry units (CMUs), a green product made up of marble dust and recycled plastic granules. The building also employs an energy management system that controls all lighting and air conditioning units. Additionally, there are light sensors in each room so the lights go out when a room is unoccupied. Cox will continue its conservation efforts with a paper, plastic and aluminum recycling program at the site.

“We have always prided ourselves on being good corporate citizens,” says Jacqui Vines, senior vice president and general manager for Cox Greater Louisiana. “Being an environmental leader is another important way we care for the communities where we do business. It is another part of the large investment we're making with our permanent, new home in Acadiana.”

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About Cox
Locally, Cox has service centers in Abbeville, Crowley, Franklin, Patterson, Lafayette, New Iberia and Saint Martinville. Cox Greater Louisiana, including the Lafayette and Baton Rouge markets, is the sixth largest among Cox's 21 national markets.

Cox's regional operations in Acadiana and Baton Rouge employ over 1,200 people with an annual payroll of over $45 million. In this region, Cox serves 311,000 customers with voice, video and data products in 13 parishes. Information about the products and services offered in the combined Louisiana markets can be found at www.cox.com/acadiana or www.cox.com/batonrouge.

Cox is a multi-service broadband communications and entertainment company with more than 6 million total residential and commercial customers. The third-largest cable television company in the United States, Cox offers an array of advanced digital video, high-speed Internet and telephony services over its own nationwide IP network, as well as integrated wireless services in affiliation with Sprint.