ATLANTA, Aug. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Cox Business announced today that it has tapped Larry Steelman for the new role of vice president, sales channels and programs. His priorities include sales training, sales compensation, distribution/channel strategies and sales segmentation for Cox Communications' fastest growing organization.

"Cox Business will pass $1 billion in sales revenue this year and it is critical that we have the proper sales strategy, partnerships and alignment in place to continue to scale the business and meet the needs of our customers," said Phil Meeks, senior vice president, Cox Business. "Larry's direct and channel sales experience in multiple technology organizations adds significant perspective to the team."

Prior to joining Cox Business, Steelman served in vice president and general management roles in Barco's Out of Home Media and Security and Monitoring divisions, where he established several third party strategic alliances, technical certification programs and relationships with top enterprise accounts.

Steelman spent 18 years in operational and sales roles at BellSouth and led sales and marketing organizations at XYZ Solutions and FacilityPro.com, Atlanta-based software and business-to-business electronic commerce start-ups. He holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from East Carolina University.

Cox Business provides voice, data and video services for nearly 250,000 small and regional businesses, including healthcare providers, K-12 and higher education, financial institutions and federal, state and local government organizations. According to Vertical Systems Group, Cox Business is the fourth largest provider of business Ethernet services in the U.S. based on customer ports. Cox is currently the seventh largest voice service provider in the U.S. and supports more than 730,000 business phone lines. For more information about Cox Business, Click Here or call 1-800-396-1609.

About Cox Communications

Cox Communications is a broadband communications and entertainment company, providing advanced digital video, Internet, telephone and wireless services over its own nationwide IP network. The third-largest U.S. cable TV company, Cox serves more than 6 million residences and businesses. Cox Business is a facilities-based provider of voice, video and data solutions for commercial customers, and Cox Media is a full-service provider of national and local cable spot and new media advertising.

Cox is known for its pioneering efforts in cable telephone and commercial services, industry-leading customer care and its outstanding workplaces. For seven years, Cox has been recognized as the top operator for women by Women in Cable Telecommunications; for five years, Cox has ranked among DiversityInc's Top 50 Companies for Diversity, and the company holds a perfect score in the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index. More information about Cox Communications, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises, is available at www.cox.com and www.coxmedia.com.

SOURCE Cox Communications