George Kipp

George Kipp’s office in Hampton Roads, VA, is filled with memorabilia from his colorful work history at Cox — from the many certificates he’s earned throughout his career to a light-up “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign to mark his stint on the West Coast.

One specific figure caught my eye: an inflatable unicorn with signatures and well wishes from his team; it was a parting gift when he left Las Vegas, NV, and returned to Hampton Roads in 2022.   

“Why a unicorn?” I asked George.   

He cracked up: “What they said to me as I was coming back here was that it’s not often to know somebody who started basically at ground level and worked their way up to a vice president in the company. And so, they kind of viewed that as a unicorn opportunity.”

And the fact is that George’s progression at Cox has been remarkable. He started in 2009 as a project manager and, in the 14 years since then, he’s become a key leader at the company with experience leading highly technical teams across Cox Communications. 

Here, George shares how his career journey has taken him into different roles, industries and cities across the U.S. 

Finding his calling in technology 

George might not have discovered his passion for technology had it not been for his parents. 

“I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do,” he said. “I was going to drop and join the Marines, but my parents kept pushing me to stick with college and get my degree.” 

He listened to his parents and started taking computer science classes. At the same time, he landed an internship at IBM, where his dad had worked up from the mailroom and into a leadership role over a 45-year career. 

“I was not sure at first, but I loved it,” he said. “Working with computers just seemed to come naturally to me.” 

George graduated with his computer science degree and jumped straight into a full-time role at IBM, working in deskside support. He eventually pivoted into a project management role, where he could gain business leadership experience. In that role, George worked as a consultant and was able to lead projects for major industry players, including AstraZeneca and JPMorgan Chase. 

Eventually, George decided he needed a change for himself and his family.  

“At that point, I realized that I was missing out on my kids growing up because I was traveling too much,” he said. “I remember getting a text of my youngest daughter taking her first steps on my cell phone and thinking ‘That’s something I can’t get back,’ and I wanted to change that.” 

Coincidentally, the last project George worked on at IBM was for Manheim, part of Cox’s family of businesses. About a year after he left IBM, George got a call from Cox — this time, about a project manager role for Cox Communications. 

Stepping up as a leader 

George knew he wanted to grow as a leader; and while his pivot into project management years earlier was a strategic step in the right direction, Cox is where he was able to take major strides toward his goal. 

He moved into the role of digital operations manager. From there, he’s steadily advanced into new positions leading teams within field engineering and operations.  

“I definitely had my growing pains and learned to work through the different situations that come up with leading people,” he said. “But they were good growing opportunities, and I had a lot of mentoring to help me grow.” 

To continue growing as a leader, George went back to school and got a master’s in organizational leadership with support from Cox’s tuition reimbursement program. He also took a new field operations role within Cox and relocated to Las Vegas, NV, from 2019 to 2022, when he and his family were looking for a change of scenery. 

“My wife and I both loved going to Las Vegas and that’s when the hospitality network director role opened up there,” he said. 

In that role, George oversaw teams responsible for powering connectivity for major venues and events in Las Vegas and all over the country, from Allegiant Stadium and MGM Grand to setting up Wi-Fi at Marriott, Hyatt and Hilton properties. 

“In the transition between field engineering and field operations, I really enjoyed working with people and watching them succeed,” he said. “And so it became less about the technology I was leading and more about watching my people succeed and what they were undertaking.” 

A Virginia homecoming 

In 2022, George saw a chance to move his family back to Virginia when a new leadership role opened. Today, he is now the Director of Field Operations for Virginia and Georgia. 

“It was an opportunity to get back closer to the ocean and back to where the kids considered home,” he said.  

Looking back on his career at Cox, George is proud to have had so many roles and experiences across the business. To him, everything he’s done is like a piece of a puzzle that has added up to the kind of leader he’s become. 

Reflecting on his time at Cox, George feels proud of having worked in many different positions and areas of the business. He thinks that each thing he’s done is like a part of a puzzle that has shaped him into the leader he is today. 

“The knowledge I’ve gained in both field engineering and field operations gives me a different perspective on how everything connects when you consider the whole picture of how the various pieces all fit together,” he said.