Wheaton resident says farewell to wireless industry with a flourish

President and CEO Jack Rooney stood among boxes in his U.S. Cellular office overlooking the Kennedy Expressway on Chicago's North Side. The Wheaton resident was nearly packed on his last day before retiring. Some remaining items included a large stuffed gorilla named Harry and some family photos.

Several photos included his wife of nearly 50 years, Germaine, who died of cancer in January. One frame enveloped them with their three children and nine grandchildren at their home in Hawaii. Others had grandchild after grandchild. The photos filled his credenza and his memories.

"That one was taken at my daughter's wedding," said Rooney, nudging one frame.

Did he walk his daughter down the aisle?

"I did and I cried the whole way."

Rooney wasn't crying now, although this day marked the end of his 10-year leadership of U.S. Cellular, the fifth largest wireless provider nationwide with about 6 million customers in 26 states. This day also capped a career spanning various industries from wireless to wireline, as well as the Federal Reserve and tire and retail companies. Wherever he was, he remained outspoken and straightforward.

"I viewed this job as my last hurrah, and every Irishman gets his last hurrah," Rooney said of U.S. Cellular. "And I feel this has been the most productive time of my entire career. I've challenged people, and I let them work. I've had a great run."

John E. Rooney III was born and raised on Chicago's South Side and considered himself a "fair" student. He earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from John Carroll University in Ohio and an MBA in finance from Loyola University. He said the Jesuits educated him, but his father John, a sales manager, taught him life lessons on how to work with people.

"My father would very often take me out with him when he worked, and I watched what he did," Rooney said. "I saw what was successful, and I saw the things I later thought weren't so successful. ... But he always had a great deal of respect for people, and they had a lot of respect for him, too."

His father passed away 17 years ago at the age of 67. His mother is 94 and lives in a nursing home in Arizona, where he plans to visit with her later this week, armed with boxes of Fannie May Pixies and buttercreams.

Life lessons continued as Rooney held various executive positions with the Federal Reserve Bank, Pullman Inc., Firestone and Ameritech. When SBC took over Ameritech, Rooney grabbed his exit package and left. He was quickly snapped up by U.S. Cellular in April 2000.

Rooney is credited with turning around this wireless provider by creating a culture of putting the customer first, a mantra that extends from the top and among the 9,000 employees, he said.

"It basically uses everyone's talents and their ideas. We include everyone," Rooney said.

He said he never understood other executives who were considered either "bottom line" or "people first."

Telephone and Data Systems, parent company of U.S. Cellular, supported Rooney in his culture change.

"He built a strong associate culture, the Dynamic Organization, and aligned the company's management and associates around providing the best possible communications experiences for U.S. Cellular customers," said LeRoy T. Carlson Jr., chairman of U.S. Cellular and TDS president and CEO. The Carlson family is a majority owner of TDS.

Rooney also had an impact on the Chicago White Sox by signing a 23-year naming rights deal for the ballpark in 2003 with the highlight being the World Series win.

"Jack had a vision for U.S. Cellular when he took the reigns of the company and executive it flawlessly," said White Sox spokesman Brooks Boyer. "When it came to Jack and the White Sox, well, he needed a place for the company to hang its hat."

While Rooney helped to boost the company's brand, he also gave the wireless industry a run for its money.

"We commend his stewardship, commitment to customer service excellence and many contributions to improving the economic well-being of our state and industry," said Ed Longanecker, executive director of TechAmerica Midwest in Naperville.

While Rooney valued the work force, he said executives at other companies often do not. He was especially critical of companies, including Motorola Inc., that lose money and "take it out" on the workers by laying them off to replenish funds.

"Two years ago, Motorola stated that they lost money and had a bad quarter. They then get rid of 2,000 people. How many of these 2,000 people had something to do with their problems?" he asked. "And if they weren't really needed, why were they working there in the first place? What was the leadership doing? This is the kind of thing that really frustrates me. When a company gets into trouble, the leaders in that company failed, not the workers. It's not the workers on the floor who didn't work hard enough. It's the leadership."

Still, as Rooney packed his last boxes, he declined to give advice to others in the industry.

"I don't give advice to other people," he said.

At 68, Rooney said he's proud of his work and he can sleep at night, knowing he did what he felt was right for the company. But personally speaking, it's been a tough four years while his wife battled cancer. He stayed at his wife's side for her last six weeks of life in January. About a month later, U.S. Cellular announced Rooney would retire.

He insists there's no connection and said it's "just time" to retire. He wants to enjoy life and his nine grandchildren, he said.

And the wireless industry will continue to change when Rooney's successor, Mary N. Dillon of Evanston, takes over officially on June 1. Dillon, 48, was global chief marketing officer and executive vice president of Oak Brook-based McDonald's Corp.

So what does he see as the future of wireless?

"In this particular industry, about 50 percent of what you think will happen actually happens," Rooney said. "It reinvents itself every six months. And what you didn't know would happen will happen."

Regardless, he believes U.S. Cellular likely will continue as a key player.

"I felt like a mouse in a forest of elephants, but once in a while we scared the (heck) out of them," he said. "But most of the time, we went around trying to avoid getting stomped on."