Connecting Communities and Building Partnerships with Caitlin Ganley and Jennifer Bilotta

Intro: Welcome to Start Local, where we talk with business owners, leaders of nonprofits, and other members of our community focused on doing business in and around Chester County, Pennsylvania. Each episode will provide insight into the local business scene and tell you about opportunities to connect with and support businesses and nonprofits in your local area.

The Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce promotes trade, commerce, industry, and sustainable economic development while supporting a diverse and growing marketplace. The Chamber is proud to partner with the Start Local podcast to raise the profile of businesses and nonprofits throughout Chester County. Learn more about the chamber at scccc. That’s scccc.com 

Liam Dempsey: Hey. Hey. Welcome to the Start Local podcast. I am Liam Dempsey, and I am here today with my good friend Erik Gudmundson. Erikk, how the heck are you today?

Erik Gudmundson: I’m doing very well. It’s been a very long spring so far in the sense that it’s just very, very busy. So, I’m hoping that by the time this airs, we’re beginning to relax and sense that there’s the onset of summer, but we’ll see.

Liam Dempsey: And I’m gonna hope that we have a little bit more consistent weather, like 40 to 80, 20 to 70. It’s just a little hard on the body as it gets a little older. So, yeah, bring on summer. Bring on summer. 

Folks, we are thrilled to have two guests with us today. We are delighted to welcome Caitlin Ganley, Senior Director of Government and Regulatory Affairs at Comcast.

Erik Gudmundson: And we’re also happy to welcome Caitlin’s colleague at Comcast, Jennifer Bilotta, VP Communications.

Liam Dempsey: Welcome, Caitlin and Jennifer. Hello, hello, hello.

Caitlin Ganley: Thanks for having us.

Jennifer Bilotta: Hi there.

Liam Dempsey: You are very welcome.

Erik Gudmundson: You are very welcome, Caitlin, Jen. It’s a pleasure to talk with you here on the podcast, and I’m looking forward to getting into some details.

Jennifer Bilotta: Sounds great. Let’s get to it.

Liam Dempsey: Excellent. Here we go. We’re going to start with some introductions, and we’re going to start with Caitlin and Erik, and I see Caitlin a lot at Chamber events across Chester County. Caitlin, can you tell us about your role in government and regulatory affairs with Comcast? What does your work week actually look like?

Caitlin Ganley: That’s a very loaded question. First of all, I love seeing you both at Chamber events. It’s exactly the networking we need to do. But in my role at Comcast, I really act as a bridge with the company and our government leaders. That’s why you see me a lot of times out in the community, either with businesses, with our government officials, things like that. I’m always with the different chambers. I actually sit on the Chester County Chamber of Commerce and Industry. And it just really gives us as a business a chance to be a voice for our employees and things like that.

But your question is about what does a work week looks like? I feel like that’s a loaded question. No week is really the same. And that’s really what I love about this job. So, you might see me at a municipal meeting one night, a meeting one-on-one with an elected official, talking about a franchise agreement, meeting with our business and our tech ops team to find out what’s happening in the communities, or our construction team about our builds that, that we’re actually doing right now in Chester County. 

But I also spend time supporting our nonprofit partners and identifying opportunities where Comcast as a business, we can show up and be a true community partner. So being visible and accessible in the community is really important to me. So you will see me everywhere. And I really love that because I believe that a strong partnership between Comcast and our community is essential to doing our work. And that’s what you know, that’s why every week’s different. But it keeps me on my toes, which is the most important thing.

Erik Gudmundson: Well, thanks, Caitlin. I appreciate that answer. But I definitely don’t want to let Jen off the hook there. So, Jen, you’re VP of Communications, and with a company as large as Comcast, that could mean a lot of different responsibilities. Tell us about how you spend your time at work.

Jennifer Bilotta: Happy to. And yes, you’re right. There are a lot of people at Comcast that work in communications. There are a lot of things that could mean, but for me, I oversee internal and external communications. So working with our employees and working with the media for six states, including all of Pennsylvania. 

On the media side, I work to proactively tell our story about our products and services, our innovation, our community impact, and the interesting and incredible people that we have working at this company. And then on the employee side, I really work to keep our employees engaged, aligned, aware of our priorities, marching towards the same goals, and it’s just really an incredible job. I’m honored to be here. I’ve been here for 14 years. Just love the company, love the work that we get to do.

Liam Dempsey: Yeah, I can hear that in your voice that you really like what you’re doing. And I can imagine with an employer the size of Comcast, keeping everybody on the same page, or at least even informed, is a ton, a ton of work. So, yeah, thanks for making the time today. So I’m going to direct our attention to something that we’ve talked a lot about over the years, now and certainly in a lot of our episodes over the years. And that’s the challenge of accessing high-speed Internet, particularly at the southern end of Chester County. 

Comcast recently announced some notable progress there. And I wonder if maybe, Caitlin, you might tell us a little bit more about how Comcast supported expanding high-speed Internet locally.

Caitlin Ganley: Definitely. So this is something I think I’ve talked with both of you about at some chamber events, but it was really brought to the forefront of the discussion, probably around COVID and the need to connect folks to the Internet. So this is an area we’ve been focused on for a very long time, especially in southern Chester County, talking with our elected officials, community leaders, and things like that.

But we’re really doing it through a few different ways. We One is through direct investment, where Comcast is fully funding network builds into boroughs and townships like Oxford, Lower Oxford, and East Nottingham. And we’ve actually recently announced the completion of several of those projects. But a lot of it is ongoing, and that is really bringing our fiber-powered network to thousands of new homes and businesses. A lot of these residents never had access to the Internet, so that’s really important to us. We are connecting people because we know how important that connection is.

But in a lot of areas, we’re also allowing folks to have an opportunity to have a choice on who their provider is, and that can be just as important. So in other cases, though, you know, Comcast is funding a lot of this on our own, but as you may have known, we’ve partnered with the PA Broadband Development Authority. In other words, for those who know the lingo, it’s PBDA to expand the network to more unserved homes and businesses in Chester County. 

So this is a process that has gone through the federal level, the state level, and we’ve identified thousands of residents who don’t have access to the Internet, or their speeds just aren’t high enough. So we are working to get funding.

And one of the projects is the Capital Projects Fund, it enables us to specifically connect folks that are in rural areas such as Highland, Penn, Upper Oxford, West Fallowfield, and West Sadsbury Township. So again, we’re going to be offering not just fiber to the home, but our entire full suite of Comcast products, which is really exciting because they’ve never had access to that. So, they have access to our TV, our streaming Xfinity Mobile, and it also opens an opportunity for Comcast Business Internet to those business clients.

So, this is a multi-year project we have been going through step by step to make sure that we have everything done that we need to. We can talk about that later. All the connections that we have to make in the communities. But construction is a long process, so it’s a multi-year process. But we’re really excited that we have started turning folks on, and we continue to build to new people every day.

Erik Gudmundson: That’s exciting for people and businesses that are in those areas of the county because that’s a, that opens a whole new world to them in a lot of different ways. Expanding service areas for high-speed Internet is a complex process, and there are a lot of stakeholders like you mentioned, in the process. Federal, state, local governments can be involved, local homeowners, businesses, nonprofit leaders, and of course, Comcast as well as other Internet service providers.

Can you explain some more details about how the process of bringing high-speed Internet to areas that didn’t have service previously really works?

Caitlin Ganley: Absolutely. So it is a very big process, and there are a lot of folks involved, and I have to give a shout out to our business development team at Comcast because they research and they do it for hours, and they have to pull all-nighters to find out who is not connected to the Internet and where, where are those gaps. 

So from there, once they do that detailed research and mapping and things like that, that’s kind of when I jump in, and I meet with our local elected officials, I meet with our stakeholders. So when I say our local elected officials, it usually starts at the municipal level because we really need buy-in from our community partners. We need to get contracts signed, we need to have those conversations. And when I say contract it in Comcast speak, it’s a franchise agreement. So the board has to vote on it, it has to get approved, and then our construction folks really have to go out, and they have to map out the entire municipality, or what our build area is going to be. 

So we look at that. If it’s aerial, we have to look at who owns the polls in the towns, and we have to talk with those third parties; we have to talk about if they are accessible. We have to do studies on the polls. If it’s underground, what are some of the roadblocks that we need to work around? There’s permitting, there’s approvals for research and partnerships, before construction can even begin. And that’s why I was saying it’s a really long process because it’s not just oh, we want to build there and let’s attach to poles. We really have to make sure that we find out who else is in the ground, who else is on the poles, and how do we work with them. And how can we be a good community partner? And as our construction is going through the process, it’s folks like Jen and her team that really get us out into the community and make sure that we’re talking to the right people and people know that we’re coming into the community. So we partner with our nonprofits and our businesses and things like that, and our press and our media, and you know, make sure that folks are as excited about us coming as we are about serving them.

Liam Dempsey: I’m really glad you walked me through that because, you know, it’s not just point the satellite at Oxford or send out a team with a truck and a few poles on the back. There’s a lot at stake there. So I really appreciate you slowing down to walk us through that. 

But I think we all know that access to high-speed Internet isn’t always just about a lack of infrastructure. Right? There are certainly families that just don’t have the capacity, the financial wherewithal to pay for the kind of Internet access that would benefit them, benefit their children at school, and all the online learning. So we know that you, at Comcast, offer plans for folks whose incomes may not allow them to access these typical offerings from Comcast. Can one of you please tell us about these packages? What’s available?

Caitlin Ganley: Absolutely. So I have to say one of my favorite things about Comcast is our ability to really be involved in the communities and make sure that people are receiving the services that they need. So one of the reasons I came to work for Comcast was because of a really cool program that I had heard about, and it’s called Internet Essentials. 

So, Internet Essentials was founded in 2000, and Comcast, it is our high-speed Internet for low-income individuals. And we really try to focus, the program started as let’s focus on students who are on free or reduced lunch because they need access to that Internet service. And we knew that there was a need there. And since then, we’ve expanded through and through to different folks throughout the community. We looked at seniors, those on housing assistance, and our veterans. And we continue to do, to dive in and make sure that we’re providing the services we need. 

We’ve increased speeds several times since 2011 and expanded eligibility numerous times, as I mentioned, offering access to millions, that’s millions with an M, to millions of people across the country. They have access to our WI Fi hotspots as well as included in free in-home Wi-Fi and advanced technology gateways that can connect to multiple things. We really saw the need for the Internet during COVID. And as you said, it’s not just connecting people, but it’s bringing it into their home and realizing that it is affordable for them. And it’s one of my favorite products. I talk about it to anybody who’s willing to listen. We go to nonprofits all the time. We talk about it at schools, even with our veterans.

And our veterans get really excited about it because a lot of the services that they need are all on the Internet now. So for those who may not think that they’re able to afford it, you know, we’re excited. It’s 14.95 a month. You can find more details about it on xfinity.com, but it’s as easy as signing up. They send you your modem and everything, and you can connect as long as you’re in a Comcast footprint. I do have to say that they have to live in a serviceable area, but again, it’s my favorite product we have, and I really feel like it’s a chance for us to help as many people in the community that we want to be community partners with.

Liam Dempsey: I think what I liked most about your answer is that while 1495 for Internet is fantastic, I love that Comcast is looking at veteran roles, looking at housing needs, looking at other aspects of data where folks may benefit from this and not just waiting for someone to knock on the virtual door or come to the Xfinity website. They’re proactively reaching out to the community, and you’re talking about it, Caitlin. Right? You’re out there. I love that it’s. We have this. Come, take advantage. We want to help. Thank you again for walking us through that.

Erik Gudmundson: I want to shift gears a little bit here and talk about AI, because in this day and age, we cannot talk about AI. I would imagine Comcast is using AI in more ways than we have time to cover in this conversation. So, would you highlight an especially significant way that Comcast relies on AI to meet its customers’ needs and demands today?

Jennifer Bilotta: Yeah, I think the example that I love to give is… I think it’s the easiest one to wrap our brains around because you’re right, the company is using it in so many ways, and the speed that we and others are adopting AI is just incredible. But for a while now, we have been a leader in embedding AI into our network. And what that does is it allows us to really monitor very closely the performance of our network so we can know if there is something happening that is causing our network to slow down or maybe something, you know, it might be something that you’re not even noticing yet. But we can see this is going to be a problem. Let’s get a technician out to look at that. 

And then in other ways it really helps us recover quickly if something happens that can’t be avoided. So, for instance, say a truck takes down a utility pole, that takes down, you know, the power in most cases, and also our services, our fiber teams have to get out there and restore all of that. It used to take longer, though, because we would find out that there was an outage only from people calling us and telling us, ” Hey, I’m out”. And then, you know, finding out, okay, there’s a number of people that are out, okay, there must be a problem in this area. Let’s get someone out to look around for what could be the cause. But now, because of this technology that we developed and embedded into our network, we can see very clearly and specifically where something happened within a very close range. So we can get a technician out to this block. Hey, there’s a problem at this block. Get out there and see what we can do about it. And that helps us restore services and get people up and running as soon as possible.

Liam Dempsey: Yeah, that’s impressive. So with such a large customer base, we expect that Comcast must garner feedback on a proper, practically 247 basis. What feedback from customers or the community has most influenced how the business operates today?

Jennifer Bilotta: Sure. Well, a few years ago, it was really about customer experience, and we heard that loud and clear. And we really launched an initiative to reimagine the customer experience. And we have made so many gains in that area. And it’s something that I think every company has to continuously focus on. 

We are as well, but we really made such a difference there. And then related to that, we heard from customers that they really wanted to understand our pricing more simply and to not have to worry about the pricing changing every year, and then maybe calling us to figure out whether the package they had was what they still needed. So we launched some really great new customer-friendly policies and packages that include a five-year price guarantee. Just really simple transparent tiers on what you’re paying for. And it’s the same package that someone in California is being offered as well. So, just simplifying and focusing on transparency and locking in your price for a long period of time on our side, that doesn’t lock in customers at all on their side, but it does guarantee your price for five years. 

And we simplified our WI fi. We know that people love our WI FI experience, and they want to take it with them on the go. So we have, Caitlin mentioned, millions of WI FI hotspots across the country, and our Internet customers have access to those WI FI hotspots when they’re out and about.

And then the last one I’ll mention is a really fairly recent one. It’s an Xfinity Membership. So we heard from customers that they wanted to be recognized and rewarded for being with us for a long time. You know, we have customers, including myself, who have been with this company for dozens of years, and they, you know, should be rewarded for that. So we launched something called Xfinity Membership, and we not only provide some really great rewards, but we also are leveraging the power of our company as a whole and our relationship with NBCUniversal to offer some incredible experiences, everything from movie tickets to discounted or potentially free tickets to Universal Studios and a lot more. And that is all automatic and included. So if you have an Xfinity Services, log into the app and check out what rewards you are eligible for, because I guarantee it’s something.

There’s also localized rewards, so Phillies tickets, for instance, or Flyers. I’m not a sports fan, so I’m not sure who’s playing these days, but lots of options.

Caitlin Ganley: We’ll pretend like you didn’t say that, Jen.

Liam Dempsey: No, I think she’s in. Welcome, welcome. Community here.

Erik Gudmundson: As I said, we’re talking about community, so. Well, and I think you may have just alienated a bunch of the Philadelphia community, but not really. I work in IT services, and, yeah, I’m challenged with sportsball and things like that as well. So you’re a. Okay. You’re in good company here. It’s all right.

Jennifer Bilotta: Let me add. Go birds.

Erik Gudmundson: There you go.

Liam Dempsey: Nice recovery. Nice recovery.

Erik Gudmundson: Made it all better. Well, sticking with the community theme for a little bit, clearly in the answer you just gave, you talk about all the different ways that Comcast is really trying to stay integrated, connected, and responsive to the community. How does Comcast define its role in a community like Chester County beyond providing quality services and products?

Caitlin Ganley: So, if I could define our role, maybe in one word, I would say partner. Our goal is to be a partner, not just a provider and a customer, as you said, but we really invest in our communities. We invest our time and our money. Our employees invest their time and their money. And, you know, we’re a local company. Yes, we’re based in Philadelphia, and that’s where we’re headquartered, but we have offices, we have teammates, we have customers throughout Chester County. We are ingrained in the communities that we serve. And I love that because we learned so much more about the communities as we serve more communities. So, there’s a ton going on. But I would say partnership is how we define our roles in the community.

Liam Dempsey: So Comcast offers considerable support to many communities. We just look at the chamber and all the nonprofits and see the Comcast logo as a sponsor, a donor, or a contributor. And you’re big enough that I’d expect you’re getting many more requests than the company can accept. And it probably is a little bit hard to process as many as you get. Good thing you’re so good at technology. But maybe one of you can talk about how do you balance requests for community support while serving as a partner, making really meaningful contributions to those local organizations or those local initiatives that are serving in the community where you want to be seen as a partner?

Caitlin Ganley: Yeah, I can definitely take that question. I would say to you, it is definitely hard in my role, government and community affairs. So I do get a ton of requests. And we do our best to make sure that we can support as many partners as possible. But at Comcast, we really have to figure out what our focus is. And so a lot of that is supporting organizations that are going to align with our core principles. So it’s including. It is connectivity and adoption, digital skills, job training, career development, entrepreneurship, a lot of those things. So that’s where, it’s when, folks, everybody just wants to say, call Comcast. They’ll support. And I would love to support every single request we get, but it’s not always that easy. 

So, again, we do have to put some guardrails out. But during COVID and right after, Comcast made a lot of announcements about how are we going to really invest in the communities. And so we did that through a program called Project Up, which I’m not sure if you’re familiar with, but it’s Comcast’s $1 billion initiative to connect people to the Internet, to create digital opportunity, and to build a future of unlimited possibilities. And that’s all you can really hope for. It’s us investing in the people who really trust in us. 

So we do have a lot of amazing employees that live in Chester County, and they also bring in up to us, hey, we want to support things like that. So with our Project up, we were able to launch Team Up. It’s a national program where our employees volunteer for programs, and they get to decide who they want to volunteer for. So our employee resource groups go out into the community. 

And just recently, we’ve had employees out at the Chester County Food Bank. They’ve been out at LCH Health and Community Services, and there they were able to donate clothing and toys that were then donated to patients and community members. So it’s a really great opportunity that our employees get to volunteer, and Comcast gets to put money behind things that are important to our employees in the communities that we live in. Not just live in, but also work in, you know, all of that. So it’s a really great program. Through Team Up and Project Up.

Erik Gudmundson: I imagine you touch a lot of different organizations and in very positive ways, just like the way you just described. So let’s stick with that thought of Comcast being a true key stakeholder in the community. Tell us about some of your local partners that we might not know about. Who is doing good work that often goes unsung.

Caitlin Ganley: Wow, that is a big question, because there are so many that I could highlight. So we have really great relationships with the United Way of Greater Philadelphia. You know, we’ve worked with them because they’ve brought digital navigators into Chester County. And so that was something that we were able to partner with, with the Digital Alliance of Chester County as well. You know, we also, as a company, started lift zones. So I’m not sure if you’re familiar with them, but we started lift zones, and we were very proud that we did 100 lift zones in 100 days, you know, right after Covid, and a couple of those were right here in Chester County. For example, the Oscar Alasko YMCA and Child Care and the Charles Melton Arts and Education Center. So those are locations that Comcast provides Internet, but people can go in for free and log onto the Internet and do what they need there.

But I also really want to give a shout-out. I know I just talked about our employees volunteering at LCH Health and Community Services, but they really do some incredible work with connecting people to the Internet and providing training for those who need digital assistance. And a lot of folks just think you can connect somebody, but people really do need to learn the skills. Folks don’t know how to set up an email address or how to log on for a telehealth visit. 

And LCH really helps folks connect. That’s what’s really important to us. And one of the other things that I love about them is that they talk about Internet safety as well. It’s something that’s very important with a lot of our nonprofit partners. And it’s important to Comcast, but we’re really Proud that we’ve been able to support LCH over the years with a lot of different grants for opportunities with their digital navigators and their learning opportunities. So, you know, we find a lot of partners, but there’s so many more out there doing incredible work in the region, and we’re just lucky that we get to meet them and partner with them and volunteer with them.

Liam Dempsey: LCH is a fantastic organization, and we were lucky enough to speak with Ronan Gannon, the CEO of LCH, some time ago, and he was generous enough to come to our Community Connections Collaborative initiative with Camp Hill Village, Kimberton Hills, back in January of this year. So we’ll be sure to link to that conversation with him so folks out there in Listener land can learn more about LCH and the great work that they’re doing. Thank you for diving a little bit more deeply into that. I didn’t realize that they offered that Internet. I won’t call it training as such, but like, that kind of training, it really is. That’s great. Thank you. 

So when we’re driving into Center City in Philadelphia, or maybe we’re taking the train even, we see that tall, really beautiful Comcast Center. It is absolutely a part of the iconic Philly skyline. And I didn’t appreciate the Philly skyline until I moved to the area. It’s really fantastic. But that has us wondering, and you’ve mentioned it. So I know you have employees out here in Chester County, but does Comcalf have offices and business locations out here in our corner of the world?

Jennifer Bilotta: Yeah, we absolutely do. We have offices and employees throughout the entire region. And it’s really one thing that makes us different than a lot of companies is that, you know, if you’re having a problem, we get a technician out to your house, and we take care of it. Or if you want to get our services and get installed, you know, we send somebody out in some cases, unless you want to do it yourself, which is also an option. And we get people out. But in Chester County, we also have one of our Xfinity stores. Xfinity stores are a great place to come to if you’re already a customer. You can talk about the package that you have.Is it still right for you? Do you have other needs? Is there something that you want to change? Do you have the latest remote control for our X1 platform? If not, you can grab one there. Do you have Xfinity Mobile? Do you want to come in and learn about that? We can just help you with, really, anything that you need, and we can also help new customers sign up for service. That’s right on Bartlett Avenue in Exton.

We also have a technical operations center in downtown Downingtown. Sorry, not downtown Downingtown. And that’s where our tech ops employees are based out of and go throughout their or the area to help our customers. 

We also have in Downingtown a really cool testing facility there. So like I mentioned before, you know, we don’t just provide connectivity. We are a technology company, and we’re building technology that makes our products and services better. Everything from the gateways that you use to the X1 platform to the voice remote, the award winning voice remote. We have hundreds, I think, of patents. It’s really cool to see them. There’s a floor at the Comcast Center that has all the patents on display. So that facility in Downingtown does a lot of testing of our new devices to make sure that they work, including smart home devices. We have Xfinity Home, which is our smart home solution. And a lot of things are tested there, from doorbell cameras to motion sensors and more. So, that’s just a few of our happenings are in the Chester County area.

Erik Gudmundson: Jen, I enjoyed that answer in that you listed off so many products and services that Comcast provides. Probably half of them are new to our listeners because there are so many, and it’s hard to keep track of them all. And I imagine there are new ones that come out all the time that you didn’t even get to. So would you, for our listeners right now, tell us about one particular product or service that has you particularly excited? Maybe a new one, maybe an old one that’s a little quiet, something that really excites you.

Jennifer Bilotta: Yeah, Xfinity Mobile is definitely the most exciting of all the very exciting things that we have going on right now. I don’t know, you might have seen there was just a Philadelphia Inquirer article that detailed the latest on Xfinity Mobile. We made a lot of changes to that. It’s been a great product that we rolled out as a value add for our Internet customers. So you do have to be an Internet customer to get Xfinity Mobile. And Xfinity Mobile is our wireless service or cellular service. So like I said, people want to take their WI Fi with them on the go. Xfinity Mobile helps you do that, too, because it works with our WI Fi in a special way.

If you connect to one of our WI Fi hotspots in the home or outside the home, you automatically get gig speeds through PowerBoost. So, you know, say you don’t need gig speeds, necessarily for the things that you do at home, you have a lower speed tier. But when you’re on your phone at home, you’re getting gig speed. Or when you’re out at the coffee shop, you know, checking in on things, and you connect to an Xfinity WI fi hotspot, you’re getting gig speed on your phone. 

So we rolled out some new pricing and new plans. Some of the features and benefits include a Global Travel Pass for free. So with most, I think pretty much every wireless company except now Xfinity Mobile, if you’re going to travel abroad, you have to call and tell them, and you have to pay a special daily rate to roam and use your wireless phone in another country. And that’s now going to be built into some of our plans.

We also have device protection, the ability to upgrade your phone whenever you want, which is usually often gated, you know, like, oh, no, you just upgraded last, you know, in the last 12 months. So you’re not eligible for an upgrade now. That’s not the case anymore. So that’s a really great service, and it’s designed to save you money, like I said, and families are saving up to 50% versus the big three carriers. So it’s an incredible value. If you haven’t checked it out. Absolutely. Stop by one of our stores or check us out online.

Liam Dempsey: That does sound appealing. The international thing sounds really appealing. So before today, I was on LinkedIn and looking at both your profile, Jen, and yours, Caitlin, and I was impressed. Caitlin, you’ve been with Comcast for eight years now, if your LinkedIn profile is up to date. And Jen, it’s been 14. And what I wonder about for each of you is what you find most fulfilling about your work with Comcast? And maybe, Jen, I’ll start with you.

Jennifer Bilotta:  Sure. Well, for me, it’s just the constant innovation and trying new things and rolling out new products and services. When I came here, I came from an agency background, so I was used to working with dozens of clients over a year and constantly changing and learning new things. So when I came here, I was a little afraid that I was going to be bored. You know, I’d kind of master this in a short amount of time and, you know, lose some interest. But that has not been the case at all. When I first came here, we had just rolled out Xfinity Home, the smart home that I mentioned, Smart Home Solution. Pretty soon after that, is when we launched our focus on the customer experience and changed a ton of things there, from policies to other ways that we do business with customers and with employees.

Shortly after that, we launched the X1 platform, which is just an incredible way to consume entertainment. It makes it so easy to find the shows that you want. These days, you talk about a show, and people are like, ” Oh, well, where’s that? And it’s like, I have no idea, because all I have to do is say the name of it into my voice remote, and it launches it from there, and then Xfinity Mobile after that, and there were some things in between. So it’s just been an incredible journey and a really fun one.

Caitlin Ganley: So me most fulfilling. Jen, you knocked it out of the park with all of the innovation we have because that always keeps you on your toes. So that is really fun because talking to people in the community, you get to talk about all the fun things. And for those who aren’t huge sports people, you can always say into your voice remote, like, ” What channel’s the Phillies on? And it will go to the Phillies channel for you. 

But I would say in my role in the government affairs side, I would say the most fulfilling thing for me is the opportunity to give back to the communities that we’re in. I really love that we’re not just a company that sets up and sells a product. We really care about the people that we’re serving. And I love to be able to connect people to reliable Internet because it really can impact their lives, whether it’s through education, employment, health care, or something like that.

But I’m also really excited, especially in the role that I’m in, that I can help direct grant funding and mobilize volunteers and support local initiatives. So it really does make a difference. And I think that that’s probably what I find fulfilling, is being able to go into a new community and say, we’re not just here to serve, give you products, we’re here to serve you. And I love that.

Erik Gudmundson: Well, question for both of you. Tell us about a business or nonprofit that more folks should know about. We asked this question of just about all of our guests, but our listeners do love the question. And I know you’ve already listed a number of nonprofit organizations that Comcast supports, but tell us about one that, or a business for that matter, that more folks should know about.

Caitlin Ganley: So I can go first. So it’s actually something that’s probably near and dear to both Jen and I. So Jen just got off a board for a nonprofit called the Women’s Resource Center. And as Jen got off, I got on, and I’m very lucky that she helped me with that. But the Women’s Resource Center, also known as WRC, serves women and girls across Chester County and the Greater Philadelphia region. It helps them while they’re going through life’s transitions. It helps support them through confidential helpline counseling, coaching, and education programs. I believe. Jen, correct me if I’m wrong, but there’s legal opportunities for people to give them advice. Their work really gets. Has a chance to empower people during their most challenging, their most challenging moments, you know, whether that be family changes or personal crisis or even a career transition. And you don’t know kind of where to go. So it really helps women and girls build resilience, move forward, and thrive within the communities that they live in. So, it’s, you know, a hidden gem that really just provides so much to the communities, and a lot of folks don’t know about them. So I want to give them a shout-out.

Jennifer Bilotta: Yeah, I love that. Caitlin, thank you for bringing them up. They also run the girls lead program, which is for middle school girls, and it teaches them, it helps them develop leadership skills that, you know, hopefully the intention is it helps them avoid crises in the future so that they’re, you know, better prepared. They have self-esteem and confidence to, you know, navigate these things on their own. And I know that they run some programs with some middle schools and high schools in Chester County as well. I don’t have the list in front of me, but I know they do. When we were talking, thinking about this question earlier.

Another one, a few came up to me in Westchester because, for one thing, Caitlin and I are also both alums of Westchester University. And I was just, just there on Thursday with my daughter. She’s a junior in high school. And we were touring the campus, which was fantastic. And my goddaughter is a graduating senior there this year. So we did the tour, and we met up with my goddaughter for lunch afterwards. And we went to OPA in Westchester. I’d never been there before. Fantastic Greek restaurant, just amazing. 

And then, before we left, I had to hit up one of my favorite places, Carlinos.

Liam Dempsey: Yeah, Carlinos. We can have a podcast on that alone. Yeah. Tell us a little bit about Carlinos.

Jennifer Bilotta: Oh, my goodness. For anybody who hasn’t been to Carlinos, it’s a destination you have to stop in. Just amazing prepared foods, other things that you can buy if you are a chef, which I am not, but if you like to do your own cooking, just tons of options and olive oils, vinegars, cheeses, fresh pasta, homemade sauces, or other sauces that you know, from other brands that are really well known. It’s just, it’s just an incredible place.

Caitlin Ganley: You’re making me hungry.

Jennifer Bilotta: Yeah.

Erik Gudmundson: You’re also making a lot more students want to come to Westchester. You’re selling it. It’s a wonderful town to visit and eat in both.

Jennifer Bilotta: It is.

Liam Dempsey: And we’ll be sure to include links to all those organizations, restaurants, venues, and stores over on our website at Star startlocal.co. We talk a lot about workforce development on this podcast, and we’ve heard today that you’ve talked about how Comcast is very interested in upskilling, development, and entrepreneurship. And we want to explore the career pathways that Comcast has for perhaps folks beginning their career locally without a traditional four-year degree. What opportunities might be available with Comcast to someone in that position?

Jennifer Bilotta: Absolutely. We’re really proud at Comcast that you can get started with us without needing a four-year degree. We do. We have so many ways to get your foot in the door here, from our retail stores, like I mentioned, one right in Chester County, to being a technician, to customer service roles, most of which are virtual these days too. So you can work from home and help people, and you can leverage that experience and work your way up. There are so many people I know at this company who’ve been here for 25, 35, 40 years, and they often started at, you know, the very beginning and worked their way up. You know, once you’re an employee here, we pay for education. You know, we have ed assist so you can go to school, and we can help you pay for that.

You know, a few people, I’m on the senior leadership team here in the region, and I think almost all of them have worked their way up. Our VP of technical operations started as a technician, and he’s now the VP overseeing all of our field operations in the region. It’s just an incredible opportunity here at this company. If you are someone who just, you know, likes to get in and figure things out and work hard, you can go super far here. And we’ll help you develop, and we’ll help you advance.

Erik Gudmundson: We expect that Comcast is always hiring. Where can a person go to find out what positions are currently available, and how can they apply?

Caitlin Ganley: So we are always hiring. We are a large company with jobs across the country. But if you are searching for jobs, you can always log on to jobs.comcast.com. It gives you an opportunity to set up notifications for yourself. You’ll get alerts or emails if jobs come up and things like that. So it’s always a great place. Jobs come up, they come down, but it’s a great place to see what’s needed on our basis, where they’re located, and what skills you need. 

But to Jen’s point, just because you’re starting in as a technician doesn’t mean that someday you can’t become the VP of TechOps.

Erik Gudmundson: Caitlin Ganley, senior Director of Government and Regulatory affairs at Comcast, and Jennifer Bilotta, VP Communications. Starting with you, Caitlin, where can folks connect with you online?

Caitlin Ganley: Connect with me online through LinkedIn. I would love to meet folks. I’m always looking to expand my network, so find me on LinkedIn, and I hope to connect with some folks.

Erik Gudmundson: Jen, how about you?

Jennifer Bilotta: Same. LinkedIn is the place to be, and I am more than happy to connect with people, and you can also. Actually, that’s a really great place. I think you asked for, you know, how do you follow information? I’m constantly posting on LinkedIn, kind of the latest and greatest, and what’s been going on. So that’s a great place to follow. Should have thought that early.

Caitlin Ganley: I mean, I even follow Jen to make sure that I have the latest and greatest Comcast things on my LinkedIn.

Liam Dempsey: There you go, folks. There you go. If you want to know what’s happening at Comcast, just follow Jen. Follow Jen on LinkedIn. Caitlin, Jen, thank you both so much for all the time and effort you’ve put into this today. I’ve really enjoyed our time together. Thank you for joining us today.

Caitlin Ganley: Thanks for having us.

Erik Gudmundson: Yes, indeed. Thank you to Jen and Caitlin, and also thank you to my co-host, Liam Dempsey. I’m Erik Gudmundson. 

The Start Local podcast is published every two weeks. We invite you to subscribe to Start Local using your favorite podcast app or ask your smart speaker to play the Start Local podcast. You can visit the Start Local website at startlocal.co for show notes, including links mentioned on this show and summaries of past episodes. 

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