Charter Communications Celebrates New HQ With Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony

STAMFORD, CT — Charter Communications officially celebrated the opening of its new corporate headquarters on Monday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 400 Washington Blvd. in Stamford.

The grand opening highlighted Charter's growth over the years on its way to becoming the second largest cable provider in the United States.

Charter had 16,000 employees and served 5 million customers when it moved to Stamford in 2012 from St. Louis, Mo.

Seventy-five employees came to Stamford, and headquarters were originally located at 400 Atlantic St. The former HQ — a 508,000 square-foot office tower — recently sold for $72 million after Charter moved out.

Now, Charter says it employs more than 93,000 people and serves 32 million customers in 41 states. There are 1,700 employees based in Stamford, and that number is expected to grow.

The new campus reflects the company's run of success, said Charter Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Tom Rutledge at Monday's event.

Rutledge was joined by over 300 employees and various elected officials, including Gov. Ned Lamont and Stamford Mayor Caroline Simmons.

"When we started this construction project, we didn't really know we were going to get what we got, but we got it. I think, to me, it reflects the success we've had, but the opportunity we still have," Rutledge said. Plans for a new headquarters were first conceived in 2017.

The new campus features two connected towers, offering a combined 900,000 square feet of new space. Overall, the new headquarters represents a $100 million investment from Charter.

There are plenty of amenities for employees, including direct, covered access to the Stamford Train Station. The campus has a fitness center, and a health center is expected to open this summer. There is an on-campus coffee shop, juice bar and three self-serve markets that will be open nonstop.

There is a state-of-the-art conference center, along with high-tech training and huddle spaces. There are also plans to build an auditorium and outdoor amphitheater.

"[This] gives us an opportunity to be a better company and have even more productive employees of this company as we build it further," Rutledge added.

Lamont spoke about a time when Charter filed for bankruptcy.

"It took a lot of vision, it took extraordinary leadership and it took an awful lot of you to turn this around, and make this the incredible success it is. This is a crowning achievement for everything you have deserved," Lamont said.

He noted that cable, telecommunications, broadband and IT are not "nice-to-haves," but "got-to-haves," evidenced by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I'm so proud that Connecticut is one of the most connected states in the country, and how vital that was over the last two years and what that means going forward," said Lamont, who founded Lamont Television Systems in the 1980s.

Simmons, whose father Steve Simmons is involved in the cable industry, said the city is "grateful and thrilled" to have Charter in Stamford.

"One of our goals as an administration is to invest in our infrastructure, to invest in sustainable infrastructure, to support transit-oriented development so we can make work and housing more accessible near transit systems, and I think this building and its proximity to the train station is just a great model for that that can be replicated in other cities across our state and across the country," Simmons said.

Simmons said one of her sons often looks at the buildings with excitement as they drive by on the way to preschool.

"I think great cities have great architecture and iconic buildings, and these buildings are truly going to add to that iconic fabric of our city," Simmons said. "They're a great symbol for the modern, innovative, future-oriented city that we're becoming."