Full Name
Gary Wood
Job Title
President & CEO
Company
Firefly Fiber Broadband
Speaker Bio
Gary Wood is the President and Chief Executive Officer at Central Virginia Electric Cooperative (CVEC) & Central Virginia Services, Inc. (CVSI) dba Firefly Fiber Broadband (Firefly). Firefly is a wholly-owned subsidiary of CVEC. During his employment, CVEC has established a reputation as a low cost, high reliability electric distribution company. The company has invested in infrastructure to address issues with inadequate capacity and outdated equipment, as well as to install and leverage technology to increase efficiency and member satisfaction.
Mr. Wood was instrumental in the founding of Firefly Fiber Broadband and has been its leader since its inception in 2018. He has led a project that built over 7000 miles of fiber, making gigabit speed broadband service available to more than 70,000 rural central Virginia locations that previously had no options for broadband internet. He and his team have secured more than $200 million in federal, state, and local grants and contributions to help high capital costs of infrastructure development in low density rural areas. Firefly has been recognized for achieving an American Satisfaction Index score of 90 for 2023 and an 89 in 2024, proving that an ISP can provide the same great level of service as an electric cooperative.
Mr. Wood has been with Central Virginia Electric Cooperative, the parent company of Firefly Fiber Broadband, since 1991, serving as Planning Engineering Manager and Vice President of Engineering and Operations before being promoted to President and CEO in 2008. He has been involved with multiple programs to help central Virginia overcome the lack of internet access, from offering dial up service in the late 1990’s, to being one of the first companies nationally to try a broadband over powerline solution in 2004, to offering free attachments for any provider or consortium of providers who would provide universal broadband access to all CVEC members.
Prior to joining CVEC, Mr. Wood worked in the consulting engineering field and still holds a professional engineers license. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Virginia and a Master’s in Business Administration from Auburn University.
Mr. Wood was instrumental in the founding of Firefly Fiber Broadband and has been its leader since its inception in 2018. He has led a project that built over 7000 miles of fiber, making gigabit speed broadband service available to more than 70,000 rural central Virginia locations that previously had no options for broadband internet. He and his team have secured more than $200 million in federal, state, and local grants and contributions to help high capital costs of infrastructure development in low density rural areas. Firefly has been recognized for achieving an American Satisfaction Index score of 90 for 2023 and an 89 in 2024, proving that an ISP can provide the same great level of service as an electric cooperative.
Mr. Wood has been with Central Virginia Electric Cooperative, the parent company of Firefly Fiber Broadband, since 1991, serving as Planning Engineering Manager and Vice President of Engineering and Operations before being promoted to President and CEO in 2008. He has been involved with multiple programs to help central Virginia overcome the lack of internet access, from offering dial up service in the late 1990’s, to being one of the first companies nationally to try a broadband over powerline solution in 2004, to offering free attachments for any provider or consortium of providers who would provide universal broadband access to all CVEC members.
Prior to joining CVEC, Mr. Wood worked in the consulting engineering field and still holds a professional engineers license. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Virginia and a Master’s in Business Administration from Auburn University.
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