In Focus

What About Bob?

NOTE: All this month in the Chicks' Eye View we will be featuring the richest of the rich from the Forbes List of the World's Richest People. Just who are they and how'd they get to be so filthy rich?

So funny. Chick Karin asked us to check out Forbes' latest list of the top 400 wealthiest Americans. Well, I almost choked on my Pop-Tart when I saw that Stuart Robert Levine, co-founder of Cabletron, Inc. (CS:NYSE), placed at number 382. Let me tell you why.

Several years back I was newly single and just venturing out to the "scene" for the first time in years. I had recently met my husband, and one summer evening he and I -- along with a bunch of our friends -- were at one of our favorite hang-outs, the Penguin. Some really rich guy came breezing by and invited about twenty of us aboard his yacht for a cruise around the Bay. I found the guy to be a bit peculiar. He was short but extremely muscular (it looked as if his shirt might pop off on its own with his every breath), and every bit as vain as you can imagine. He showed us onto his yacht, equipped with two Harley-Davidson's, Jet Ski's, a discotheque the likes of which you've never seen, and many other incredible luxuries. We drank and danced the night away with, as far as I knew or cared, some guy named Bob and his bodyguards. And although Bob was hoping he could wow us all with his fabulous digs, all I remember about that night is that it was the first time I kissed my future husband. Who knew that years later I'd be asked to write about this guy? Small world, eh? Anyway, this is what I found out about Dear Old Bob.

Back in 1983 in Massachusetts, Bob and his buddy Craig Benson co-founded a networking company in Bob's garage. The one-time amateur body-builder (I can vouch for that!) was an integral part of the newly created company, Cabletron, Inc., mostly because of his aggressive, take-no-prisoners attitude. While Benson worked on the day-to-day management of the company, it was Bob Levine who ultimately put CS on the map. As the company's Sales Guru, he was what the rest of the industry saw as the personification of Cabletron. And his antics, arguably the reason for the success of the company, were eventually going to catch up with him.

Levine stories were infamous within the industry. What would he do next? There's the story about the time one of his employees was doing a demonstration at the New York Federal Reserve Bank amidst a crowd of Cabletron execs and customers. The poor guy got zapped by the equipment so badly he was thrown to the ground; Levine was so ticked off he fired him on the spot. (Levine denies this, by the way, although the people who were there say it happened.)

And then there are the stories about his marketing campaign against Cisco, which he initially called "Kill Cisco," before pressure had him change it to "Beat Cisco." At a trade show in 1996, Buff-Bob grabbed everyone's attention when he decided to take on actor Joe Piscopo in an arm wrestling competition. In various articles I've read, Levine has been called everything from a 1,000-pound gorilla to a military-esque leader with a quirky management style. His relationship with his employees is often a topic, and he is known for using threats to get his salespeople working harder. This sounds to me more like a pompous kid than the co-founder, President, and CEO of a major corporation, dontcha think?

Well, not surprisingly, Levine's tactics finally did end his days with Cabletron. In 1997 he resigned, saying that the time commitment necessary to bring the company to the next level was not time he was willing to give. He claimed his priorities had changed a bit and he wasn't interested in spending more time away from his family. Others put it a little differently. Essentially, the company had grown to such proportions that it truly had the potential to become a contender with some of its billion dollar competitors. We're talking about, pardon the expression, peeing with the big dogs now, and apparently it became pretty clear that Bob needed to relieve himself (I can't stop laughing now) of his duties so a better-equipped person could take over.

Since that time, Cabletron, Inc. has had a new team of managers. Plyush Patel is the current CEO and things have continued to improve for the company. By the end of 2000, sales for CS had increased 10.6% to $381.1 million, and they carry no long-term debt. Cabletron, Inc. is an S & P 500 index corporation and they are currently in the process of launching four customer-focused telecommunications and networking organizations including Aprisma Management Technologies, Enterasys Networks, Global/Network Technology Services, and Riverstone Networks. Apparently the decision to move on without Levine was the right one.

So... What About Bob?

Well, I have no idea. I searched high and low and couldn't find any current information on him, except when Forbes put him on their prestigious list and mentioned that he is now 42 years old and divorced. Bob appears to be an interesting character anyway, and aside from all his idiosyncrasies, you have to credit him with Cabletron's introduction and eventual success in the networking industry.